News

New surgeon joins BAHC Healthcare Team

Boscobel Area Health Care (BAHC) recently welcomed an additional surgeon to their surgical team.

Dr. Chris Hugo, currently of Guttenberg, IA, will begin seeing patients at BAHC on Fridays. Dr. Hugo has been practicing as a general surgeon since 1981, and moved to Iowa to practice in Guttenberg in 2006. Appointments to be seen in Boscobel can be made at 608-375-4112.

Dr. Hugo joins two other general surgeons, Dr. Roger Rademacher and Dr. James Yurcek, and a team of specialty surgeons, to enhance surgical procedures offered at BAHC.

Operating Room Nurse Manager, Amy Franklin, says BAHC continues to expand services offered in Boscobel. "Having a surgical procedure can be very scary for a patient and their family. We know how important it is to offer these services locally, where patients are familiar and comfortable with the staff and facility and don't have to navigate an unfamiliar city and traffic."

Dr. Hugo specializes in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of diseases including, but not limited to, breast, esophagus, stomach, gallbladder, small and large intestine, throat, skin lesions, and wound care.

Types of procedures Dr. Hugo regularly performs includes c-sections, hysterectomies, gallbladder and appendix removal, tonsil removal, carpal tunnel, bladder lifts, colonoscopies, upper endoscopies, hernia repairs, sclerotherapy, breast biopsies, mastectomies with breast implants, and removal of internal scarring adhesions, to name a few.

Dr. Hugo has practiced since 1979, and has privileges at seven Midwest area hospitals, including Boscobel Area Health Care. In addition to his extensive surgical experience, Dr. Hugo has taught as USD Medical School in South Dakota. He is fluent in English, German, Dutch, Zulu, and has a working knowledge of Spanish.

The addition of Dr. Hugo comes only one year after the addition of Dr. Yurcek. Additional specialists continue to be recruited, as the demand for quality healthcare offered close to home increases, said Franklin.

"Having specialists travel to Boscobel so patients don't have to travel to them is part of our promise to be convenient, compassionate, and comprehensive," said Community Relations Coordinator Mary Sprosty. Specialists that travel to Boscobel to provide close-to-home services include three general surgeons, two Orthopedic Surgeons, a Podiatrist, Urologist, Dermatologist, and a Cardiologist.

For procedures not offered locally, such as heart surgery, patients can still begin and end their experience at Boscobel Area Health Care, thanks to physicians who are willing to travel to them. For example, Dr. John Moses, Cardiologist who performs heart procedures at Merriter, travels to BAHC so patients can be seen and diagnosed at home, and return here to complete their cardiac rehabilitation.

"Patients no longer have to wonder if we can offer something here. They can take comfort in knowing they can walk into our door, and we will connect them to the right physician, whether that procedure is carried out here or a tertiary hospital," said Franklin.