Page 33 - Best of the Best 2020

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE • SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2020 BEST ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON
Scott Bowen, M.D.
FINALISTS: BEST ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON
William Hefley Jr., M.D.
Kenneth Martin, M.D.
BEST NEUROLOGIST/NEUROSURGEON
Brad Thomas, M.D. >>
Surgical hospital’s doctors put patients first
BEST OF THE BEST • 33N
Arkansas Surgical Hospital in Little Rock had four doctors either win or finish as a finalist in this year’s Arkansas Democrat Gazette’s Best of the Best readers’ poll.
Dr. Scott Bowen, named Best Orthopedic Surgeon, said patients have told him time and time again that the doctors at Arkansas Surgical Hospital did the right thing by creating the doctor-operated hospital.
“I think the public knows it’s important that the decisions about the care they receive are made by the surgeons,” Bowen said. “It is satisfying to hear from patients that they’re glad we own this hospital and that they understand what a difference it makes to have physician owners.”
Bowen specializes in minimally invasive surgeries of the hip, knee and shoulder, in- cluding joint replacement and arthroscopic procedures. He said he hand-picked his surgical team.
“I have the same core group of people with me in the operating room day after day, surgery after surgery,” Bowen said.
“Having team members that are so in tune with one another makes a big difference,” he said. “I love knowing that I’m able to work with a staff of people I trust.”
Dr. Brad Thomas was named Best Neurologist/Neurosurgeon.
“Each patient who walks through my door is treated with respect and the utmost courtesy,” Thomas said. “I believe that it takes a combination of compassion, experience and experts to give patients confidence in the care they receive.”
This year, Arkansas Surgical Hospital was nationally recognized with the Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award for Patient Experience for the second year in a row. Thomas said he was especially proud of that.
SUBMITTED PHOTO Two doctors at Arkansas Surgical Hospital won the top position for their fields in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s readership poll.Two other
doctors were named finalists.
Dr. William Hefley Jr., a finalist for Best Orthopedic Surgeon, said “Without a doubt, our excellent patient experience is what sets us apart from other hospitals.”
Hefley said his dad was also a physician and liked to tell him, “If you don’t know what to fix, you probably won’t.” Hefley said the relationship with a patient is the foundation for everything.
“You can get all kinds of X-rays and MRIs and lab work done, but developing a rapport with a patient and learning their actual expectations for the outcome of the procedure — what they want to be able to do with their new joint, for example — are what lead to happy patients.”
Dr. Kenneth Martin was also a finalist for Best Orthopedic Surgeon. He has performed more than 20,000 knee replacements, and he said the thing about elective orthopedic surgery is that it’s planned and precise.
“It’s not that every knee is the same, but I know the mechanics of the knee, I know the problems of the knee, and I know how to fix those problems because I’ve been doing it for decades,” Martin said. “This is a medical area where you can’t beat expertise with things like technology and tools, because there are no shortcuts that can replace experience.”