Lawrence S. Levinson, M.D., will be joining the Tyrone Regional Health Network (TRHN) effective May 1. He and the staff of The Tipton Medical and Diagnostic Center will become part of Tyrone Medical Associates, the physician group owned and operated by TRHN.
Levinson has been an established physician in our community for more than 30 years. He was recruited by Tyrone Hospital in 1983 and has been a member of the Tyrone Hospital Medical Staff.
In addition to providing general medical services to adolescents and adults, Levinson is board-certified in addiction medicine and is a certified medical review officer. He has served as the principal investigator for more than 200 clinical trials.
Stephen C. Gildea, MBA, FACHE, chief executive officer of TRHN stated that The Tipton Medical Center has been part of the “Tyrone Hospital family” for a long time. “We are pleased to formalize this relationship. It will be mutually beneficial and will support the patients who rely on Dr. Levinson for care.”
During his years of practice, Levinson has seen the healthcare industry undergo many changes. When asked about his decision to become part of the Tyrone Regional Health Network, he commented “Thirty-two years ago, fresh from my medical training as an Internist, I was brought to this area by Tyrone Hospital. It was a time when the practice of medicine was relatively easy.
“There was the patient and there was the physician. There was little or no interference from the insurance company, no complicated process of getting authorization to do a test and eye contact between us was expected.”
He further commented, “Working as an independent solo practitioner has become increasingly difficult and is on the verge of becoming impossible. My 60-plus hour work week is consumed by 20 hours of administrative responsibilities just to keep up with current regulations. It is now time for a change – a change that will be better for the community, my patients and my staff.”
So far as why he chose Tyrone Regional, Levinson said, “Under the leadership of CEO Stephen Gildea and the Board of Directors, a wonderful metamorphosis is taking place. A once sleepy community hospital has now become a major source of safe, compassionate and cost effective medical care in our region.
“For these reasons, we have decided to join the physicians of TRHN and become members of Tyrone Medical Associates. This is going to be a great adventure and we are all looking forward to it.”
The Tipton Medical and Diagnostic Center will become an outpatient facility of TRHN.
Although the name of his practice will change, the care he and his staff provide to their patients will not.
Plans for the practice to relocate to TRHN’s Northern Blair Medical Center will take place this spring. The new facility is currently under construction in Antis Township at the former LaScalias Restaurant location in Pinecroft.
The building is being remodeled and expanded by local developer Jeff Long to create a 12,670 square foot medical office building for TRHN. Levinson’s upcoming relocation to the Northern Blair Medical Center will provide additional space needed for his large patient practice and the clinical trial aspect of his service.