Infusion therapy is an outpatient service involving the administration of fluids and/or medication through a needle or catheter that accesses a vein. This type of therapy is used to treat a number of conditions such as Cancer, Crohn’s Disease, Immune Deficiencies, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hemophilia and more.
Sinusitis
EOtolaryngologists diagnose and manage diseases of the ears, nose, sinuses, larynx (voice box), mouth, and throat, as well as structures of the neck and face. The ears; Hearing loss affects one in ten North Americans. The unique domain of otolaryngologists is the treatment of ear disorders. They are trained in both the medical and surgical treatment of hearing loss, ear infections, balance disorders, ear noise (tinnitus), and some cranial nerve disorders. Otolaryngologists also manage congenital (birth) disorders of the outer and inner ear. The nose; About 35 million people develop chronic sinusitis each year, making it one of the most common health complaints in America. Care of the nasal cavity and sinuses is one of the primary skills of otolaryngologists. Problems in the nasal area include allergies, smell disorders, polyps, and nasal obstruction due to a deviated septum. The throat; Communicating (speech and singing) and eating a meal all involve this vital area. Specific to otolaryngologists is expertise in managing diseases of the throat, larynx (voice box), and the upper aero-digestive tract or esophagus, including voice and swallowing disorders. The head and neck; This area of the body includes the important functions of sight, smell, hearing, and the appearance of the face. In the head and neck area, otolaryngologists are trained to treat infections, benign (non-cancerous) and malignant (cancerous) tumors, facial trauma, and deformities of the face. They perform both cosmetic plastic and reconstructive surgery.
Medical Weight Loss
Rheumatology
Rheumatology is a subspecialty of internal medicine dealing with diseases of joints, muscles, bones, and tendons. Rheumatic diseases encompass more than 100 discrete disorders, some with multisystem involvement, and many with a wide variety of clinical manifestations and outcomes. The rheumatologist diagnoses and treats both chronic and acute conditions, including arthritis, systemic rheumatic diseases, back pain, gout, lupus, bursitis, muscle strains, collagen and other soft-tissue diseases.
Nutritional Counseling
Providing diet and nutrition detail for surgery patients receiving Hiatal Hernia/TIF Procedure. Helping patients navigate food allergies and sensitivities (including celiac disease, and food intolerances).
Pediatric Care
Family medicine is concerned with the total health care of the individual and the family, and is trained to diagnose and treat a wide variety of ailments in patients of all ages. Family medicine physicians receive a broad range of training that includes internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, and geriatrics. Although the scope and practice of family medicine is broad, it is a precise discipline, integrating a unique blend of biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences. Family physicians possess unique attitudes, skills, and knowledge that qualify them to provide continuing and comprehensive medical care, health maintenance, and preventive services. These specialists are best qualified to serve as each patient’s advocate in all health-related matters. Special emphasis is placed on prevention and the primary care of entire families, utilizing consultations and community resources when appropriate.
Primary Care
A: You and your primary care physician together will determine the need to see a consulting specialist. Please be familiar with your insurance plan and its requirements for referral to specialists. This will help you, your physician and our staff in moving the process along efficiently.
Ear Infections
Family Practice
A: Choosing a primary care physician allows you the option of selecting a provider based on what is most important to you and your family. At the Elkhart Clinic, we give you numerous options for primary care between family medicine and adult medicine. The information provided on this site should help you decide who you think will most closely meet your or your family’s needs.
High Cholesterol
Emergency Care
A: If you have a question about whether you should be seen in Urgent Care, we urge you to check with your primary care physician or his/her nurse and have them refer you to Urgent Care. They may in many cases be able to work you into their schedule that day. After hours, contact your primary care physician through the Elkhart Clinic phone number. If it is a minor injury or you are in urgent need of attention, you may go directly to Urgent Care. And, of course in the case of life threatening illness or serious accidental bodily injury, go directly to the hospital emergency room and ask them to notify your primary care physician.
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eyeball. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems. Since ophthalmologists perform operations on eyes, they are both surgical and medical specialists. A multitude of diseases and conditions can be diagnosed from the eye.
Internists are personal physicians who provide long-term, comprehensive care in the office and the hospital, managing both common and complex illnesses in adolescents, adults, and the elderly. Internists are trained in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, infections, and diseases affecting the heart, blood, kidneys, joints, and digestive, respiratory and vascular systems. They are also trained in the essentials of primary care internal medicine which incorporates an understanding of disease prevention, wellness, substance abuse, mental health, and effective treatment of common problems of the eyes, ears, skin, nervous system, and reproductive organs. An internal medicine physician’s primary responsibilities include heath maintenance and disease screening, the diagnosis and care of acute and chronic medical conditions, management of patients with multiple, complex medical problems, and serving as consultants to other disciplines such as surgery, obstetrics, and family medicine. An internist’s work is characterized by extensive knowledge and skill in diagnosis and treatment.
Dept. of Internal Medicine, Saginaw Cooperative Hospitals, Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine, Saginaw, MI 2000-2003. Dr. Jin was the recipient of Louis E. Zeile Scholarship Award from Covenant Health Care for Outstanding Junior Resident in 2002
Gastroenterology
Bladder Cancer
Dr. Jin has authored many publications including articles in highly respectable journals such as Circulation, Nature and Nature Genetics and chapters of books on treatment of bladder cancer and kidney cancer.
Urology
Urology focuses on the medical and surgical treatment of the genitourinary system in both men and women. The scope of their specialty includes diseases of the kidney, ureter, bladder, prostate, urethral, and male genital structural disorders and injuries. They often coordinate care with nephrologists for patients with kidney disease. Diagnostic procedures are very important for urologists. They are trained in endoscopic, open and minimally-invasive surgical techniques. These specialists see male and female patients and work in both the hospital and clinic settings. Excellent surgical skills, manual dexterity, and hand-eye coordination are important to this specialty.
Kidney Cancer
Kidney Stones
CT imaging uses radiation to produce cross-sectional images or “slices” of anatomy, like the slices in a loaf of bread. The cross-sectional images are used for a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Computed Tomography is used to detect bone fractures, cancer, lung disease, stroke, head bleeds, kidney stones, appendix, liver disease, urinary tract problems, aneurysms, vessel stenosis, bowel/stomach issues, and much more. Patients are put onto a table that slides back and forth through a “donut” shaped machine, and most exams only last a few minutes. Claustrophobia is usually not an issue due to the speed of the test and the size of the machine. Some exams require contrast to be administered depending on the exam and the diagnosis. The contrast can be given orally, IV or sometimes via both routes.
Endoscopy
General surgeons are trained to manage a broad spectrum of diseases and injuries affecting almost any area of the body that requires surgical intervention. These physicians are involved in diagnosis, preoperative, operative and postoperative care of the surgical patient, and they are trained to provide comprehensive management of trauma and complete care of critically ill patients with underlying surgical conditions. The surgeon uses a variety of diagnostic techniques, including endoscopy, for observing internal structures, and may use specialized instruments during operative procedures. Although its scope is broad, general surgery usually involves the abdomen, breasts, peripheral vasculature, skin, and neck. General surgeons rarely perform neurologic, orthopedic, thoracic, or urologic procedures, but they are familiar with other surgical specialties and know when to refer a patient to another specialist.
Neurology involves the treatment of disease or impaired function of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, muscles, and autonomic nervous system, as well as the blood vessels that relate to these structures. Neurologists treat patients who have a variety of disorders, including headaches, strokes, seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, dystonia, muscular dystrophy, peripheral nerve disease, learning disorders, traumatic injuries to the nervous system, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and Alzheimer’s disease. Some neurologists are also engaged in neurological rehabilitation. Many neurological problems can be chronic, debilitating, and difficult to treat. A large portion of the practice of neurology is consultative, but the neurologist may also be the primary physician.
Multiple Sclerosis
Disorders that may cause spasticity include stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, brain or spinal cord tumors, and other disorders of the central nervous system. The treatment of spacticity includes physical, pharmacological and surgical procedures. Each one has its own merits but also disadvantages. In recent years, injection of botulinum toxin (Botox) becomes one of the most important methods to treat spasticity.
Disclosures of Mental Health Records: If your records contain information regarding your mental health, we are restricted in the ways we may use or disclose them. We can disclose such records without written permission only in the following situations...
If you answered YES, to any of these questions, Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) may be just what you are looking for. Speak to your healthcare provider about obtaining a Professional CGM Study. You may request your physician to schedule the procedure or if you have further questions you can reach the Endocrinology Department at (574) 296-3296 extension 2.
Thyroid
Thyroid Cancer
Endocrinology is the study of hormone secretion by endocrine glands. An endocrinologist is an internist who is subspecialty trained to care for diseases of the endocrine system. The principle problems endocrinologists care for include diabetes (Type 1, Type2, LADA, Pancreoprivic), thyroid dysfunction, thyroid enlargement(goiter), thyroid nodules, thyroid cancer, abnormal calcium, osteoporosis, low testosterone, diabetes insipidus, pituitary disorders, adrenal dysfunction, endocrine tumors, PCOS and hyperlipidemia. While obesity is not an endocrine disorder, it may be a complication of many endocrine conditions. Endocrinologists frequently treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity when associated with endocrine conditions.
Imaging is located in the main building and patients register at the main entrance for the following exams: Dexascan, Ultrasound, and X-ray. Our schedulers and technologists are all trained and licensed professionals that work extremely hard to provide quality and friendly services to all our patients. Patients can call (574) 296-3331 to schedule an appointment or to talk with someone about these services. Our services are licensed by the state and accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Committee (ICAVL).
MRI
The Elkhart Clinic Imaging department performs approximately 18,000 exams a year that includes CT, Dexa, MRI, PET, Ultrasound, and
Radiology
Advanced Imaging is housed in our new state of the art facility that was added on to the main building in 2013. Advanced Imaging has it’s own separate entrance on the West side of the main building. Patients use this entrance to register for the following exams: CT, MRI, and PET/CT imaging. All Advanced Imaging studies are scheduled exams and you should call (574) 296-3480 to schedule an appointment or to talk to someone about these exams. These modalities are all accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and hold current state licenses.
X-Rays
Nuclear Medicine
PET/CT is a type of Nuclear Medicine exam that uses small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose, treat, and determine the severity of a variety of diseases. One of the main uses of PET/CT is to help stage cancer; but it is also used for other diseases throughout to the body. Because PET/CT is used to pinpoint molecular activity in the body, it offers the potential to identify diseases at their earliest stages and also determines the patient’s immediate response to therapeutic interventions. PET/CT exams take about 2 hours for the the entire exam process. A radioactive tracer is injected into the patient, and then a patient relaxes in a room by themselves for an hour. The patient is then placed on a table and are moved through a tunnel. During the scan portion of this test; a set of CT images are taken and then a set of PET images are taken. The two sets of images are then combined to get a detailed cross sectional image that helps locate any potential disease.
Surgery imaging is done at our surgery center with a machine called a C-arm. This device is basically used during surgeries to help aid physicians in the surgery process. Specialists in fields such as surgery, orthopedics, trauma, vascular surgery and cardiology use C-arms for intraoperative imaging. This device provides high resolution x-ray images in real time (Fluoro Imaging) so physicians can make changes as needed during the surgery and ultimately help recovery time, eliminate follow-up surgeries and reduce cost to the patient and healthcare facility.
Sciatica
MRI is a radiology procedure that uses magnetism, radio frequencies, and a computer to produce images of body structures. It is used to diagnose many different problems or issues. Some of those issues are: Cancer, MS, tears in ligaments/tendons/muscles, bleeds, strokes, TIA’s, aneurysms, lesions, masses, stress fractures, infections, spinal stenosis, sciatica, and ruptured discs. Usually we scan one body part at a time, due to the long scan times. Each scan ranges from 30 minutes up to about an hour for one body part. The patient is placed on a table and is moved into the MRI machine which resembles a tunnel. The body part being scanned is placed in a coil which helps capture the radio waves and helps create the image; then placed in the center of the tunnel. Claustrophobia is a concern in MRI; for those patients who experience nervousness in closed spaces we suggest they ask their physician for some medicine to relax them. Our MRI technologists are trained to work with claustrophobic patients to assist them during the exam. MRI machines make loud knocking and vibration noises, and ear protection is given to all patients. Contrast is given to patients for some exams depending on body part being scanned and the accompanying diagnosis.
An allergist-immunologist is trained in evaluation, physical and laboratory diagnosis, and management of disorders involving the immune system. Selected examples of such conditions include asthma, anaphylaxis, rhinitis, eczema, and adverse reactions to drugs, foods, chemicals and insect stings as well as immune deficiency diseases (both acquired and congenital), defects in host defense, and problems related to autoimmune disease, organ transplantation or malignancies of the immune system. These specialists can track down which substance or allergen is causing the problem, advice about how to eliminate the cause, and start a treatment plan. As our understanding of the immune system develops, the scope of this specialty is widening.
Podiatrists, also known as doctors of podiatric medicine (DPM’s), diagnose and treat disorders, diseases, and injuries of the foot and lower leg.
Bunions Problems
Podiatrists treat corns, calluses, ingrown toenails, bunions, heel spurs, and arch problems; ankle and foot injuries, deformities, and infections; and foot complaints associated with diabetes and other diseases. To treat these problems, podiatrists prescribe drugs and physical therapy, set fractures, and perform surgery. They also fit corrective shoe inserts called orthoses, design custom made shoes for those patients with foot deformities not corrected by surgery.