A new general surgeon is expected to be on staff at BJC Medical Center by mid-March.
Reporting to the medical center’s governing authority Monday afternoon, CEO Jim Yarborough said the prospect — who he did not identify — was in town last week “house hunting and checking out schools.”
Meanwhile, Yarborough said the surgeon’s attorney is reviewing the final version of the contract between the authority and the surgeon.
“All of the terms in that agreement should be acceptable,” Yarborough said.
The position is considered essential to the health of the medical center, which has been without the services of a general surgeon since the summer of 2008.
According to Yarborough, the prospective new general surgeon has already met with Steve Clapp, CEO of Restoration Healthcare, the company buying the medical center, about investing in the soon-to-be-privatized facility.
As for that transaction, Yarborough told the authority Monday that the next step is to agree upon a closing date for the purchase.
Clapp, Yarborough said, was at the facility last week where he talked to doctors interested in investing in the new venture.
“I think that meeting went very well,” Yarborough advised.
