Healthcare in Hartington

HARTINGTON — Those visiting the Avera Medical clinic here in January may do a double take with two new providers joining the care team.

Dr. Amy Rief-Elks, a doctor of osteopathic medicine, and Denise Taggart, physician assistant, will be joining the team at the Avera Medical Clinic in Hartington.

Taggart will start seeing patients Monday while Rief-Elks will start Jan. 10. The new providers join Tonya Joachimsen, an advanced registered nurse practitioner, at the Hartington clinic.

“We’ll be expanding the team to three providers and that’s something we’re really proud to be able to offer the Hartington community,” said Jodi Kubal, registered nurse and clinic manager.

She said Dr. Connie Micek announced her retirement earlier this fall and recruitment efforts began immediately. Micek will stay on through the end of the year to get the new providers on board.

Healthcare is like much of the rest of the economy right now with far more positions available than there are candidates to fill them, said Kyle Tacke, regional Vice President for the Avera Medical Group. This is due to a variety of factors from medical providers retiring at a faster pace than those entering the field to more providers leaving healthcare due to stress associated with the pandemic.

“It’s a very competitive field which is part of the reason Avera announced in the fall that we are making a large investment in our workforce to ensure we are an employer of choice and able to attract and retain great employees,” Tacke said. “We also want to make sure we have someone who fits within our organization and the community they will serve.”

It’s not uncommon for a physician search to take a year or more, he said.

“Any time we begin the search for a new doctor we think in terms of years because of these realities,” Tacke said. “That can be especially true in more rural areas. We were very pleased to hire both Dr. Rief-Elks and Denise in a relatively short period of time.”

Because of a shortage of physicians, the healthcare industry has adapted by relying more on advanced practice providers to fill gaps, Tacke said. Advanced practice providers (APP) - such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners - are healthcare providers who perform medical activities typically performed by a physician and their role has grown substantially in recent decades.

“In some of our rural clinics, we depend entirely on APPs and nurses,” Tacke said. “While these caregivers don’t have the same training as a doctor, they have a broad base of knowledge and regularly consult with or refer cases to physicians when needed. In many cases, they are able to provide seamless care and manage a patient’s needs without a doctor.”

Kubal said Avera remains committed to providing the highest quality healthcare and making sure it is accessible, especially in rural communities.

“The recruitment effort to bring two new providers to the area embodies our mission to make a positive impact in the lives of those we serve,” she said.