December 6, 2007

Dr. Ross Bacon Joins Mercy as Intensivist and Medical Director of Critical Care

Mercy Medical Center—Sioux City has announced that Ross Bacon, M.D. has joined the hospital as an intensivist, a physician specializing in the care of critically ill or injured patients. Dr. Bacon has also been appointed medical director of critical care at Mercy.

Most recently, Dr. Bacon was in practice with Pulmonary Associates, the only specialty clinic dedicated to pulmonary medicine in the Sioux City area.

“We are very pleased that Dr. Ross Bacon will be working with Mercy to advance critical care in the Siouxland region,” said Larry Sellers, M.D., chief medical officer for the hospital. “His exceptional clinical skills and experience will serve our patients very well.”

“In his capacity as medical director of critical care, Dr. Bacon will oversee implementation of eICU services in Sioux City, and will play an instrumental role in the further development and enhancement of intensive care services at Mercy,” Sellers added.

Earlier this year, Mercy—Sioux City announced that it would join Mercy Medical Center—Des Moines in establishing an eICU program, a state-of-the-art enhancement of critical care.

The two medical centers, both member organizations in the Iowa-based Mercy Health Network, will be the first hospitals in Iowa to use Baltimore-based VISICU Inc.’s eICU technology, which will allow intensive care physicians, called intensivists, to remotely monitor patients in multiple intensive care units (ICUs). Using sophisticated technology, the intensivists support local physicians, nurses and other caregivers at the bedside and help monitor ICU patient information 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Mercy plans to have the eICU program fully in place in February.

Dr. Bacon earned his medical degree at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. He was fellowship trained at the University of Iowa in both pulmonology and critical care medicine. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine.

He has served as Medical Director for Quality Improvement since 2001.

“In recent years, Dr. Bacon has played a leadership role in advancing several performance and process improvement initiatives at Mercy,” Sellers added. “Through that commitment to continually improve care and services, he has had a profound impact on the quality of care afforded our patients.”

In addition to serving as an intensivist at Mercy, Dr. Bacon will also see patients on an outpatient, follow-up basis at Siouxland Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep P.C., 101 Tower Road, Dakota Dunes, SD.