Officials with the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic said today (Thursday), patients in the CCMH Emergency Department will be seeing a familiar face when they visit the Cass County Memorial Hospital Emergency Department (ED).

Mark Johnson, M.D.

Dr. Mark Johnson, M.D., will be transitioning from his full-time position as a family medicine physician at Atlantic Medical Center (AMC) to working full-time in the CCMH Emergency Department. Dr. Johnson came to AMC in June 1987. His final day at AMC will be Friday, August 3rd, 2012.  Dr. Johnson has provided some ED care throughout his time at AMC, and officials say the change will expand his role in that department.

CCMH Administrator Pat Markham says some other changes are happening with Emergency Department staffing.  According to Markham, currently a staff of five medical providers, including two physicians, one nurse practitioner and two physician assistants, provide care in the Emergency Department 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  And, since that sometimes that can involve a provider working some long shifts, the medical staff and hospital administration have decided to increase the number of providers to decrease the length of shifts worked, which will improve quality of patient care and patient safety.