Pictured above: Dr. Michael Lavelle of St. Charles Urology.
What’s better than a win-win situation?
Here’s something: St. Charles’ new Urology service – a rare win-win-win, with benefits for all involved.
“It’s exciting to be part of building something like this,” said urologist Dr. Michael Lavelle. “It’s a lot of work, but I’ve been so impressed by the enthusiasm and the positive attitude of everyone involved.”
The new service came together over the winter, when Lavelle joined the health system after the closure of his previous practice. At St. Charles, he found not only a place to continue serving Central Oregon – that’s win #1 – but also an organization that was already considering starting a urology service.
“It just so happens (that had) been on our minds for a while,” said Jonnie Becker, administrative director of Surgical Services for St. Charles.
Urology is an attractive service for the health system because caregivers in the field do a lot of interesting things day-to-day, generally are practicing at the top of their scope and have high job satisfaction, Becker said.
“People (in urology) tend to enjoy what they do, which makes it easier to attract and retain great caregivers,” she said.
That’s win #2.
Win #3 is the most important: The new service meets a need for urology services in the community, and it also allows Lavelle’s patients at his previous practice to continue seeing him rather than having to find a new provider.
“It’s great for them, because they know me and my style, and I know them and their history. No one wants to change doctors and start over with someone new, particularly in an area like urology, which can feel sensitive or embarrassing,” Lavelle said.
“I had a lot of people say they’d rather just wait a few months for me to get set up here than go see someone else,” he said. “I think that speaks to how important that relationship is between patient and provider.”
Lavelle, who is originally from Portland, went to medical school at Loyola University of Chicago, completed his residency at Oregon Health & Science University, and is certified by the American Board of Urology. Like a lot of people in the field, he became interested in urology because it offers a lot of variety: Medical practice, patient relationships fostered by office visits, and regular surgical duties, with all the associated new techniques and procedures.
“Clinically, there is significant variety in urology,” he said. “It keeps our office staff interested and happy, which creates a great work environment.”
Besides Lavelle, the Urology team currently includes a nurse practitioner, a physician’s assistant, medical assistants and office staff. Urology services are available in Bend at 2200 NE Neff Road (in The Center) and in Redmond at 1245 NW 4th Street. Lavelle and nurse practitioner Eden Fair are currently seeing patients in both the Bend and Redmond locations.
St. Charles Urology offers evaluation and treatment of:
- Urinary tract disorders, including infections
- Kidney stones and kidney disease
- Incontinence and overactive bladder
- Male sexual health
- Prostate health
- Urological cancers
Specialized services include:
- Urodynamcis
- Bladder instillation: BCG, Botox
- PTNS
- Voiding trials
- Catheterization
- Vasectomies
- Vasectomy reversal
You can reach St. Charles Urology by phone at 541-706-4200 or fax at 541-797-5820, and learn more on our website.
