Board-certified plastic surgeon Stephen H. Kahler, MD, and his practice, the West Georgia Center for Plastic Surgery, have joined Tanner Medical Group, which offers care through more than 30 practice locations in west Georgia and east Alabama.
“It seems like a good time to transition,” said Dr. Kahler. “There are so many reporting measures that physicians are responsible for now. And that’s getting more and more difficult to do in your own private practice, especially as a solo practitioner.”
According to Dr. Kahler, it takes a more complicated infrastructure — including computers, electronic medical records (EMR), coordination with the hospital and much more — to satisfy the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA).
“It’s just much more difficult to satisfy all of the ACA criteria that you have to do on your own, versus teaming up with a hospital system, and I think we’ll do great as part of Tanner Medical Group,” said Dr. Kahler. “Being part of Tanner Medical Group brings our practice to the entire community, which will enhance our effectiveness as a practice. And Tanner has a bigger networking group. Plus, I’ve added a lot more insurance contracts, so I expect that I’ll be able to help more patients with their plastic and reconstructive surgical needs.”
Dr. Kahler is very comfortable with being part of Tanner — in part because of his long close association with the system. For seven years, he was a member of the Tanner Medical Center Inc. Board of Directors, a long period of service that ended in July. Prior to that, he was Tanner’s chief of staff for two years, vice chief of staff for two years and headed the department of surgery for two years.
Dr. Kahler and his staff are also excited by new opportunities that the new relationship will provide.
“This change focuses my commitment on things like breast reconstruction that can be used to help our community,” said Dr. Kahler. “I’ve been involved in many of the programs that go with that, but I want to make a bigger commitment to the breast reconstruction process and be part of the breast cancer team — an integrated team that will make it seamless for our patients from treatment through reconstruction.”
Dr. Kahler earned his medical degree from the Emory University School of Medicine and completed his general surgery training at the Emory University Affiliated Hospital System in Atlanta. He completed a fellowship in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Penn State University Hospital/the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa. He also has obtained additional qualifications in endoscopic plastic surgery and laser surgery. Dr. Kahler has lived in Carrollton with his family since moving and opening his practice here in 1995.
Procedures available at the West Georgia Center for Plastic Surgery include body contour procedures such as abdominoplasty (tummy tucks) and lower body lifts, breast procedures such as augmentation/reduction and reconstruction, face procedures such as facelifts, nose contouring and eyelid surgery, and non-invasive procedures such as laser treatment, Botox and injectable filler therapy.
The West Georgia Center for Plastic Surgery, located at 150 Henry Burson Drive, houses a fully-accredited ambulatory surgery center, The Plastic Surgery Center of West Georgia, that features a state-of-the-art operating suite and recovery facility. The surgery center is accredited by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, which has been the world's leading organization in cosmetic surgery education and research since 1967, as well as by the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities through 2018.
For more information about the West Georgia Center for Plastic Surgery, visit www.WestGeorgiaPlasticSurgery.com or call 855.852.9825.