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Mile Bluff specialty surgeons provide healthcare evolving for life
Richard Langen, DPM & Chris Eckerman, DPM – podiatry Everett Roley, MD & Susan Haack, MD and James Speichinger, MD – gynecology Robert Riedle, MD & Stewart Taylor, MD – Orthopedics
While the largest percentage of surgeries performed at Mile Bluff Medical Center are done by the general surgeons on the hospital staff, a number of other staff physicians perform surgeries that are related to their specialties.
This article will focus on seven of these specialists: podiatrists Richard Langen and Chris Eckerman, gynecologists Everett Roley, Susan Haack and Jim Speichinger, and orthopedic surgeons Robert Riedle and Stewart Taylor.
Richard Langen is a veteran of 18 years as a staff podiatrist at Mile Bluff. He is board certified in foot and ankle surgery by the Board of Podiatric Medicine. A native of Onalaska, he studied at UWLaCrosse for his bachelor of science degree and then earned his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) from the College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery at Des Moines, Iowa.
The surgeries Dr. Langen performs are mostly on the forefoot, where he performs elective reconstructive surgery, as well as surgeries for trauma. He also does diabetes ulcer care and debridements (the surgical removal of lacerated or contaminated tissue).
When asked to identify the most challenging task he does in his profession, the doctor said: “I would say that treating diabetic patients is a real challenge; they present a host of complications not seen in the rest of the population.”
In addition to his podiatry practice, Dr. Langen is interested in sports medicine, particularly for student athletes at the high school level.
Speaking about the operating room (OR) facilities at Mile Bluff, Dr. Langen said: “It is a pleasure to work in the surgery department here; the facility and equipment are very much state-of-the art, and I am so impressed with the fact that the physicians, as well as the staff, spend a great deal of time on continuing education.”
“I am very much impressed by the fact that the administration here is constantly upgrading every aspect of our technology, thus always staying abreast of the newest and best; I am proud to be a part of Mile Bluff,” he said.
Dr. Langen and his wife, Barb, have enjoyed raising their three children in Mauston. Their children are, Angela, 25, Laura, 22 and Greg, 20. The doctor enjoys outdoor activities such as tennis and racquetball, and works out and lifts at Lynn and Gina’s at New Lisbon.
Chris Eckerman has been a staff member at Mile Bluff for six years. After attaining his bachelor’s degree at UW-LaCrosse, with a major in microbiology, he enrolled at the Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, graduating from there as a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine.
“I enjoy treating patients with ankle trauma and doing flat foot reconstruction; I would say the most challenging part of my practice is working with diabetic ulcers,” he said, adding: “It can be difficult to control blood sugars; nutrition has to be controlled. If all this doesn’t fall into place the ulcers never heal; it can be frustrating.”
When asked what sets Mile Bluff apart from other rural facilities, the doctor said: “We have a very fine group of family doctors here and this is supplemented by the many fine specialty doctors we have on staff. Most patients can be treated here rather than having to travel to big-city medical center.”
A native of Stewartville, Minnesota, Dr. Eckerman first learned about Mile Bluff from his college roommate Randy Brandt, who is a physician assistant on the staff. “It is a great facility, and the staff here is really good and very helpful.
The doctor and his wife, Bobbi, have enjoyed raising their children in the Mauston area. Their kids are Joshua 6, Sadie 5 and Bre 3. He stays in shape by running half-marathons and competing in mini triathlons.
Everett Roley, a Board certified obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/Gyn), has been seeing patients at Mile Bluff Medical Center since 1994. He started out as a visiting specialist and became a member of Mile Bluff’s medical staff in August of 2000.
When asked for his opinion of the surgical facility and staff at Mile Bluff, Dr. Roley said: “The facility and OR staff are excellent, and the care patients receive here is superb.”
Commenting on the fact that Mile Bluff has the latest and best in technology, including CT scan, MRI, ultrasound and PET scan, which is truly remarkable for a small-town medical center, he said, “We have the leading edge of modern technology for diagnosis here.”
He noted that the surgeries he, Dr. Jim Speichinger and Dr. Susan Haack (Mile Bluff’s other two staff gynecologists) perform can be divided into two categories, major and minor. Major procedures include caesarean sections, hysterectomies, procedures for ovarian disease, and urinary incontinence. Minor procedures include: dilation and curettage (D&Cs) to control heavy menstruals, balloon ablations, and laparoscopic procedures to look at anatomy and disease process.
Dr. Roley also sees patients at Mile Bluff’s Delton Family Medical Center, with regular hours on Wednesday from 9 am to 1 pm. His schedule is flexible to accommodate patients at different times of the day.
Dr. Roley’s late wife Joanne was a Mauston native, and was a daughter of the late Clint and Helen Nelson who operated a gift shop in downtown Mauston. She was a registered nurse, who worked with Dr. Vedner for many years. She passed away in 2001.
“I was around to see the Mauston Hospital and Clinic grow and develop from its downtown location and its move to the present site,” he said. “It has truly been remarkable,” he added.
He was born in Burlington, Iowa, where he lived until the family moved to Camp Point, Illinois when he was 10, and later to St. Joseph’s, Missouri. He graduated from medical school at Creighton University and did his residency at UW-Madison.
Dr. Roley has an unusual hobby - he has a kennel of sled dogs at Antigo in northern Wisconsin, and during the winter season enjoys mushing around and overnight camping in the snow. When asked how many dogs he has, he replied: “There was some unexpected breeding which gave us 12 extra puppies that we didn’t need; we kept them anyway,” he said, “this brings the total to 36.”
A husband and wife team of OB/Gyn physicians, Jim Speichinger and Susan Haack, became members of the Mile Bluff medical staff in 2003. They came to Mauston after practicing in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Dr. Speichinger and Dr. Everett Roley had been partners in a Madison practice from 1976 to 1989.
Dr. Haack is presently on a sabbatical and is attending Trinity University in Chicago, where she is studying for a master’s degree of divinity. She will return to her practice in May of 2009.
When asked for his opinion of Mile Bluff Medical Center, Dr. Speichinger had this to say: “I had worked in five other facilities before coming here, and in my opinion Mile Bluff has the best equipment and the most cooperative staff I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”
He added: “The facility and medical technology here are very unusual for a rural medical center; here the patient comes first and everyone is committed to (high) quality care.”
“We perform many hysterectomies, either abdominal or vaginal. We also perform a significant number of surgeries on benign or cancerous tumors, as well as sacrospinous ligament repair, procedures for prolapse and incontinence.” The doctors also see many patients for bleeding problems, infertility, and abnormal PAP smears.
Dr. Speichinger has had his pilot’s license for 37 years. He has a Gruman Tiger in which he flies on recreational trips all over the country. “When I retire I hope I can spend a lot of my free time flying” he said. He added: “I don’t fly out of the United States; I recently took a fishing trip to Canada and would have flown up there but it is such a hassle to comply with all the regulations that I decided to drive.” Dr. Haack also has a pilot’s license.
The
doctors reside in Cottonville, outside of Friendship, and enjoy the outdoor
activities there including running, skiing, biking, archery hunting; both are
accomplished golfers.
Robert Riedle, an orthopaedic surgeon, joined the medical staff at Mile Bluff Medical Center in July. His arrival was a happy occasion for the administration which had been recruiting for an orthopaedic surgeon for a number of years.
After finishing high school in Mt. Dora, Florida, he enrolled at Grinnell College in Iowa, where he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in chemistry. He then went to Rush Medical College and after graduating with his medical degree, he did a general surgery internship at Ohio State University Hospitals in Columbus, Ohio, followed by an orthopedic surgery residency at Ohio State University Hospitals and Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus.
Dr. Riedle has an interesting background. He spent six years in the Air Force, which included a three-year orthopedic surgery residency at Ohio State, then three years as an orthopedic surgeon at Hill Air Force Base in Utah; two of those years were spent as a flight surgeon for a test group, where he attained the rank of major.
From 1990 to 2004, he served as a team physician for a number of professional sports teams, including 2.5 years with the LaCrosse Catbirds, a member of the Continental Basketball Association.
From January, 2004 to January, 2007 he was a full-time missionary. He served on the staff of a mission hospital in Chad, Africa as an orthopedic surgeon and missionary general practitioner. He also served as a medical missionary in Indonesia, in Kibagora Hospital in Rwanda, in the Congo, in Haiti and in the Republic of South Africa.
“I’m a general orthopedic surgeon,” the doctor replied when asked what types of surgeries he performs. “I don’t narrow my focus to any particular field.”
He performs many arthroscopic (scope) procedures to take care of torn cartilage. He treats hip, hand and other fractures, performs shoulder repair such as for a torn rotator cuff, as well as knee procedures.
When asked about back surgeries, Dr. Riedle said: “While I don’t do back surgeries, I do treat people with back problems.” He explained that most people with back problems don’t need surgery. “We can take care of their problems without surgery. Should surgery be necessary, I refer them to a back specialist,” he said.
Scope surgery was just getting started while Dr. Riedle was doing his training in the ‘80s, “Yes, I’ve been doing it for 20-some years,” he said.
The advantage of scope surgery, according to Dr. Riedle, includes a smaller incision resulting in less pain and a speedier recovery for the patient. He also noted that the surgeon can see the problem better with the camera in the arthroscope than can a surgeon who is looking through an open incision.
The doctor was asked if there were any significant changes in orthopedic surgery in recent years. He mentioned that better materials have been developed for use in joint replacement. Using these materials, such procedures as a knee replacement can last for the patient’s lifetime.
He also pointed out that there have been improvements in the surgeon’s ability to fix broken bones. “The latest materials provide better stability and support, giving a fracture a better chance to heal before a possible failure of the hardware used to repair the fracture,” he said.
The doctor and his wife, Sara, have two sons. Mathew just graduated from high school and is enrolled at Purdue University. Michael is a freshman at Mauston High School.
Dr. Riedle said his decision to come to Mile Bluff was based partly on his family’s desire to live in a rural area like Juneau County. “I was tremendously impressed with the facility and the very modern technology available here, but I guess what was especially impressive was the medical staff. They are like a family here; there’s truly a family atmosphere at Mile Bluff,” he said.
Growing up in a medical family (the history goes back over 135 years) is one of the main reasons Dr. Stewart Taylor went into medicine. He was raised in Portage where he eventually began his medical practice after attending college in Beloit and medical school in Chicago. Dr. Taylor now shares his time between Mile Bluff Medical Center and the hospital in Portage.
Dr. Taylor has been serving patients in Mauston since 1980 and is impressed with the development and advancement of the orthopedic surgical services over the years. He stated, “Now the quality of the equipment that is available just makes performing procedures wonderful.”
In discussing Mile Bluff’s operating room Taylor commented, “It’s a very enjoyable place to work. The OR has state-of-the-art equipment and the staff is class-act.”
Performing surgeries to correct trauma is something Dr. Taylor finds very gratifying. He stated, “You know that the person you help will end up being much better off than before having the surgery.” He continued, “In my practice lifetime there has been a great deal of focus on improving trauma care products that have revolutionized the field. I feel reinforced and invigorated by what has been accomplished now that couldn’t be accomplished before.”
Some of the common things Dr. Taylor sees patients for include: fractures of upper and lower extremities, injuries to the nerves and tendons, and arthritis. He performs procedures such as: reconstruction of upper and lower extremities such as hips and knees, and replacement and fusing of joints and other ailments in the hand. He has extensive experience repairing hip fractures and also works on degenerative knee injuries and carpal tunnel.
Mile Bluff is thankful to have had Dr. Taylor seeing patients in Mauston for close to 30 years, and looks forward to the future with him continuing to serve the community as an outstanding orthopedic surgeon.
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Mile Bluff Medical Center/ 1050 Division St./ Mauston, WI 53948 / 608 847 6161 © 2008 Mile Bluff Medical Center |
Richard
Langen, DPM
Chris
Eckerman, DPM
Everett
Roley, MD
Susan
Haack, MD & Jim Speichinger, MD
Robert
Riedle MD
Stewart
Taylor, MD