Frequent Questions

What type of affiliation does FDR have with SUNY Buffalo?

All of our physicians have faculty appointments in the Department of Emergency Medicine. Brooks Memorial Hospital serves as a training site for both residents and fourth year medical students from the University at Buffalo School of Medicine. This has been in place now for four years.

What type of billing services does FDR use?

FDR has its own billing and collections company that is based in Western New York. We currently par with all major insurances that our hospitals contract with. A toll free number is available to patients for any billing questions.

Does FDR use any physicians that are not Emergency medicine trained?

Yes. Though we believe that emergency medicine training is best, we have incorporated emergency physicians that are on staff at hospitals. If the medical staff and administration believe a physician has does a good job and should be kept on staff we have accommodated such requests. 

How are patient complaints handled? 

The ER director reviews the complaint speaks with the patient, and a follow up letter is sent to the patient.  All our physicians are required to read “Leadership for Great Customer Service” written specifically for emergency medicine. We believe in identifying unsatisfied patients in the ER at the time of the visit and dealing with unmet expectations then.

Does FDR participate in marketing with the hospital?

Yes.   FDR has been involved financially with our hospitals in such things as billboards, shirts, and hats.   We also have given lectures to the community on medical topics, written articles for the local newspaper, and cosponsored EMS cookouts.  

How does a physician become a partner in FDR?

After 3 years of service a physician is made partner in our group. Unlike most groups, FDR does not have a monetary buy-in, instead, years of quality hard work is all we require.

How many emergency room patients do your physicians see per hour?  

Our Emergency Physicians see approximately 1.6 patients per hour. At Brooks where there are no mid-level providers they see 1.7 patients per hour. We believe in these staffing levels for safety and physician well being. At Niagara Falls for example, we have 24hrs of physician coverage and another 24 hrs of staggered midlevel coverage (10a-10p and 3p-3a) for approx 27,000 visits.           

Who provides EMS oversight for the group?

Craig Cooley MD joined our group in 2005 as our EMS Coordinator. He completed a 2 year EMS fellowship at Erie County Medical Center after his emergency medicine residency training. Craig also has a Master’s degree in public health.

Why does FDR feel that residency training is so important?

We believe that those best capable of working in an emergency department are those that have been trained in the specialty. The training in emergency medicine is unique since it deals with identifying and managing emergency aspects of all medical disciplines. Emergency medicine training includes significant time in medicine, pediatrics, orthopedics, toxicology, trauma, and intensive care. All those now trained in emergency medicine become proficient in emergency ultrasound for identifying such emergencies as ruptured ectopic pregnancy, ruptured abdominal aneurisms, intra abdominal bleeding in trauma (see below), and pericardial effusions.  Included in this booklet are published studies demonstrating clear differences with emergency medicine training.

The pictures on the left show an Emergency Physician making a rapid bedside diagnosis of intraperitoneal blood with ultrasound in a trauma patient. This saves time in the critical patient. We use this technology at all of the emergency departments we staff.