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www.FredericksburgParent.NET 17 PART OF A BIGGER VISION FOR PATIENT CARE Drs. Patel and Stadulis at Elite Women's Health are always looking for ways to ensure their patients get the best care possible. Offering robotic surgery for hysterectomies is part of that, but as hysterectomies are usually a last resort for patients, the foundation for that care extends far from the operating room, to every detail of a patient's visit to the Elite Women's Health offices near Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg. "Dr. Stadulis and I wanted to start a practice where patients knew they were being listened to and treated as if they were our family members," Patel says. "All of our staff, from the front desk, to nurses, to our providers, work together as a team to insure all patients are given 'Elite' care." Elite has responded to the needs of its patients as it has grown. It currently has two certified nurse midwives on its obstetrical team, giving pregnant mothers a wider range of options for care during pregnancy and labor and delivery. To better serve patients, Elite Women's Health opened a second office in Spotsylvania County in August. Located at 9755 Courthouse Road Suite 104, next to Preferred Pediatrics, this new office gives a wider range of patients in the Fredericksburg region access to Elite Women's Health care without having to spend as much time driving. "We really want to provide the best qual- ity of medicine available to the women of the Fredericksburg area," Patel says. BETTER OUTCOMES, FASTER RECOVERY Patel first saw the da Vinci robot during her residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. "We were one of the first programs to use the da Vinci robot for gynecological procedures," she says. When Mary Washington Hospital upgraded to the da Vinci Xi, Patel jumped at the opportunity to receive training to perform surgeries with this new tool because she knew it would make life better for her patients, a priority for Patel and her partner, Dr. Leedylyn Stadulis. The two physicians co-founded Elite Women's Health in 2012 with the goal of providing the best patient experience possible. The benefits robotic surgery offers to patients are numerous. Robotic procedures create smaller incisions than laparoscopic surgeries, and hospital stays after robotic surgery are cut in half. Patel says her patients typically go home the same day or the next morning after a hysterectomy. Robotic surgery typically carries less risk of infection, less blood loss, less scarring, fast- er recovery and less pain—leading to far less of a need for narcotic pain medications. "Most patients are about 80 percent back to their normal routine within two weeks after surgery," Patel says. "Pain is fairly minimal, and most patients are only using ibu- profen about three to five days after surgery." Robotic procedures create smaller incisions than laparoscopic surgeries, and hospital stays after robotic surgery are cut in half. Elite Women's Health has been the 1st Place Winner of Fredericksburg Parent's Family Favorite "OB/GYN Practice" category every year since the competition started in 2015. "We [Elite Women's Health] really want to provide the best quality of medicine available to the women of the Fredericksburg area," Patel says. Visit us at our two convenient locations: 1101 Sam Perry Blvd Suite 401 Fredericksburg, VA 9755 Courthouse Road Suite 104 Spotsylvania, VA Photos by Jennifer Hession of M&J Photography.