Examining the Productivity of Corewell Health Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Residency Clinic

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

9-2026

Publication Title

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Global Open

Abstract

Objective: The plastic surgery residency clinic at Corewell Health is a formative experience in the six year plastic surgery training program. Residents encounter a wide breadth of cosmetic and reconstructive surgical issues and are responsible for operating on and following their patients for over two years. The clinic is also one of the only institutions in the greater Grand Rapids area that accepts Medicaid and Medicare patients for plastic and reconstructive procedures. We aimed to explore the distribution and number of cases that are performed through the clinic.

Methods: Clinic and operating room data was pulled from November of 2021 to November of 2024. Cases that were generated by an outpatient referral to the plastic surgery residency clinic were included. Notably excluded were cases generated by inpatient consults. Procedures were split into the following categories: abdominoplasty/panniculectomy, breast reconstruction, breast reduction, facial fracture, head & neck reconstruction, lower extremity reconstruction, pelvic reconstruction, pressure wound debridement/reconstruction, septorhinoplasty, mass excisions, and miscellaneous.

Results: The plastic surgery residency clinic generated 522 operative cases over three years from November of 2021 through November of 2024. These cases were performed on 443 patients by ten different residents. The most common procedure types were facial fracture repair (114, 21.8%) and breast reconstruction (100, 19.1%). Mass/lesion excisions (70, 13.4%), head & neck reconstruction (55, 10.5%), lower extremity reconstruction (52, 10%), and breast reduction (52, 10%) were also common. Lesser performed cases involved pelvic reconstruction, pressure sore debridement and reconstruction, septo/rhinoplasty, and panniculectomy/abdominoplasty.

Conclusion: The Corewell Health Plastic Surgery residency clinic provides a vital service to the Grand Rapids community, specifically to Medicare and Medicaid patients. Senior residents perform a wide range of reconstructive and cosmetic procedures. Breast reconstruction and facial fracture repair in particular will continue to be a much-needed service as fewer practitioners in the area perform these procedures.

Volume

14

Issue

Suppl 4

First Page

20

Last Page

20

Comments

Michigan Academy of Plastic Surgeons 34th Biennial Scientific Meeting, July 12-15, 2026, Mackinac Island, MI

DOI

10.1097/01.GOX.0001276780.97588.3d

ISSN

2169-7574

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