From Modest Beginnings To 14 Locations, Multi-Specialty Services, 350 Employees & More . . .
Back in the Fall of 1984, Dr. Rajan Gulati was the well-respected Director of the Emergency Department at the now-closed Horton Memorial Hospital in Middletown.
After a decade in this position, he decided to branch out on his own and open “Immediate Medical Care,” walk-in Urgent Care services and the first of its kind in the region, at a small location on Ridge Street in Middletown, just down the road from Horton, and with just three employees.
Fast forward 30 years later to 2014, and “Immediate Medical Care” is now “Middletown Medical,” a multi-specialty physicians’ group with 15 locations throughout Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties, and considered to be one of the Hudson Valley’s premier healthcare services provider known for its compassionate and comprehensive services.
And those three employees have now blossomed into 350, making Middletown Medical a leading employer in the area, as well.
“We simply wanted to make urgent care services accessible to people, as the local emergency rooms were overwhelmed,” notes Dr. Gulati, who continues to see patients while also serving as President & CEO of Middletown Medical. “We were in the right place at the right time.”
But it’s more than that. The always-modest Dr. Gulati’s initial mission of providing top quality care in a warm and caring environment continues to this day, as Middletown Medical’s various awards and positive patient testimonials through the years confirm this mission is still very much top of mind throughout the organization.
QUICK SUCCESS LED TO EXPANSION . . . THEN MORE EXPANSION
After just a few years on Ridge Street, “Immediate Medical Care” was growing out of its space, prompting Dr. Gulati to build a 5,000 square foot building at 2 Edgewater Drive in Middletown. With this move came expanded services – primary and family care, specialty medicines such as cardiology, laboratory services and more – and the name “Middletown Medical” was born.
Then in 1993, it was time to expand again – to a new and considerably larger 30,000 square foot building at 111 Maltese Drive (just next door to 2 Edgewater). This building underwent significant expansion in 1999, and is still the main “hub” of Middletown Medical’s operation.
Today, Middletown Medical includes:
* * * 14 locations throughout Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties, stretching from Warwick in the south to Monticello in the north – and everything in between.
* * * Those 350 employees include a physician roster of more than 50, and encompassing more than 20 different specialties.
* * * Immediate Medical Care services in Middletown, Ellenville and Chester – the latter located in a beautiful, new state-of-the-art facility.
* * * Home to “Pediatric Express” in Chester, walk-in Urgent Care services for children with a pediatrician on site until 9 p.m. on weeknights, and the first of its kind in Orange County.
* * * A prestigious “Recognized Practice” as a Patient-Centered Medical Home by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
* * * Unique specialty services such as The Sleep Center, The Headache Center, Occupational Medicine, and more.
As well, growth is always on the horizon, as Middletown Medical is constantly expanding through affiliations with local and regional physicians and providers, collaborations with new specialists, and acquisitions of new properties in new markets.
WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT MIDDLETOWN MEDICAL?
Some of Middletown Medical’s most senior employees are quick to praise Dr. Gulati and his compassionate approach to the success of the healthcare services provider.
“We are a state of the art healthcare practice focused on the patient,” says Billing Supervisor Marge Ingrassia, who joined Middletown Medical in 1990. “We can provide all services at any location, and our staff is caring and most concerned about the patient’s total well-being.”
“The focus is to go above and beyond, and to treat our patients as family,” echoes Amanda Hansen, a Physician Assistant who began her career in 2001 under Dr. Gulati’s tutelage. “Dr. Gulati has always stressed quality over quantity, and that shows in the patients that keep returning to us.”
“The thing I love about Middletown Medical is that Dr. Gulati believes in his employees and never discourages new ideas,” says Lori Marl, Middletown Medical’s Operations Director who began with the company in 1992 as a night receptionist. “This is what keeps us on the forefront of giving our patients the best and most comprehensive care anywhere.
“Plus my entire family has been coming to Middletown Medical for years. That alone says it all about the quality of service we provide.”
