Friday, February 17, 2012
 
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Dr. Steven Kottemann informs patients he has retired

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[February 17, 2012]  In October of last year, beginning Oct. 7 and continuing through Oct. 20, Lincoln Daily News published 13 letters to the editor regarding Dr. Steven Kottemann.

HardwareKottemann, a well-known and long-standing physician in the Lincoln area, had seemingly been put on leave from his position with Family Medical Center in Lincoln.

On Oct. 12, LDN published a release from Family Medical Center saying Dr. Kottemann was on a paid leave of absence.

As letters continued to come in, all expressed appreciation and concern for Dr. Kottemann, in addition to some confusion as to why their family physician was no longer available to them.

On Oct.18, Paul Kasa, M.D., the medical director at Family Medical Center of Lincoln, issued a second letter, which was also published in LDN. In his letter he stated that the reasons for Kottemann's departure were confidential between the medical center and Kottemann, and would continue to be confidential.

Kasa also wrote:

(Copy)

First, and most important, the current issues surrounding Dr. Kottemann should not cause you to question the safe, high-quality care you have received at the Family Medical Center of Lincoln, or any other Memorial Health System facilities, in the past or that you will receive in the future.

Second, despite all of the negative and inaccurate information being disseminated about us, Family Medical Center of Lincoln and Memorial Health System will continue to serve the community in line with our mission to improve the health of the people and communities we serve. We will never compromise our focus on safe, high-quality patient care.

Finally, regarding concerns for Dr. Kottemann, please be assured that medical and administrative leadership of Family Medical Center of Lincoln and Memorial Health System have devoted many hours to this matter. None of us takes this responsibility lightly. We have acted in good faith and in accordance with our procedures. We will continue to do so.

Since October, very little has been heard from Family Medical Center or Kottemann regarding this issue until this week.

This week patients of Kottemann all received a letter signed by him advising them that he has decided to retire from medical practice and encouraging patients to continue to seek medical care from any of the other doctors who practice at Family Medical Center.

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Below is a copy of the letter patients received.

February 10, 2012

Dear Patient:

On Friday, February 3, 2012, I retired from my medical practice at Family Medical Center of Lincoln. I will be forever grateful for the extraordinary opportunity I had to practice family medicine in our community all these years. Words will never express the depth of my gratitude for the trust given to me to care for you and your family.

My gratitude also extends to my fellow physicians and coworkers. I will always value our relationships as colleagues devoted to serving the needs of others. The many friendships that were formed over the years were fostered by a shared commitment to excellent care for all our patients.

As I retire from my medical practice, you may have questions about how to select a new primary care physician. I encourage you to continue receiving care at Family Medical Center of Lincoln from one of the clinic's seven other physicians. For more information, you may call 217-735-6340.

For medical prescription renewals, you will first need to select one of my former colleagues at Family Medical Center of Lincoln as your new primary care physician. He or she will then proceed to work with you to schedule an initial appointment, review your healthcare needs and medical history with you and follow-up on your prescription renewal request.

In retirement, I will welcome the opportunities to see you in community and other social settings. Until then, please accept my warmest personal wishes for good health, safekeeping and well-being.

Sincerely,

Steven Kottemann, MD

[LDN and copies of text received]

___

Past statements from Family Medical Center

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