Hedrick Medical Center Retains Local Emergency Department Physician Team

CHILLICOTHE, MO  – As of January 1, 2024, Hedrick Medical Center entered into new contract with the emergency medicine physicians providing care in the hospital’s emergency department. The new group chosen by Hedrick Medical Center, Missouri Physician Partners, was formed by Dr. Wyatt Pickering and Dr. Jeremiah Yerton and keeps intact nearly the entire physician team currently treating patients in Hedrick’s emergency department. The hospital’s former emergency services provider, ENVISION Physician Services, alerted Hedrick Medical Center in August of 2023 that they would be closing operations in three states in which they operated, one of those being Missouri, at the conclusion of 2023. ENVISON employed the local team of emergency care physicians, including the emergency department’s medical director, Dr. Pickering, a Chillicothe native.

“We had multiple strong options to replace ENVISION,” said Catherine Hamilton, Interim Administrator and Chief Nursing Officer at Hedrick. “It was important for us to find the right fit. We wanted a team that we knew would provide high-quality care while also understanding a rural community's unique health needs and challenges. Dr. Pickering and his team check all those boxes, and because of their local presence, they’re already heavily invested in our communities. We’re excited to continue this outstanding partnership.”

The new contract took effect on January 1, and patients should experience no changes. The team will continue to offer seamless, convenient, emergency medical care close to home 24/7 for patients in North Central Missouri.

“We’re excited to be able to continue the same level of high-quality emergency care here in Chillicothe,” said Wyatt Pickering, DO, Medical Director of the Hedrick Medical Center Emergency Department. “As a representative of Missouri Physician Partners, I want to thank Hedrick Medical Center for placing their trust in us. We’re committed to providing compassionate, expert care to the Chillicothe community and the surrounding region.”