“You know, fear is a motivating factor,” explains longtime Knoxville General Surgeon Dr. Willard Campbell. When Campbell remembers how he and 14 other general and vascular surgeons from 5 competing offices in Knoxville, Tennessee, came together 30 years ago to form the “super group” now known as Premier Surgical Associates, he acknowledges that fear was definitely a factor.
Premier Surgeon, Willard Campbell, MD
With the rise of managed care in the healthcare industry in the 1990s, an uncertain future loomed for many smaller, independent medical practices. Increasing regulations and growing administrative costs prompted a decline in the number of solo medical groups across the country and here in Knoxville.
After working with a consultant to advise them, the 15 Knoxville surgeons hired a young Nashville hospital executive named Kevin Burris to turn the freshly formed Premier Surgical group into a viable company. Burris served as the Chief Executive Officer of Premier Surgical for 28 years, before retiring in 2023. He says the risk the competing surgeons took in joining forces paid off.
Kevin Burris, Premier Surgical CEO Emeritus
“They were all Mom and Pop Shops. Combining gave them better business management, the ability to hire more staff, better staff, to manage the business,” Burris explains. “Before long, they developed a great reputation of outstanding physicians, which gave them leverage in the market. Premier could speak to the hospital systems with one voice instead of five. So, then nobody could divide and conquer them that way.”
Dr. Campbell readily agrees. “There’s strength in numbers. And, generally, when it came right down to it, we realized that. Everybody still wants to do their own thing, but all you have to do is look around and realize that I can’t do it by myself.”
Since 1995 Premier Surgical Associates has grown from a practice of 15 surgeons and a couple dozen employees, to 36 surgeons and a staff of more than 200. Geographically, the practice has expanded outside of Knoxville and has offices that stretch from Cleveland to Johnson City, TN. Premier Surgical is the largest independent General and Vascular Surgery group in East Tennessee. The group also includes Surgical Oncologists, Bariatric and Plastic Surgeons.
Over the past three decades Premier Surgical has been at the forefront of expanding medical access to East Tennessee patients. The practice added specialty clinics that treat a broad range of medical issues such as hernias, varicose and spider veins, hemorrhoids and prosthetic limb replacement. The Premier Vascular Center in Knoxville features office-based vascular procedure rooms as well as an accredited on-site vascular ultrasound laboratory with eight ultrasound suites. The state licensed and QUAD A accredited Premier Surgery Center offers quality, affordable outpatient surgical care to patients with and without health insurance.
Retired CEO Burris says the focus on surgical expertise is another factor in Premier Surgical’s success. “Probably the biggest strength is the fact that from the very beginning they were very careful to have the best quality surgeons. They didn’t hire just anybody. They tried to hire the best.”
As Dr. Campbell, the last remaining original Premier Surgical physician, prepares for retirement, he’s gratified by what has been accomplished over the three decades.
“I’m proud of it. I think we’ve done well for the doctors and provided an organization that serves its patients and referring physicians well. In the bigger picture, we’ve been able to provide excellent surgical care for 30 years now. It’s a valuable service to the community.”
Current CEO Jay Rom says the mission of the original surgeons has served the organization well. “The growth and success of Premier Surgical Associates can be attributed to the focus on our Mission to use superior surgical skills to improve patient health by providing exceptional quality, value and patient centric service.”
Rom is excited to see a new generation of Premier Surgical surgeons continuing to serve East Tennessee patients. “We are pleased and honored to continue the legacy established 30 years ago by our founding surgeons, and we look forward to the next 30 years and beyond.”
The Premier Surgical building on Papermill Drive in Knoxville houses a Surgery Center, Vascular & Vein Center, Vascular Ultrasound Suites, Prosthetic Center and a Plastic Surgery Office.