By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- Massena Memorial Hospital is on its way to implementing a hospitalist program, but the CEO says it is off to a slow start.

“The hospitalist program continues to have growing pains,” MMH CEO Robert Wolleben said at the hospital’s Monday Board of Managers meeting.

A hospitalist is a hospital-based doctor who exclusively treats inpatients, relieving primary care doctors of having to hold office hours then make rounds at MMH.

Right now, MMH is using temporary hospital-based doctors while they iron out a hospitalist contract.

“It’s a significant expense to us because we’re using locums,” Wolleben said. “We have a regular staff of locum physicians in.”

He hopes to have at least two permanent hospitalists signed by the end of March.

He said they would be employed by Medicus and subcontracted to MMH, which would save money.

“We’re trying to do it in an expeditious and cost-effective way,” according to Wolleben. “We knew it would take us some time.”