IMA Tupelo Hospitalists Program
Hospitalists fill the role of a traditional primary care physician, but only for patients in a hospital. Because hospitalists don't split their time between office visits and hospital rounds, they can offer more personal attention to patients in the hospital as well as to their families.
These physicians not only treat patients who not been referred to North Mississippi Medical Center by a physician, but also treat patients whose primary care physicians do not have hospital practices. Non-referred patients typically come to the emergency department with acute health care needs. After emergency medicine physicians and staff provide triage consultation and admit the patient to the hospital, a hospitalist meets the patient, takes an initial history and physical, determines a plan of care, orders any tests and coordinates patients' care during hospitalization.
In addition, hospitalists may do the initial assessment and initiate treatment on patients of the other IMA internal medicine patients. With the hospitalist present in the hospital during week days, they are able to respond rapidly to any emergencies for any IMA patients. By sometimes handling admission procedures and emergencies for these physicians, the hospitalist makes it possible for them to see their patients in the office without interruptions or long waits and still be assured that their hospital patients are receiving quality care.
Medical Staff
James Brown, M.D., completed his medical studies at the University of Alabama School of Medicine and his internal medicine internship and residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
Matthew T. Gaines, M.D., received a bachelor's degree in zoology from Auburn University in Auburn, Ala. He completed his medical training and his internal medicine residency at the University of South Alabama Medical School in Mobile.
Corbin Q. Hunt, M.D., graduated magna cum laude with an undergraduate degree in English from Texas A&M University in College Station. He completed his medical training at Texas Tech University School of Medicine in Lubbock and his internal medicine residency at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.
James Lewis, M.D., received his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Mississippi in Oxford, and his medical training at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson. He completed his residency training in internal medicine at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis. Prior to coming to Tupelo, Dr. Lewis was an internal medicine physician at Internal Medicine and Cardiology in Memphis and an emergency department physician at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Desoto in Southaven.
J. Mark Matthews, M.D., a board-certified internal medicine physician, received his medical training at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine and completed his internship and residency at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis.Derreck F. Menefee, M.D., received a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. He completed his medical training at the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Medicine and his internal medicine residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Brady Russell, M.D., graduated magna cum laude with an undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He completed his medical training and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.
Renee Wilson, M.D., a board-certified internal medicine physician, completed her medical training at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine and her internship and residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
Deanna R. White, M.D., is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of California at Riverside and California Polytechnic University at Pomona. She studied at California State University at Fullerton and earned her medical degree at Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California. Dr. White completed internship training at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in Ohio and residency training in internal medicine at Kettering Medical Center in Ohio. She has practiced in Tennessee, Oregon and Maryland. She came to Tupelo from Hattiesburg, where she had served as a hospitalist with Forrest General Hospital since 2005. She is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.