University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center welcomes pulmonary, critical care and adult sleep medicine specialist

Lee Ann Baggott, MD, to enhance hospital’s systems of care for patients with lung and sleep disorders  

GEAUGA COUNTY – University Hospitals (UH) Geauga Medical Center welcomes lung, critical care and sleep disorder specialist Lee Ann Baggott, MD, MS, to its growing clinical team. Dr. Baggott arrived on January 1 to enhance the hospital’s established pulmonary and critical care services; and to complement its sleep medicine program.

Dr. Baggott is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary diseases and critical care medicine. She consults with and treats patients at UH Geauga Medical Center four days a week. “I’m already enthusiastic about providing consistent, leading-edge, high-quality care to the Geauga County community,” says Dr. Baggott.

Following her training at New York University and the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Baggott was in private practice in Maine for 25 years. She served on the regional and national boards of the American Lung Association (ALA) and collaborated with the Joint Commission, the leading health care organization accrediting body in the nation, to develop a national program to improve systems of care for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

“I participated in the design and implementation of local and national sustained care improvement initiatives for asthma and COPD,” says Dr. Baggott. “I look forward to contributing to the already excellent patient care systems at UH Geauga Medical Center.”

Those systems emphasize individualized treatments associated with better outcomes whether a patient is hospitalized, at home or in transition. Dr. Baggott describes the approach as a continuum that empowers patients to be involved in their own wellness. “For example, studies show that only about 40 percent of smokers get recommended interventions from their doctors if they decide to quit. Only 30 to 40 percent of people who use an inhaler for breathing problems have been shown how to use it correctly. A system of care for pulmonology will decrease these inconsistencies in the care process.” 

Clinically, Dr. Baggott sees patients at UH Geauga Medical Center for a full range of lung disorders, including COPD, asthma, influenza, lung cancer and abnormal chest X-rays. She diagnoses and treats sleep disorders in adults – including sleep apnea, snoring, insomnia and sleep rhythm disorders – at the hospital’s state-of-the-art sleep lab.

Dr. Baggott’s critical care and internal medicine expertise enable her to treat patients who are chronically or seriously ill. “I see patients who have difficulty breathing for a variety of reasons,” says Dr. Baggott, “including lung and chronic heart problems; infections; diabetes; complications from surgery; or any illness that requires admission to the Intensive Care Unit.”

Ultimately, Dr. Baggott’s goal is to provide the Geauga County community with the best health care value. “Patients should be confident they will consistently receive individualized care that has the best chance of improving their outcomes, helps them feel better, and is provided at a reasonable cost,” she says.

Dr. Baggott sees a tremendous opportunity to improve the quality of life of many people with lung, critical care and sleep disorders. “It is a joy to be working with the dedicated team at UH Geauga Medical Center,” she says. “They understand what it takes to make the value of health care as great as it can possibly be for our community.”                                                         

To schedule a pulmonary or sleep medicine consultation with Lee Ann Baggott, MD at UH Geauga Medical Center, call 440-214-3114.