This medical practice needed more room even before the pandemic; now, it’s getting it

Even before the pandemic hit, Wichita’s Infectious Disease Consultants — the area’s only infectious disease practice — needed more room.

“We were a busy, busy practice before COVID,” said physician Maggie Hagan, an infectious disease specialist.

The practice is much busier these days. Now, it’s going to get some extra space.

After some remodeling, the practice is going to move into the building at 310 S. Hillside that Mid-Kansas Ear, Nose & Throat is vacating. Over the weekend, Mid-Kansas Ear, Nose & Throat is moving to a new building near K-96 and Webb Road. It also has a west-side office near 37th and Ridge Road.

Infectious Disease Consultants, which formed in 1980, has been in leased space at 1100 N. St. Francis since 2003. The new building will have several benefits, said Maha Assi, another infectious disease specialist.

“We need more space and a little bit more functional space,” she said.

The group’s current space is divided in three areas. Assi said the new building will offer a better flow.

A big part of the practice is an infusion area where people can come on an outpatient basis to receive intravenous antibiotics. Patients often have to spend hours at a time getting treatment.

“We want it to be a very comfortable setting,” Hagan said.

The new building is about 10,000 square feet — about 3,000 square feet more than the practice currently has. Assi said there will be future flexibility to change the space as needs change.

Hagan said another benefit is easy access to Kellogg and a number of hospitals at which the group’s six physicians practice.

Accessibility also is important because so many of the practice’s patients come from outside of Wichita. Hagan said the closest other infectious disease office is a lone practitioner in Salina.

“So we serve a really large area.”

Remodeling should be complete by the end of June, and the practice likely will move in July.

Hagan said the new building makes sense for the practice financially, too.

“We paid a lot of money in rent over all the years.”

A seventh physician is joining Infectious Disease Consultants this summer, and Hagan said there could be more later.

The study of infectious disease hasn’t been the most popular field in medical schools, but that could be changing.

With the pandemic, Hagan said applications to medical schools have gone up 20%, and she said there seems to be a lot more interest in infectious disease specialties.

“Maybe we’ll have more of us in the future.”

This story was originally published January 27, 2021 at 2:22 PM.