Horizon Health Announces New Hospitalist Director

A long-time Terre Haute physician has joined Horizon Health to lead its hospitalist service.

Darren Brucken, MD, who specializes in hospital medicine, has been named director of inpatient medical services. Additionally, three advanced practice nurses – who previously worked with Dr. Brucken as hospitalists in Terre Haute – have joined the Horizon Health hospitalist team.

“Collectively, we’re excited,” Dr. Brucken said. “Everyone does a great job and is familiar with each other.”

In addition to Dr. Brucken, the hospitalist team consists of Manish Gorasiya, MD; Lynne Adams, APRN, FNP; Tabbitha Gilman, APRN, FNP; Ashley Stakeman, PA; and Jennifer Likens, APRN, FNP.

A hospitalist is a physician, much like a family doctor, who specializes in the care of hospitalized patients only. They are unique from other physicians in that they are not office-based, but practice solely in an inpatient setting. They are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Dr. Brucken has been a physician for 24 years. He began as a family medicine physician in private practice. Over the past 13 years, he worked as the director of hospitalist services at two Terre Haute-area hospitals.

“Dr. Brucken has the background and expertise to successfully lead our hospitalist service,” said Ollie Smith, Horizon Health president & CEO. “He has a great team and patients will receive the best care possible.”

Dr. Brucken said working in Paris, Illinois, reminds him of his childhood in Rockville, Indiana.

“When I came to Horizon Health, I was impressed by the amount of growth and the potential for growth,” he said. “The environment reminds me of small-town values and growing up in a small town.”

In his free time, Dr. Brucken enjoys playing competitive baseball. He is president of the Terre Haute Men’s Senior Baseball League. He is co-founder and president of P.I.N.K, Incorporated, a non-profit organization serving breast cancer patients, caregivers, and their families. The organization covers a nine-county area that includes Edgar and Clark counties in Illinois.

Dr. Brucken lives in Terre Haute with his wife, Holly, and daughter, Gia.

Other providers who recently joined the Horizon Health hospitalist team include the following:

• Lynne Adams, APRN, FNP – 20 years of nursing experience, 12 of them as a family nurse practitioner. She has nine years of experience as a hospitalist.
• Tabbitha Gilman, APRN, FNP – 13 years of nursing experience, five of them as a family nurse practitioner and hospitalist.
• Ashley Stakeman, PA – seven years of experience as a physician assistant, six of them as a hospitalist.