Unwavering
Partnership Mindset

Great Lakes Anesthesiology forms productive, long-term relationships with hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and office space practices. With best-in-class clinicians and a forward-thinking administrative team, we strive to improve your facility’s efficiency, throughput, and profitability while removing the burden of staffing your anesthesia department.

Why Choose Great Lakes   Our Process

What sets us apart.

Broad Practice Expertise

Our deep bench of providers and team care model enables Great Lakes to provide the full spectrum of anesthesia care – from pediatrics to geriatrics, and subspecialties in between. We also offer site-specific care for niche practices, including dental, ophthalmology, and more.

OR leadership

A leadership team – comprised of a site director, clinical coordinators, and admin professionals – takes the reins of your OR to push through efficiencies and ensure high-quality surgical consultations.

Administrative proficiency

Our admin department comprised of business professionals facilitates your overall success by streamlining scheduling, billing, coding, and credentialing.

Our Values

Excellence is earned

For over two decades, our group has established a reputation for outstanding clinical outcomes and administrative support. We remain committed to being the best in our industry and set out to provide value to our partners each and every day.

Unsurpassed quality of care

Through evidence-based medicine and proven efficiencies, practices, and innovations, we deliver the highest level of anesthesia care possible.

Attracting top-notch providers

One of our greatest strengths is the ability to recruit and retain top talent. We are always adding to our deep roster of fellowship-trained anesthesiologists and experienced CNRAs so there’s never a doubt that your site is adequately staffed.

Embracing the team model

We optimize efficiency and quality of care with the team anesthesia care model, which typically includes a dedicated site director, anesthesiologist and team members including residents, fellows and/or CRNAs.

Flexibility with function

We are adept at the dynamic nature of the perioperative continuum while maintaining consistency and reliability in our protocols and outcomes.

Building trust outside the OR

Our site directors and anesthesiologists form positive, cooperative relationships with surgeons, enhancing trust and promoting provider teamwork that is vital during critical OR cases.

Being part of the community

Great Lakes establishes residences near many of our partner sites, allowing our team members to embed themselves and invest back into the community.

“The team at Great Lakes Anesthesia is a vital component of our multidisciplinary healthcare team that provides the most complex and innovative pediatric and OB/GYN care in the WNY region.”

Stephen Turkovich, President, Oishei Children’s Hospital

“Great Lakes Anesthesiology has been an amazing partner to work with. They are attentive, collaborative, and highly professional. In addition to being an outstanding service provider, they are huge supporters of our community.”

Dharshan Jayasinghe, President & CEO, BizWin Strategies & Triad Healthcare Recruiting

“The Great Lakes physicians, CRNAs, and office team are incredibly caring individuals with a strong desire to do their best each day. The leadership team in place is outstanding, and I am excited about their growth!”

Ted Halpern, President & Wealth Advisor, Halpern Financial, Inc.

Our Process

At Great Lakes, we have a refined, systemic process to ensure a smooth transition and integrate a highly productive and efficient anesthesia department. Our collaborative model is designed to provide stability to your facility today while positioning your organization for future, sustainable growth.

Connection

An initial discovery to determine if a partnership is a mutually beneficial fit.

Analysis

We take a deep look at your practice model, organization culture, and goals to create a plan for staffing and financial optimization.

Integration

Our proven protocols and policies are integrated and adapted to your site’s existing processes.

Onboarding

Your anesthesia care team is trained and synchronized with your site through a standardized orientation and hands-on approach.

Daily management

Site leadership and our admin team provide consistent, high-quality anesthesia management.

Growth opportunities

Our data analytics department leverages anesthesia and OR metrics to improve efficiency, throughput, and patient satisfaction indices.

Team nurturing

Great Lakes prioritizes employee satisfaction to enhance retention and ensure consistent, high-quality staffing.

Best-in-class anesthesia team.

The physicians at Great Lakes are certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology. Additionally, our pediatric and obstetric anesthesiologists are also certified in their subspecialties, Pediatric Anesthesiology and Obstetric Anesthesiology by the American Board. Our anesthesiologists are among the most experienced and respected in the country. We also have an extensive team of skilled CRNAs who provide consistent and compassionate patient care. In addition to being experienced practitioners, many of our anesthesiologists are researchers and academic instructors.

Meet Our Team

Our success stories.

Since 1998, our group has implemented exclusive anesthesia partnerships for a wide range of healthcare facilities, including urban hospitals, rural hospitals, and ambulatory surgery centers. We approach each new partnership with an open mindset to overcome unique hurdles, ensure a smooth transition, and set the engagement up for long-term success.

Read Case Studies

Our Partners

    

Let’s discuss your anesthesia department.

Complete the short form below to learn more about the peace of mind and value that Great Lakes can deliver to your healthcare facility.

Jerrold Lerman, BASc, MD, FRCPC, FANZCA

Jerrold Lerman, BASc, MD, FRCPC, FANZCA

Vice President|Site Director, Buffalo Ambulatory Surgery Center (BASC)|Co-Site Director, Warren General Hospital

Dr. Jerrold Lerman is Vice President of the board of directors at Great Lakes Anesthesiology. He is also the Site Director, Buffalo Ambulatory Surgery Center (BASC) and Co-Site Director, Warren General Hospital.

Dr. Lerman has over 40 years of clinical experience and is board certified in the United States and Canada. He earned a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Waterloo before attending medical school at the University at Toronto in Ontario, Canada. He completed his internship at Toronto General Hospital and residency at the University at Toronto.

His areas of interest include pediatric Anesthesia and research. He serves as the Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology at Jacob's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in Buffalo, NY. Dr. Lerman is affiliated with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and is a Fellow of the Australia and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA). He is also a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists; Society of Pediatric Anesthesia; AUA; New York State Society of Anesthesiologists; APA; FEAPA;

Dr. Lerman has been a member of Great Lakes Anesthesiology since 2002 and views the company as "a wonderful family that supports each other both at work and outside of work."

Navyugjit S. Virk, MD

Navyugjit S. Virk, MD

President, Operating Room Coordinator, Oishei Children’s Hospital, Buffalo NY & Co-Site Director, Warren General Hospital

Dr. Virk is the President and CEO of Great Lakes Anesthesiology, as well as the OR Coordinator at Oishei Children’s Hospital, and Co-Site Director at Warren General Hospital in Warren, PA. He is certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology and specializes in obstetric anesthesia and pediatric anesthesia, in which he is Fellowship trained.

After completing his undergraduate studies at SUNY University at Buffalo, Dr. Virk graduated from medical school at the University of Silesia in Poland. He returned to Western New York for his residency in anesthesia at SUNY University at Buffalo. Dr. Virk joined Great Lakes in 2014.

Dr. Virk maintains an academic affiliation with SUNY University at Buffalo. He is a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Society of Pediatric Anesthesia, and the New York State Society of Anesthesiologists. He is passionate about community advocacy and advancing the patient-centric care model.

M. Karim Kechli, MD

M. Karim Kechli, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, SUNY at Buffalo

Dr. Kechli is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at SUNY at Buffalo and is a shareholder of Great Lakes Anesthesiology.

Prior to joining Great Lakes Anesthesiology in 2018, Dr. Kechli attended medical school and completed his residency at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. After his studies, he began an academic affiliation with the SUNY University at Buffalo where he remains involved today. In addition, he is an active member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

Dr. Kechli is not only an expert physician and teacher but also a master in his niche, where he focuses on pediatric and obstetrical anesthesia. Having completed fellowships in this field and teaching students today to be the exceptional doctors of tomorrow makes Dr. Kechli an excellent addition to Great Lakes Anesthesiology.

Douglas Kahn, MD

Douglas Kahn, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor Anesthesiology, SUNY at Buffalo

Dr. Kahn is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at SUNY at Buffalo. He was certified in 1992 by the American Board of Anesthesiology.

Dr. Kahn received his education at the Sackler School of Medicine, University of Tel Aviv in Israel in 1981. He held his anesthesia residency in Cleveland, Ohio in 1990 at the Metro Health Center.

Dr. Kahn’s professional focuses include regional, adult and pediatric anesthesia.

Justin Eckler, MD PhD

Justin Eckler, MD PhD

Clinical Instructor of Anesthesiology, SUNY at Buffalo

Dr. Eckler is a Clinical Instructor of Anesthesiology at SUNY at Buffalo. He has been certified since 2019 from the American Board of Anesthesiology.

Dr. Eckler attended medical school at SUNY at Buffalo and earned his Ph.D in pharmacology and toxicology in 2002. This is where he also held his anesthesia residency in 2012 and his pediatric anesthesia fellowship in 2013.

Dr. Eckler’s research interests include opioid receptors, obstructive sleep apnea, pain management, pharmacodynamics, and dental sedation.

Michael Weinberg, BS MD

Michael Weinberg, BS MD

Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, SUNY at Buffalo

Dr. Weinberg is part of the UJF New Leadership Committee in the Physicians’ Division and serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at SUNY at Buffalo. He is certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology since 1995.

Dr. Weinberg received his education from SUNY at Buffalo in 1987 and had both his anesthesia residency and pain medicine fellowship there in 1994 and 1995.

Michelle Raczka, MD

Michelle Raczka, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, SUNY at Buffalo

Dr. Raczka is the Department Compliance Officer at Kaleida Health and serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at SUNY at Buffalo. Dr. Raczka is certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology as of 2008 and received a subspecialty board certification in 2013 from Pediatric Anesthesiology.

She received her education at SUNY at Buffalo in 2003 where she also worked her anesthesia residency in 2007 and completed her fellowship in 2009.

Stephan Nebbia, BSc MD

Stephan Nebbia, BSc MD

Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, SUNY at Buffalo

Dr. Nebbia serves as a clinical assistant professor of Anesthesiology at SUNY at Buffalo. He was certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology in 1995 and subsequently earned a subspecialty certification in Pediatric Anesthesiology in 2017.

Dr. Nebbia attended Rutgers Medical School in Newark, NJ. He did an internship in Pediatrics at Emory before starting Anesthesia residency at Vanderbilt. He then moved to Canada completing his residency in 1992 and completed a fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesia in 1993. He is also board certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Ramiro Mireles, MD

Ramiro Mireles, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, SUNY at Buffalo

Dr. Mireles received his certification from the American Board of Anesthesiology in 1994 and serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at SUNY at Buffalo.

He received his education from Mount Sinai School of Medicine of NYU in 1989 and conducted his residency at Bellevue Hospital Medical Center in 1993 in New York. Following his time in NY, Dr. Mireles took on a fellowship in Washington DC at the Children’s National Medical Center in 1994 and continues to specialize in pediatric anesthesia.

Max Chudy, BS MD

Max Chudy, BS MD

Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, SUNY at Buffalo

Dr. Chudy serves as the Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at SUNY at Buffalo. This position holds significant honor being an alum of the University, as he completed both his pediatric anesthesia fellowship and anesthesia residency there in 1984-1985 leading into his career.

Dr. Chudy received his education at U Autonoma de Guadalajara and earned his BS degree and MD in 1979. During his studies, Dr. Chudy took great interest in pediatric anesthesia and continues his practices in this field today.