Palliative care physician builds bonds with patients and team

Doug Tannas, MD, a palliative care physician, recently joined the IU Health Fishers team. As the hospital grows, he hopes to create a strong bond with his patients and colleagues.

By Charlotte Stefanski, cstefanski@iuhealth.org, writer for IU Health's Metro Region

When stepping into the office of Doug Tannas, MD, you’ll be greeted with a warm smile and offered a cup of tea.

Tannas recently joined the IU Health Fishers team as a palliative care physician. He previously served in the same role at IU Health North since 2019.

He describes palliative care as an extra layer of support for patients and families when dealing with a serious or life-limiting illness.

“Sometimes, support takes the form of helping manage symptoms. Sometimes, it's emotional and spiritual,” he explains. “It's about helping make decisions about what patients want to do and what they don't want to do medically—to establish what their wishes are and to help communicate that to their healthcare team.”

Now that IU Health Fishers has opened its doors to the new medical tower—expanding both services and space—Tannas begins his work to support patients and his colleagues.

From emergency medicine to palliative care

Tannas joined the IU Health team in 2003 as he began his residency in emergency medicine.

After working at a few smaller hospitals, he decided to specialize in palliative care, completing a fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

“Palliative care gave me the opportunity to spend more time with patients and families—to have longer conversations, to get to know their lives and what's important to them,” Tannas says. “Making deeper, personal connections is valuable to me.”

After completing his fellowship in 2019, Tannas started the palliative care program at IU Health Fishers, North and Tipton hospitals, eventually focusing his work at IU Health North.

As the Fishers Community Impact Project grew the hospital’s square footage by nearly 50 percent, it was clear there was a need for in-person palliative care in Fishers.

A growing need in Fishers

Tannas is no stranger to IU Health Fishers. He was working in the Emergency department when the hospital opened in 2011.

The hospital’s inpatient side was initially focused on cardiology and orthopedic patients, but that’s changed over time.

“The population growth in this area, and also the aging of our population, generally means we're seeing more patients with complex, multiple serious illnesses,” Tannas says. “It’s becoming more common to have patients who are facing serious decisions about their goals of care. It takes a lot of time and a lot of deep discussion, so there’s a greater need for palliative care.”

Tannas enjoyed his time at IU Health North, and while there, he was able to watch the hospital successfully transition from a local hospital to a large, regional hospital that can treat complex cases.

One thing he admired was that as IU Health North grew into a healthcare destination, there was still a sense of family among team members.

“I think that's also been the case at IU Health Fishers. It's exciting to be here, right now, because we’re about to make that leap ourselves—to go from a relatively small place that mostly takes care of patients in the area; to a bigger, busier place that draws patients from farther away,” Tannas says. “The challenge for any hospital making that transition is to preserve the sense that everybody knows one another, that we're all one big family.”

Building a sense of family is one of the things Tannas looks forward to most as the team grows.

“The building itself is very exciting, but it's really the people that make the hospital,” he says. “Having a beautiful building sets the stage for what the people will do, and I'm excited to see that happen as we expand our family.”

Supporting patients and team members

IU Health Fishers recently held a ribbon cutting for the new medical tower, and the team welcomed first patients on Oct. 30.

As the hospital expands services, Tannas wants the community to know palliative care is an extra layer of support to help patients make the decisions that are right for them.

“Sometimes, patients and families are frightened when they hear the word ‘palliative care,’ because they think it's only about death and dying,” Tannas says. “The reality is these conversations are about how someone wants to live and what's most important as they're living with a serious illness.”

Another meaningful part of his work has been connecting with his fellow colleagues and being a source of support and encouragement.

Tannas wants team members to know his door is open for a chat if they find themselves having a hard time, need to vent or simply want to share their experiences.

“I always have many kinds of tea in my office. I’m always glad to be a listening and supportive ear for my fellow colleagues. We see a lot of difficult things, and it can be an emotional challenge to take care of patients with serious illness,” Tannas says. “Our family is growing here in Fishers and I want everybody who works here to feel supported in our work together.”