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Phone: 276-679-8890 Matthew Cusano, M.D. is a board certified Internal Medicine physician in a multi-specialty group called Community Physician Services Corporation in Norton, Virginia. Other doctors in the practice are Pauline Reed, M.D. (Family Medicine), David Sheppard, D.O. (Internal Medicine), Allen Mullins, M.D. (Internal Medicine), and Maurice Nida, D.O. (Internal Medicine). Born November 9, 1971 in Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Cusano grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In 1994 he married Jackie Cusano and the family now includes three children, Derrick (1997), Ashley (2001), and Sean (2004). The Cusanos live near Norton in the Town of Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Dr. Cusano did his undergraduate work at the University of Scranton, where he was graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree. In 1997, Dr. Cusano earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Choosing Internal Medicine, Dr. Cusano entered a three year residency at the Scranton-Temple Residency Program in Scranton, Pennsylvania and he completed training in the year 2000. Between August 2000 and July 2004, Dr. Cusano practiced Internal Medicine at Highland Physicians in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. He worked in a rural health clinic and admitted patients to Wayne Memorial Hospital. While at Highland Physicians, Dr. Cusano precepted medical students at Hershey Medical Center and taught physician assistant students at Marywood and King’s Colleges. He also served as Medical Director for both the Highland Physicians’ Internal Medicine Department and the extended rehabilitation program at Wayne Memorial Hospital.
The outpatient clinic for “Community Physicians” is in Medical Arts Building #1 on the campus of Norton Community Hospital. Over the course of an average work day, Dr. Cusano sees 15-20 patients in the office, 1-2 patients in the hospital, and 7-8 patients in the rehab unit. Three exam rooms are dedicated to his exclusive use in the office and the residents and students he teaches utilize the same rooms. Although the practice does not use electronic medical records, students and residents have access to broad-band Internet and the hospital also has an excellent medical library and telemedicine connections to the University of Virginia, Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine, and the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Along with general internal medicine, Dr. Cusano enjoys the process of patient rehabilitation. Helping patients who suffer catastrophic events to learn alternative ways of accomplishing the activities of daily living is one of the most fulfilling parts of his medical practice. Residents who do rotations with Dr. Cusano learn that physicians can provide quality medical care whether in Norton or New York City. The practice of evidence-based medicine makes sure that patients in rural areas receive the same level of care as patients in more urban communities. Rural patients expect and deserve medical services of textbook quality. Norton Community Hospital is a 129 bed acute care hospital under the governance of a community-based Board of Directors. Its history traces back to 1949, when three physicians established the Miners Hospital in a Norton mansion. Now in a modern, newly renovated facility, hospital services include emergency care, critical care, medical, surgical, pediatric, obstetric, and inpatient rehab nursing care, pharmacy, radiology, medical laboratory, nutrition, hyperbaric treatment, and a range of cardiopulmonary and rehabilitative therapies. Norton Community also operates a regional lung center, a regional rehab center, dialysis services, a sports and occupational medicine clinic, a durable medical equipment service, and a home nursing program. Norton Community is a teaching hospital affiliated with the Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine and the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine. The Norton Community Hospital Internal Medicine Osteopathic Residency program is based on the hospital campus with an outpatient clinic in nearby Wise, Virginia. The hospital also runs an outpatient clinic in Coeburn, Virginia. Specialties on staff are Anesthesia, Cardiology, Dentistry, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Gastroenterology, Inpatient Rehabilitation, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Occupational Medicine, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Pathology, Pediatrics, Radiology/Nuclear Medicine, General Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Psychiatry and Urology. Norton Community Hospital is one of two acute care facilities in Norton, the other being Mountain View Regional Medical Center. The Southwest Virginia Regional Cancer Treatment Center is also located in Norton. Residents who train with Dr. Cusano may choose to stay in a two bedroom furnished house near the Town of Wise or in one of the local motels in Norton/Wise– Best Western, Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn, Country Hearth, or Super 8. Norton lies in a long narrow valley overshadowed by the northern face of spectacular Stone Mountain. The city boundaries extend to those of the neighboring Town of Wise. The two municipalities share a population of around 12,000. The population of Wise County is 39,573. The economy is diverse, a change from its one-time dependence on coal mining and other extractive industries. Major sectors of the economy include: educational, health and social services (24%), retail and wholesale trade (17%), agriculture, forestry, hunting, fishing, and mining (11%), construction (7%), arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services (7%), public administration (7%), manufacturing (6%), and professional, scientific, management, and administrative services (5%). Two four-lane highways intersect in Norton (U.S. 23 and U.S. 58 Alternate) and offer easy access for travelers throughout Southwest Virginia and Southeast Kentucky. There are four shopping centers in the Norton/Wise area with any number of department stores, groceries, discount stores, and specialty boutiques. There is a two-screen cinema in one of the shopping centers. American, Chinese, Mexican, and Italian “sit-down” restaurants vie with fast food vendors for dining dollars. The Virginia/Kentucky “Opry” in downtown Norton showcases bluegrass, gospel, and country music acts on weekends and a Pro-Art Association based at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise offers a broad spectrum of cultural entertainments during the academic year. Norton has two city parks with well-equipped playgrounds in the downtown area. On Stone Mountain, high above the city streets, are the Flag Rock and High Knob recreation areas with facilities for hiking, biking, swimming, picnicking, and fishing. From a fire tower on High Knob, visitors can enjoy an awesome 360-degree view of the surrounding countryside. Just on the other side of Stone Mountain are Bark Camp Lake and High Knob Lake, both created by dams built to store municipal water supplies and prevent flash floods. See the county/city profiles for Norton and Wise County for more information about the surrounding community.
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Matthew W. Cusano, M.D.
Dr. Cusano has been working with Community Physician Services Corporation in Norton since August 2004. In this position, he practices Internal Medicine in an outpatient clinic and admits patients to Norton Community Hospital. He is Professor for the Norton Internal Medicine Residency Program and he is Associate Professor for both the Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine (Pikeville, Kentucky) and the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (Blacksburg, Virginia). Dr. Cusano is also Medical Director of the Norton Community Hospital’s inpatient rehabilitation unit.
Patients who need x-rays, medical lab tests, and other diagnostic studies are referred to Norton Community Hospital, located just across the parking lot from Dr. Cusano’s office. About 50% of Dr. Cusano’s patients are younger adults and about 50% are over the age of 60. He estimates that 50% of his patients are privately insured, 40% are covered by Medicare or Medicaid, and 10% are uninsured.