Dr. Michael Bittles and his wife Pattie recently relocated to rural North Dakota from Indiana. He began his healthcare career as a paramedic and maintained this path while continuing his education. He started medical school in Indianapolis at age 30. His initial eight years of practice were with a large group in northern Indiana. He then moved to rural Nebraska, where he worked in small critical access hospitals similar to those where he will be practicing in rural northeast North Dakota. He moved back to Indiana in 2019, where he was working at a larger hospital prior to the move to North Dakota.

To further enhance Dr. Bittles’ surgical practice, Unity has acquired an Intuitive Surgical da Vinci surgery robot. This robot will allow Dr. Bittles to perform complex procedures with greater precision using a robotic arm. The da Vinci system consists of a console where the surgeon sits and controls a robotic arm carrying the surgical instruments. The robotic arm has a greater range of motion than a human hand. The surgery team will start using the robot in December. UMC is the first critical access hospital in North Dakota to acquire a da Vinci surgical robot.

If you would like to make an appointment with Dr. Bittles, please call Grafton Family Clinic at 701-352-2000.