FEBRUARY EDITION, VOLUME 2018, NO. 2
GREETINGS! HAPPY TWO-THOUSAND AND GREAT-TEEN! By David Dixon, D.O., CMS President For some reason, as much as I love the holiday season, I find that as I get older, Christmas makes me feel so outdated and behind the times. It is not intentional, but my kids look at me with amazed expressions when they realize that I am clueless on how to use their new toys or games. It is not that I am not able to learn how to use these new toys; it is the fact that I have no interest in doing so that makes me feel so old. I realize that not everyone my age feels this way. I have friends who get so excited about the latest iPhone model, or the latest Madden Football graphics. But me? I just do not get enjoyment out of these things. However, I cannot help but wonder and speculate about life in 50 years. What will my children be buying their kids? I joined North Florida Women’s Care (NFLWC) in July of 2003. At that time, Dr. David O’Bryan walked me around Tallahassee Memorial, showing me the ropes. He showed me how to find the clipboard with the vital signs and I’s and O’s. He showed me where to find patient charts, and where to find the blank progress note forms along with the blank doctor’s order forms. He showed me how to find the folder with NFLWC’s preprinted admission and discharge order sets. He showed me how to flag the orders, put the prescriptions on the chart, and to whom to give the chart. As archaic as this sounds, the reality is that I could walk on to the floor, see four to five patients, write my notes and orders, and be off the floor in no time at all. Fast-forward 14½ years later. I now walk on to the floor at 7:00 am (thirty minutes to an hour earlier than
I used to); log on to a computer, whenever there is one available; make an average of 15 clicks on the computer just to get those vitals and I’s and O’s; then go see my patient. I then sit back down at the computer, log back on, and make another 10 clicks to get to the screen where I start my note. I then complete my progress note (typically a template note from a prior patient’s care), which, by the way, has about four pertinent lines out of the page and a half of information. I then get my discharge orders completed, reconcile my medications, print off my prescriptions, go find them on the printer, sign them, and give them to the clerk. I then move on to the next patient’s chart. Let me say that I do not openly whine about Electronic Medical Records or the effect of technology on the practice of medicine…at least not very often. I was on the committee at NFLWC that convinced my partners that going paperless was inevitable, and that we should be proactive by beginning the process back in 2006. I understand that complaining about the inefficiencies of EMR systems is wasted energy. EMR is just an example, maybe the whipping post for physician frustrations about the healthcare environment. As healthcare shifts from a fee-for-service-based model to a value-based reimbursement structure, we are now asked to take the time to document and report huge volumes of information to various agencies. For those of us in private practice, this burden is sometimes so overwhelming that we start looking at practice models that can help us with the demands of this new system, often leading physicians to look for opportunities to partner with hospitals or become employees. This has taken its toll on the morale of many physicians. Many physicians are simply exhausted; they feel they just CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
CAPITAL MEDICAL SOCIETY 2018 MEETINGS CALENDAR March 8, 2018 Connect the Docs Happy Hour Sponsored by Capital City Bank 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm The Wine House (1355 Market Street, A1)
March 22, 2018 Libations, Candles, and Conversation Soirée - Proceeds from the sale of Hearth & Soul’s March Featured Candle benefit Capital Medical Society Foundation 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Hearth & Soul (1410 Market Street, D1)
March 29, 2018 Celebration Awards Dinner 6:30 pm FSU University Center Club
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