Operational improvements are more important than resiliency. By Rob Schreiner, M.D. Dr. Carl Goolsby remembers those days. No matter how early he’d arrive at the office to prepare his charts for the day’s patients or remain in the office after the patients and staff had left, he couldn’t stay ahead of the workload. He was well-trained, with a disciplined work ethic ... Continue Reading
PCOS: Alternative Management and Long-Term Risks
By Desiree’ M. McCarthy-Keith, MD, MPH Most practitioners are able to recognize the classic features of PCOS: obesity, androgen excess and irregular menstrual cycles. However, many patients will have few features or a subtler presentation. Despite varying degrees of the condition, all women with PCOS are at risk for metabolic and endocrine sequelae. Women’s health providers ... Continue Reading
Losing Prized Physicians to Burnout
By Charles Wilmer, M.D., FACC, FSCAI I recently returned from the Medical Association of Georgia’s summer legislative seminar in Blairsville, where we had 75 physicians interacting with 37 of our legislators to better understand the political climate and opportunities for growth and improvement in patient care. Some of these individuals were over 60 years of age and yet still ... Continue Reading
Narrative Medicine – Letting our Patients Tell The Story
By Bob Climko, MD, MBA Many years ago, my medical school roommate invited me to dinner at the home of his mother and father, both of whom survived the horrors of Auschwitz. After a delicious meal, they began sharing stories about life in “the camp.” I asked them later why they had opened up to me. Their response was that I was one of the few people they thought could bear ... Continue Reading
5 Best Practices for Treating Your Muslim Patients
By Lisa Perry-Gilkes, MD, FACS With a Muslim population reported to be a quarter million and with 35 mosques in the metro area, Atlanta ranks as the city with the sixth largest Muslim population in the country. Cultural sensitivity in caring for the Muslim patients requires a basic understanding of Islam. Islam, which in Arabic is derived from the word salam, or peace, is ... Continue Reading
Health Literacy: What You Don’t Know Could Hurt You
By Lisa Perry-Gilkes, MD, FACS TAHW OUY T’NOD WONK DLOUC HURT OUY! To some of our patients, the above headline is how our documents are perceived. Unscrambled, it reads: What you don’t know could hurt you. In keeping with the best practices to improve patient care, we need to take into consideration our patients’ ability to understand their treatment ... Continue Reading
New Northside Hospital Cherokee to open May 6
Northside Hospital Cherokee’s long-awaited replacement hospital will open for patients on Saturday, May 6, 2017. The new hospital is located at 450 Northside Cherokee Boulevard in Canton, off I-575 at the Ga. Hwy 20 exit. “This is a huge move forward for Cherokee county and the surrounding areas,” said Billy Hayes, CEO of Northside Hospital Cherokee. “Our new hospital is ... Continue Reading
The Future of Healthcare
By Helen K. Kelley The landscape of healthcare in America is facing rapid change, from the way care is delivered to a renewed focus on the physician-patient relationship. Here, three Atlanta-area physicians weigh in on what they believe the future of healthcare holds for physicians and patients. Shared decision-making, technology help drive healthy ... Continue Reading
Is a Workers’ Compensation Practice Right for You?
What you need to know to develop a successful and rewarding practice By Snehal Dalal, M.D. Successfully diagnosing, treating and returning workers’ compensation (WC) patients can be a rewarding part of a physician’s practice. However, not all of us are meant to take care of these type of cases. There must be a commitment on the part of the provider to give ... Continue Reading
Medical Residency: Keeping Residents in Georgia
By Helen K. Kelley Doctor shortages are critical throughout the country. To address this growing problem in Georgia, educational institutions, health systems, legislators and medical organizations are working to increase the number of residencies offered to medical school graduates. More Opportunity “Georgia is in a ‘world of hurt’ for having enough physicians. In ... Continue Reading
Patients Enrolled in HOPES Trial through Emory and Grady Partnership
Some traumatic brain injury patients admitted to Grady Memorial Hospital may be eligible to participate in the Hypothermia for Patients requiring Evacuation of Subdural Hematoma (HOPES) Trial. The trial is a collaboration between Grady and its faculty physicians at Emory University School of Medicine. Faiz Ahmad, MD, MCh, director of spinal neurosurgery and surgical ... Continue Reading
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Announces Two New Appointments
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has appointed René Romero, M.D., Medical Director of Pediatric Liver Transplant, as Chief of Solid Organ Transplant Services. In his new role, effective Jan. 1, 2016, Dr. Romero will oversee Children’s pediatric kidney, liver and heart transplant programs.Since 1999, Dr. Romero has served as the Medical Director of the Pediatric Liver ... Continue Reading
Athens Regional Health System and Piedmont Healthcare to Enter Exclusive Discussions
The Athens Regional Health System’s Board of Directors voted unanimously in favor of exploring a partnership with Piedmont Healthcare. Officials with Athens Regional announced they would be seeking a strategic partner to best position the system for the future of healthcare and to create a stronger healthcare network in its region. “Our organizations share a common vision ... Continue Reading
The Affordable Care Act
By Helen K. Kelley From ATLANTA Medicine, 2014, Vol. 85, No. 3 The Affordable Care Act (ACA), the national health reform law passed in 2010, was enacted with the purpose of providing new funding for public health and prevention, bolstering the healthcare and public health workforce and infrastructure, and fostering innovation and quality in healthcare. Reasons for ... Continue Reading
Embracing Transparency for the Benefit of Patients with Online Doctor Ratings
Consumers might find online ratings helpful when deciding which products to buy and services to use, but could these ratings also be used find a reputable doctor? It is estimated that 59 percent of patients consider online doctor ratings somewhat or very important, according to a recent study published by The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). And that is ... Continue Reading
