By Anthony M. DeLuise Jr., MD, FAAOS, CAQSH

I was asked to make a few comments on how I do things differently. Three unrelated things come to mind. The first is post-operative hand therapy. I was trained at the Philadelphia Hand Center and was extremely fortunate to learn from some of the best minds in our subspecialty. Part of that experience taught me that most patients don’t need post-op hand therapy for “simple, bread and butter” hand procedures like carpal tunnel release, trigger release, first extensor compartment release, etc. I wholeheartedly agree with this and I like to be conscious of overall cost to the patient and the system. However, every now and then, I (and I am certain we all) have a patient who has a challenging acute post-operative course – sometimes this is even more frequent than I had initially realized through my first few years of practice. I am fortunate to have a great hand therapy team in my office and at their request, we started to send all of my post-operative patients to therapy within 4-5 days after surgery. This allowed them to see all of my patients and screen them in order to catch those patients that may struggle with their post-operative outcome. Most patients require only one visit. But performing this screening process allows the therapist to catch the patient who might have some issues early and treat accordingly. Although anecdotal, I feel this has made a difference in outcome over my patient population. Let’s face it: I, for one, am unable to consistently sort through the patient pre-operatively who may have an easy versus challenging recovery.

Social media

We live in a world where it seems that the majority of the population is online for a number of reasons and there is so much information available, who wouldn’t utilize online information? Most folks will utilize online reviews for many things – a product, an entertainment experience, or a restaurant. We are also evaluated online based on a number of things – the cleanliness of our office, the friendliness of our office staff, our own punctuality and our “bedside manner.” Somewhere lower down on that list is our own competency and ability as surgeons. Our office utilizes a patient satisfaction survey to all new patients. I am not certain I’ve even seen these results personally but I can assume that if they were negative, someone would tell me??? I am certain, though, that these results are not what “pops” up online when a prospective patient searches for me on Google. Consequently, I have asked patients at the end of their treatment to post a review on Facebook, or Health grades, or Yelp, or Google, etc. Obviously I generally only ask someone who I know will give us a favorable review and they know how to use a smartphone or a computer. Some will do it when they are happy with their outcome but some may forget. Over the years, I have tried to make it a point to ask one “happy” patient per week to post a review. As with anything, positive reviews by many patients certainly counter any negative review by an unhappy patient – unfortunately I do have unhappy patients sometimes. I have found this “new habit” to be helpful in improving my office’s reputation and my own reputation online. I also would recommend checking your own reviews every month or so and respond accordingly. Most unhappy patients just want to be heard and connecting with them can be helpful. I have also learned that there are a number of people unfortunately (in our own reviews and reviews of non-medical things like a restaurant) who feel writing a negative review for the littlest of things empowers them. I don’t quite understand this behavior but 100 positive reviews make that person’s review less credible. When all you have are those negative reviews, it may make a difference for your bottom line. Finally, I would also take some time to fix any inaccurate information on a particular website – like procedures you do or your specialty, education, etc.

Fundraiser

I am a very fortunate individual. I have a beautiful family, a great career and I am generally healthy. I work hard and I play hard too. I enjoy going to my office or OR daily. That keeps me busy in and of itself but I am also involved in other activities like coaching my son’s baseball team, family commitments, etc. A few years ago, I was approached by an owner of a dance studio to see if I would be interested in participating in a fundraiser. She had a vision. I initially thought that I had no time but found myself saying yes. Each physician that participated was paired with a professional dance instructor (like the “Dancing with the Stars” TV show). We choreographed a dance routine and we raised money for a charitable organization. That year happened to be for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We raised $40,000 as a group. It was a really fun night and a great experience. I came out of my comfort zone and did something I am not good at nor did I think I could be good at…but I actually won a trophy and raised a fair amount of money for LLS! This turned into other charitable endeavors and other great experiences, including meeting new and fantastic people. It renewed my sense of hope in society and I mean that in this way: despite the evil things we see on TV and in the media daily, the majority of people are great and positive thinking and helpful and altruistic. It was refreshing.

Besides other fundraisers and supportive activities I have been involved in since then, I still come back to DWTDocs every year as the Master of Ceremonies and dance as an “alumnus” in the opening number. We have raised over $270,000 in 4 years. Our 5^th annual event (which will benefit the state free clinic) is in a few weeks. I think challenging myself enlightened me and improved my sense of purpose and lessened complacency. I would challenge anyone reading this to do things out of your comfort zone and look for things that can be inspiring to you.