Please wait...

Our Changes

By Hilton P. Gottschalk, MD, FAAOS

To give you perspective on this question, allow me to properly introduce myself and the responsibilities that I hold. I am the managing partner for my 9 physician / 70 employee practice. I am also the medical director of an ambulatory surgery center and hold a leadership position in our Children’s hospital.  In addition to the stresses at work, we have two elementary-aged school kids, and we had to adjust to virtual schooling. I find it hard to pinpoint one “big” change to my practice, as there are so many. But I will try to describe my experience and my response to this pandemic.

  1.  We increased communication.  Think back to pre-pandemic times and how poorly we communicated with our staff, patients, colleagues, friends, etc.  I made a conscious effort to communicate better and more frequently with every person.  For example, I had a standing Monday night phone call with my partners and practice administrator.  I was able to disseminate information about the practice, while at the same time leaning on them for advice and direction.  We sent biweekly e-mails to employees and held monthly phone conferences to inform and educate on what the practice was doing.  We updated our webpage and telephone scripts to keep patients informed of changing practice patterns.
  2. We went paperless.  My practice administrator and I had been talking about getting rid of the excess paper trail in our office for the last year, but we never really implemented it.  Once COVID-19 hit, this was the impetus to put that plan into action.  We use tablets (which are cleaned between patients) for registration.  COVID screening along with other insurance and HIPPA forms are signed on-line.
  3. We utilized technology better.  In addition to tablets for registration, we became more adept with virtual conferences and meetings.  On one hand, it has been easier to make all the early morning meetings and conferences.  Plus, my kids have seen more of me in the morning the last 6 months than ever before.  On the other hand, I find it challenging to have meaningful conversations with a computer or phone screen.  I miss being able to look at people’s faces and read their body language.  I miss the joking, camaraderie, and human interaction that comes with being part of a team.

There are a lot of sobering, sad, and frustrating events and circumstances that have come from this pandemic.  However, the few things that I have control over are my attitude and how I treat others.  We will overcome these challenging times, and I remain thankful for the opportunity to practice medicine. 

Leave comments

Your email is safe with us.