The Centers: My Top 5

As we continue to move forward in our first year as The Centers, I thought it would be helpful to remind ourselves of our successes and key learning experiences. I really want to look at the concrete benefits we have received, not even discussing those we all hope will come. With apologies to David Letterman, these are my Top 5 reasons for being happy with The Centers:

1. I love that my daily practice routine has not changed one bit. My staff is the same, my schedule is the same, my computer is the same. While I understand that one of our goals is to change my practice for the better, based on good data and shared experience, it will change when and how I choose for it to do so.
2. Speaking of insurance companies, I love that we are now able to accept a broader range of options. Now my office staff is able to open our doors to more patients and deliver the compassionate care they need.
3. I love that we were able to recruit a new partner in less than two years. This may seem strange for some members of The Centers, but those of us out in more rural areas have sometimes struggled to recruit new partners. We interviewed two candidates, offered the position to one and he took it. The existence of The Centers, with its financial stability and its ability to adapt to the changing healthcare market was a major selling point to him.
4. I really enjoy having other surgeons, competitors to a degree, call me to see how they can join our group. That shows me that outsiders are recognizing the importance of what we have done, and it confirms the rationale behind all our work. I also enjoy laughing, at least to myself, at all the people who said we would never be able to get this off the ground.
5. I love being able to call a partner directly, or e-mail the group as a whole, for help with a complex patient. No more fighting through the secretaries at the university hospitals, trying to speak to someone, anyone. Recently, I had a patient in the office, called a partner directly, set things up with his staff and gave the patient her appointment, all while the patient was there in the office, without completely disrupting my clinic. The patient and her family were so appreciative to us both. I have had other cases when I didn’t really know who to call, and had multiple offers to help in a matter of an hour or two. This is how The Centers has greatly benefitted our patients.