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Patients Come First at America’s Practice of the Year
Baltimore, Maryland — November 02, 2006 — A three-physician primary-care practice in Plano, Texas, has been crowned 2006 Practice of the Year by Physicians Practice®, America’s Leading Practice Management Journal, because it understands one important thing when it comes to patient care: that running a more efficient office tends to make them better doctors.
Family Medical Specialists of Texas (FMST) in the outskirts of Dallas is owned and operated by family physicians Christopher Crow, Matthew Weyenberg, and Sander Gothard. They lead with a forward-thinking patient-first philosophy that includes:
- A focus on doctor-patient communication
- The use of technology to improve patient care
- Same-day patient scheduling
One perk offered by the practice is the ability for patients to schedule same day appointments. FMST is sensitive to what makes its patients happy, such as convenient access, and can’t fathom treating patients any other way. “You call a practice up for an appointment and they say, ‘OK, we’ll see you next Tuesday.’ But I’m sick today,” says Crow, one of FMST’s family physicians. “I don’t understand that. It’s like going into Burger King and ordering a cheeseburger and they say, ‘OK, come back later, and we’ll feed you.’ But I’m hungry now.”
The practice also uses its Web site, www.fmstexas.com, to provide a level of service that is very rare in private practice medicine. Patients can request appointments, gain access to their own medical records, and e-mail questions directly to their physician. Patients are encouraged to put an end to telephone tag by choosing to receive test results via secure e-mail or voice-mail.
“I’m a newbie at this practice but so far I’m very impressed,” says Brendan, a 30-year-old entrepreneur who recently visited the office for a physical. “It’s the most technologically advanced doctor’s office I’ve ever been to.”
In the near future, the award-winning practice will expand to a larger facility in nearby Frisco, and plans to offer local companies in the Dallas/Fort Worth area VIP service for executives and on-the-spot health services to employees, including transportation. “Everything we do is about change. We don’t sit around and wait until we have to do things,” says Crow. “We’re proactive with change.”
Practices that received runner-up nods from Physicians Practice for their efforts to ensure positive patient experiences include:
- Georgia Cancer Specialists in 30 locations statewide, where wait times for patients who visit for quick, single interventions have dropped 75 percent.
- HerSpace Breast Imaging in West Long Branch, N.J., where all mammography results are read on the spot, and if necessary, biopsies are performed immediately.
- Virginia Mason Satellite Clinics in Seattle, where overall patient office visit times have been reduced from 72 to 46 minutes.
What puts each of these practices a cut above? Find out in the cover story of the November/December issue of Physicians Practice, now available on the Web at www.PhysiciansPractice.com.
About Practice of the Year
The Practice of the Year contest was launched in 2002 by Physicians Practice to recognize practice excellence, and to offer groups around the country a model for efficiency and practice management innovation.
About Physicians Practice
Physicians Practice creates content to help physicians strengthen their practice operations through its award-winning journal, popular Web site, audioconferences, newsletters, and live seminars. Recently named 2006 Publication of the Year by the American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors (ASHPE), Physicians Practice also received ASHPE awards for Best Publication Redesign and Best Regular Column for "The Bigger Picture." The journal also received an Azbee award for Publication Redesign from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE), and was recognized as one of Baltimore’s Future 50 by SmartCEO magazine. Physicians Practice is published by Med-IQ, a leading, innovative healthcare media and education company. Visit www.PhysiciansPractice.com for additional information about its highly acclaimed healthcare business education solutions.
For More Information, Contact:
LaWanda Stone Abernathy
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
443 543 5144
labernathy@med-iq.com
Catherine Bretz Mullaney, MHA
Vice President, Marketing and Strategic Development
443 543 5154
cbretz@med-iq.com
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