HJLR May/Jun 2019

Q&A 32 MAY / JUN 2019 I  Healthcare Journal of LITTLE ROCK   How is health information technology changing for medical group practices? One of the hot topics the last few years at the annual conference, held April 16–17 in Fayetteville this year, is the complexity of information systems security for clinical practices. Lessons learned have been pre- sented on healthcare cyber-attacks at our past meeting as well. In an environment where healthcare is trying to control cost, the cost of preventing or resolving these attacks is a vulnerability of practices. What we hear, especially from the rural practices, is that they feel very vulnerable. How are medical groups captur- ing patient satisfaction data? What are some ways to enhance patient satisfaction? The current trend seems to be electronic- based survey collection, either automated phone, text, or email. The results seem to be most helpful when getting them in real- time so that they are immediately action- able for follow-up. Communication seems to always come up as a theme in experi- ence surveys, which we discuss each year at our annual conference. One seemingly easy way to solve for this is asking, “Have I met your expectations today?” or “Is there anything else we can do for you today?” To truly increase patient satisfaction, they need to be prepared to capture that information in the moment by listening and responding appropriately. Do you see any innovating trends that are developing in medical group practices? The innovative conversations going on amongst the association include social media marketing and use of telemedicine. The use of social media is for marketing of practices and for sharing patient education materials. We have heard success stories from practices who push out information about vaccinations, appointment availabil- ity, and practice expansion. It seems to be a great way to dynamically connect with the patient population we serve. In the way of telemedicine, the conversation has been around the payer limitations in the advance- ment of telemedicine. How do you feel about the future success of medical group practices? Remaining an independent private practice is becoming increasingly difficult. There will be broader networks of hospital- owned groups, and those groups are likely to be larger, along with more multispecialty practices as the focus to population man- agement increases. How would you characterize the use- fulness of a local MGMA chapter? We have over 100 attendees at our annual conference, along with numerous vendors and partners of practices. We strive to bal- ance information sharing and content deliv- ery with ample time to network with peers. The network and sharing of ideas provides a lot of value to our members. Meeting other healthcare administrators that share in the same worries of the fast-paced and ever- changing environment of healthcare can be a great bonding experience. The state association also provides mentorship for those who want to become national certi- fied members, meaning they have passed a standardized and essay test that shows they are a content specialist. For those wanting to take on another step of that process, we pro- vide mentorship and review of the fellow- ship pathway at the national level. It is very rewarding to be part of a state where our professionals are seeking these advance- ments in order to be better equipped to take on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the healthcare industry. n “In an environment where healthcare is trying to control cost, the cost of preventing or resolving these [cyber] attacks is a vulnerability of practices. What we hear, especially from the rural practices, is that they feel very vulnerable.”