BLENDING HIGH/TECH AND HIGH TOUCH
UCSD Family Medicine is striving to build the New Model of Family Medicine that encompasses the best of “high tech / high touch” medicine available today. Our goal is to deliver the right care to the right patient at the right time and in the right place. Here are some of the advances we are working on that you will see when you come to visit our offices:
Computerized medical record – EPIC
This is one of the most advanced systems available today and it has largely converted our practices to a “paperless environment.” EPIC allows us to electronically transmit your prescriptions directly to your pharmacy, your test orders directly to the lab or radiology department, and your referrals to our specialists. It allows us to track your care throughout our system no matter where you are seen and to talk with the specialists who see you, so we can truly deliver the best possible care for you.
Continuity Team Care
We are organized into teams at our offices. This is because we believe that no matter how big an institution we belong to, family medicine care is a “cottage industry”, that is it needs to be a based on personal relationships. Since many of our physicians are involved in other academic pursuits and our FM resident physicians are covering other services, none of us can be available in person 7 days a week. To try to compensate for this we have formed Continuity Care Teams composed of 2-3 faculty and 3-4 residents. These teams are designed to operate like private group practices. The docs cover for one another and if one of them sees you when your own doc is not available, the important aspects of your visit will be relayed to your doc for his/her review. All of our doctors check their electronic in-baskets for messages and notes from their colleagues daily and usually several times a day. In these ways continuity of care is preserved even in the particular instance when your doc couldn’t see you.
“advanced access” scheduling system
This system allows you to call for an appointment, regardless of the type of problem, and be seen either that same day or within the next day or two so that your problems can be taken care of in a timely manner.
Group Visits
This is a new approach to managing the chronic conditions that many of our patients cope with today. Diabetes, hypertension, increased cholesterol, heart failure, asthma, obstructive lung disease are just a few of these illnesses for which we are developing group visits.
Collaborative Care
Some estimate that 60-80% of patients coming to our offices have emotional or behavioral concerns that are important to them. Our Collaborative Care Team has therapists who can see you right in our own offices for brief interventions, longer therapy and even help with behavior change that will be helpful in managing your chronic medical conditions. In this way we can all work together to get the “whole you” feeling better.
The Chronic Care Model
This is a new approach to caring for our patients with chronic medical conditions. It involves bringing together multi-disciplinary teams of health professionals to fashion the best approach to caring for a chronic illness. It also involves a more activated approach for our patients to play in managing their own chronic illness problems.
Population Medicine
This refers to the fact that we want all of our patients to improve their health, not just those who decide to come and see us on a particular day. If you join our practice we will try to look out for you even when you aren’t visiting us. This means reminders for preventive services like cancer screening and immunizations, updates about current or new medications, and health information resources for patients with particular problems. We feel responsible for the health of all the patients who choose our practice and we are going to be working to improve your health even when you are attending to other important aspects of your lives.
Future Initiatives
This summer we will begin to pilot an extension of EPIC that will allow patients to directly access our practice through a new Website. Initially you will be able to see your lab results directly without calling the office or waiting for a letter through the mail. Later you will be able to make appointments directly with our electronic schedules; and finally you will be able to communicate directly with your doctor via secure email and receive medical advice and consultation on problems that don’t necessitate a visit to the office. Such e-visits will become part of your medical record. These advances will make medical care even more convenient and responsive to your needs.