Our Summer Newsletter is hot off the presses! In this issue, we talk about the future of DPC, what to do about lobsters and pain, and share a few announcements.

 

Summer 2018

doctor’s note

The annual meeting of the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians happened earlier this month.  It was a fun mix of continuing medical education, reports from the University of Kansas Medical Center, and highlights from the residency programs from around the state.  I had the opportunity to lead a roundtable discussion on Friday morning about direct primary care (DPC) and was excited to be joined by a variety of providers in all stages of their careers wanting to know more about how to practice in the DPC model.  From the 2nd-year medical students asking about the future of DPC to a family physician from Dodge City wanting to come back into medicine after raising her children, it appeals to a wide swath of family practitioners. These personal interactions, combined with my involvement in the newly formed Direct Primary Care Alliance (a national trade organization representing the interests of small, independently owned DPC practices) make me think that DPC is here to stay!

 

And while it’s easy for us to see the momentum on the physician side, we also want to make sure that patients are benefiting from direct primary care as well.  We’ll be asking for your input on how we’re doing and what we can do better in our second annual patient satisfaction survey, due out in August. We’d love your feedback so that we can continue to provide the best care possible to you all.  

 

Thanks, as always, for your support.  Keep spreading the word.

 

Best,

Allison Edwards, MD

 

this month’s health tip

Pain is a difficult thing.  It’s — well — painful. For acute things like broken bones, lacerations, or the arthralgias associated with the flu, we can all be reassured that the pain will subside as the acute event resolves.  But chronic pain is different. As doctors, we have a terribly limited arsenal of treating chronic pain. I, selfishly, hate pain because I feel so impotent in treating it. And from a more empathetic standpoint, I hate pain because the patients I care for who are experiencing chronic, long-standing pain are in dire straits.  During a recent discussion with a friend and our ensuing research revolving around lobsters and pain (yes, lobsters), I ran across a paragraph that made me think and reflect a little more on pain. Read the full blog post here.

 

clinic news

The Doctor is Out!: I will be out of the clinic several times this summer.  As we’re all aware, summer is the season for travel, so the rural hospitals and clinics I help are all needing a little more coverage and support this summer.  Though I wish I was on a glamorous vacation, I’ll actually be in Holyoke, Colorado Tuesday July 3 through Monday July 9. I will likely take a (real) vacation around Labor Day as well, but no firm plans as of yet!  If you are needing controlled medication refills, please plan for these absences accordingly. Otherwise Nohemi Alvarez, FNP, will be providing acute care while I’m gone.

New Doctor: we are looking to recruit doctor #2 before the end of the year!  Please feel free to let anyone in your social circles know that we’d love a caring, enthusiastic family practice provider to join our ranks.

Survey: As mentioned above, we will be sending out a link to our annual patient survey later this summer.  This is your opportunity to voice both what you like and what you think we could do better in an anonymous format.  We are steadfastly dedicated to providing the best experience possible for all of our patients; this helps us accomplish that!  Those completing the survey will be entered into a drawing for a $75 gift certificate to a local restaurant!

Art & Ideas: We continue to partner with Paper Birch Landing, a Northtown gallery, to host local artists’ work on our huge, blank walls!  The art, which is available for purchase, will rotate every 3 months. Please mark your calendars (and invite others!) to join us for Art & Ideas, a quarterly meeting of local business professionals to celebrate local art, network and exchange ideas.  Meet the artists of the current show, grow your business through networking and enjoy complimentary wine and appetizers on Friday August 17th, 2018 from 5-7pm!

Photos: we just wrapped up taking photos to better illustrate what we do around here — check them out on  Yelp,  Google, and Facebook! While you’re there — and if you feel so inspired — we’d love any positive reviews you’d love to share.