The Changing Healthcare Environment

A Q&A with Medical Director, Dr. Jerry Levine

Q:  Dr. Levine, what are your impressions of the current healthcare environment, and its impact on you as a primary care physician?

A:  Today’s healthcare environment requires doctors not only to provide good care, but also measure and document good outcomes using electronic record keeping.  The challenge is to do this while maintaining the one on one individual patient focus that has always been fundamental to our care. 

At MPCP, we are continuing to develop effective practices to deal with these changes, as we remain focused on our patients’ well- being. The role of primary care providers is now more important than ever.  Family practitioners and internal medicine specialists are on the forefront in the areas of disease prevention and wellness.  We want to be partners in keeping our patients healthy, and as the population ages, this partnership will be even more critical.

Q:  How do you think MPCP is positioned to deal with these changes, while continuing to provide quality care?

A:  We are well prepared in many ways:

1. Almost 10 years ago, we began with EMR (electronic medical records) to document patient care and outcomes;
2. We recognize and have responded to patients’ need for more convenient access to care, including early morning, evening, and Saturday hours at most practices;
3. We’ve adopted electronic transmission of prescriptions to pharmacies which is proven to reduce errors; and,
4. We have established a strong physician recruitment program to maintain an excellent team of primary care doctors in the MPCP network.

Q: What one piece of advice would you give to patients about staying as healthy as possible?

A: We all live busy lives, but the best thing we can do to stay healthy is to make priorities of sleep, eating a healthy diet, and regular exercise (150 minutes/week).  These are by far the most important things we can do, in addition to regular follow-ups and preventive care with your doctor.  Another preventive measure is staying current on health screenings and adult vaccinations.

Jerry I. Levine, M.D., FACP