Published: December 8, 2014

The Three A’s Revisited

As the holidays pass so quickly signaling the completion of yet another year, we pause and reflect.

As the holidays pass so quickly signaling the completion of yet another year, we pause and reflect.

I vividly recall the three A’s of practice success, which my father preached to me throughout my training: Ability, Availability, and Affability. These have served me well for more than two decades of practice. However, there is a paradigm shift within the new healthcare landscape. Ability is not as acutely recognized, but almost an assumption—new financial-based measures and rating scales seem to be trumping physician ability. Availability is likewise becoming an expectation; unavailability is frowned upon. Affability may be innate, or learned, but is certainly more widespread and welcomed.

With the new healthcare culture, three different A’s may more accurately define keys to practice success: Awareness, Accountability, and Agility.

Awareness. New rules, new regulations, new measures pop up with alarming frequency, and it is incumbent upon us to stay alert and abreast of all the changes, typically brought and enforced by agencies outside of our purview.

Accountability. Accountable is the new buzzword. Expectations of physician accountability have run amok with directives to reduce cost, yet provide “high value” care. Also, we must be responsible for patient lifestyle, habits, and medication compliance—and to be penalized if any element falters.

Agility. Physicians are multitasking as caregivers (providing excellent patient care), computer specialists (EMR data entry specialists, and computer troubleshooters, when necessary), compliance auditors (ensuring we follow the ever-changing PQRS rules, Meaningful Use, etc.), and students (learning and taking courses on such new mandates as ICD-10 use and MOC). Flexibility is paramount.

What is a physician to do? Sadly, we all know older, yet productive and experienced, practitioners, who opted for early practice termination rather than to struggle with these myriad issues. Happily other, invigorated and enthusiastic physicians are stepping up their efforts within the Academy and the Board of Governors (BOG).

Communication is vital for issue comprehension and solution development. To that end, new methods to give members the ability to communicate are rapidly evolving. The online ENTConnect forum has certainly opened and fostered avenues for individuals to comment, critique, and advise—all valuable discussion components. “Societies Connected” will, similarly, permit inter-society communication, learning, and direction.

Within the BOG Socioeconomic and Grassroots (SEGR) Committee, we are intensifying our efforts for all members to have a voice and to be informed. The Regionalization Plan, which divides the country into 10 geographic regions, has dedicated leaders serving as Regional Representatives (Region 1, David S. Boisoneau, MD; Region 2, Hayes H. Wanamaker, MD; Region 3, Michael D. Weiss, MD; Region 4, Daniel L. Wohl, MD; Region 5, Robert J. Stachler, MD; Region 6, Lawrence M. Simon, MD; Region 7, Nila M. Novotny, MD; Region 8, Phyllis B. Bouvier, MD; Region 9, Steven T. Kmucha, MD; Region 10, Paul A. Abson, MD; and Specialty Societies, Soha N. Ghossaini, MD). Each of the regional representatives is connecting with his/her member state seeking input. Our unified plans depend upon widespread input.

In this time of perpetual and rapid change, there is hope for continuing successful and meaningful practices of medicine through awareness, accountability, and agility. Please participate, stay engaged, and communicate with your BOG contacts, so that we can continue to shape our own futures.

 

 

 

More from December 2014/January 2015 - Vol. 33 No.12
07_the-ENT-Team
Honduras: Torticollis Repair and More
I attended a weeklong mission trip to the Baptist Hospital in Guaimaca, Honduras, with the Baptist Medical and Dental Mission International. The rural town of Guaimaca has a population of around 25,000, with another 300,000 living in the surrounding mountains.
07_Post-op-clinicDomRep_3
Mission Trip to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Earlier this year, I traveled to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with a group of surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and staff under the auspices of Medical Aid for the Children of Latin America (MACLA).
CPT Changes for 2015: What ENTs Need to Know
As the medical community has come to expect, part of the annual rulemaking process conducted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) includes the new and modified CPT codes, developed by the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Editorial Panel.
Orlando Recap: a Resident’s Perspective – ONLINE EXCLUSIVE
This year, more than 1,000 residents and fellows-in-training attended the AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO EXPOSM in Orlando. Through the generosity of the AAO-HNS, 127 of these residents received Resident Leadership Grants (RLG) to defer the cost of attending the meeting.
Modeling How Committees Influence the Specialty
Four AAO-HNS/F committees have been named Model Committees based on their accomplishments since the 2013 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPOSM. The Model Committee Award recognizes committees that contribute in ways that lead to the overall success of the AAO-HNS/F vision: empowering otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons to deliver the best patient care.
Figure 1: Geography of Ebola Virus (Filoviridae family). Written permission was secured from the Viralzone, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (11/19/2014) for the use of the above figure in illustrating the special features of the Ebola Virus.
The Manifestations of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Ear, Nose, And Throat, Head And Neck
Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak is a public health emergency of significant international concern. The World Health Organization estimates we will see more than 10,000 new Ebola cases each week in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia by the end of the year.
David R. Nielsen, MD AAO-HNS/F EVP/CEO
Saying “Thank You”
As I depart the Academy and say, “thank you,” I feel the need to recognize others whose influences on my life have been profound. First, my parents and siblings. I am one of 11 children—five older and five younger—eight of whom are still living, and they bless my life in indescribable ways.
Gayle E. Woodson, MD, AAO-HNS/F President
We Are United in Our Diverse Field
With our new Bulletin publication schedule, the December and January issues are consolidated so we can simultaneously say goodbye to 2014 and move on to 2015. More importantly, this expanded issue can accommodate information that will be valuable to Members throughout the coming year, as we continue “Transforming, Thriving, Together.”