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Coordinated Care for the Whole Family
Primary care works seamlessly with specialty care to treat the whole patient and — sometimes — the whole family.
Having a primary care doctor is a bit of a contradiction for Tarianne Babicz, she admits with a laugh.
“I take finding a family doctor seriously because, next to me, they’re going to be the biggest caretaker of the family,” said Tarianne, an Oconomowoc wife and mother. “It’s important to me to have somebody to take care of the family, however I come from a long line of stubborn Irish folks. So, I make sure they get to the doctor religiously, but I’m always the last one to go to the doctor."
She’s right about the caretaking. Primary care physicians diagnose and treat a wide variety of problems and conditions while helping their patients stay healthy and prevent disease. They make referrals for specialist care when it’s needed, promote physical and emotional wellness, and maintain the continuity of patient care. They can serve as the primary caregiver for a person throughout his or her life. Under the primary care umbrella, physicians at Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin practice internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics and obstetrics/ gynecology, and all are board-certified in their respective practice areas.
Tarianne, 49, her husband, Stan, 50, and their daughter Kaitlyn, 22, all see the same primary care physician, Andrea Woodard, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin internal medicine physician. They see her at the Springdale Primary Care Clinic in Brookfield for everything from serious symptoms to routine care. Tarianne likes the fact that her whole family sees the same doctor, although that’s not a requirement of having a primary care doctor.
Dr. Woodard agreed, with a caveat. “Although it’s helpful to know everybody in the family, you also have to be careful with confidentiality, even among family members. Luckily, these three have all given us free rein to speak about their medical conditions to each other.”
Choosing a Primary Care Physician“The best way to find a physician is to talk to your friends, talk to your family, to people at church or your community group and see who their physicians are and what they like about them,” Dr. Woodard said. “There’s nothing better than having a personal referral. If you don’t know anybody in the area, the Web is a good place to start. For example, froedtert.com has physician profiles and videos of some of the physicians."
Dr. Woodard advises people to choose and see a physician before they’re feeling sick, such as for a routine physical. “It gives you that time to meet somebody and find out if you like the physician. Then, when you’re sick, you’re not trying to go through your whole history when you’re not feeling well."
Tarianne was the first to see Dr. Woodard, motivated by numbness in her hands and arms that she couldn’t ignore any longer. The family had moved back to the Midwest from North Carolina in 2006, but Tarianne had never found a doctor she liked. Now with her first serious symptoms, she and Stan decided it was time to try Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin.
“I didn’t want just some person that I saw here and there. I wanted a continuation of care. I guess that’s what really triggered us looking at Froedtert,” Tarianne explained. “The idea of Froedtert being a teaching hospital was important to us. I feel like those folks have to be on the cutting edge all the time."
She chose Dr. Woodard online, but the real test was the first appointment.
“The two most important things to me,” Tarianne said, “are how well they listen to you and how close of an observer they are. In addition to listening, do they read between the lines?” Dr. Woodard passed with flying colors.
Continuity of CareAt that first appointment in December 2009, Dr. Woodard went through Tarianne’s symptoms, including swelling and numbness in her hands and arms. The symptoms pointed to carpal tunnel syndrome, explained Dr. Woodard, but she ordered an ultrasound that day to rule out a blood clot.
“This was in the middle of Christmas and I was trying to get all the shopping done for the family,” Tarianne said. “I said, ‘Well, I’ll make an appointment for next week,’ and Dr. Woodard said, ‘No, you’ll have the ultrasound this afternoon so I can sleep tonight.’ It was that very moment I thought to myself, this is our new doctor."
As it turned out, there was no blood clot and further tests confirmed carpal tunnel syndrome. After some initial treatments, Dr. Woodard referred Tarianne to the Hand Center at Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin, where she saw Steven Grindel, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin orthopaedic surgeon.
Dr. Grindel worked with Tarianne on several treatment approaches, such as physical therapy and splinting, before they decided surgery on both hands was the best option.
Dr. Woodard was kept updated through the electronic record system, as she is when any of her patients sees a specialist or another doctor in the system. The electronic medical record system is integrated throughout all Froedtert & The Medical College facilities and physicians’ offices, giving all physicians and specialists access to a patient’s medical information in a single, secure electronic medical record when needed.
“They send updates via computer, such as operative reports so I know that she had surgery, and they send follow up notes as well, so I get to see everything and follow along,” Dr. Woodard said.
“Our primary care providers do a great job in the work up and initial conservative treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome and they appropriately refer when conservative care fails,” Dr. Grindel said. “I can’t do my job without them. As far as continuity goes, with the electronic record we all see what the others are doing.”
Benefits of Primary CareThe benefits are clear. Having a primary care physician means coordinated care that is focused on the person rather than on a disease. One physician keeps track of the patient’s complete healthcare picture. And, studies have shown that quality primary care leads to better outcomes and lower health care costs overall. (American Medical Association, Virtual Mentor, January 2010, www.ama-assn.org)
Primary care clinics of Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin are located throughout the area and offer a wide range of services. Each clinic is different, but many offer lab, radiology and mammography facilities on-site, adding to the completeness of available for full-service care. And, as Tarianne’s experience shows, they’re integrated with all of the resources of a leading academic medical center.
In addition to the benefits of the electronic record system, patients also can sign up for access to MyChart®, a Web-based portal that provides secure online access to much of a person’s medical record, including test results. (See details at froedtert.com/mychart)
Complete CareStan Babicz is more comfortable with doctors and takes a proactive approach to his health care, given his family history of colon cancer. He started seeing Dr. Woodard shortly after his wife’s first appointment, primarily for a routine physical but also to ask about a follow-up colonoscopy. Previous colonoscopies had found polyps, and he was due for another in three years.
“I wanted it after two years and she immediately agreed, coordinated who I should see at Froedtert, and set up the appointment very quickly,” Stan said.
Dr. Woodard also picked up on another of Stan’s symptoms. “Just talking and going through a review of symptoms, he did note that he did have some difficulty swallowing on occasion. With somebody who has a history of GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), when you hear that, you want to take a look.”
Dr. Woodard referred Stan to Walter Hogan, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin gastroenterologist, for a consultation. That led to tests related to swallowing, which thankfully showed no problems, as well as the colonoscopy.
Even though he had seen several doctors over the years related to his reflux symptoms, Stan says Dr. Woodard was the first to take things beyond just prescribing medication. And, he’s scheduled for a follow up with Dr. Hogan’s office to review together the results of his colonoscopy. That’s never happened before either.
“The thoroughness of care at Froedtert is completely different. It’s much more thorough than what we got anywhere else,” Stan said. He’ll continue to see Dr. Woodard for yearly physicals and other care as needed.
Personal AttentionKaitlyn Babicz graduated from college this past spring and is applying to veterinary school. She went to one of her mom’s appointments, then later saw Dr. Woodard for a sinus infection. The two talked about her symptoms, but also about getting into veterinary school, with Dr. Woodard offering advice and tips on the application process. She says she never had the “assembly line” feeling she’s gotten from other doctors.
“I found my doctor's willingness to spend time with me to be very personal,” Kaitlyn said.
For her part, Dr. Woodard knows Tarianne is sometimes a reluctant patient, so she’s after Tarianne to have her annual mammogram and a physical. “She knows me and keeps track of me, which is nice because I’ve never really had a doctor who’s done that,” Tarianne said. “I just think she’s a wonderful advocate for the family.”
Source: Froedtert Today Date: September 2010 |
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