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| Cobb Family Medicine Team Members |
Within the world of WellStar, this “first” is as epic as these other universally famous milestones. Because this inaugural use of WellStar Connect heralds a new and exciting chapter in our System’s history.
Cobb Family Medicine will go live on Sept. 3, two weeks before everyone else at WellStar. Thomas Gearhard, M.D., and his 24 team members are excited – and a little nervous.
“I’ve been involved with the development of WellStar Connect from the beginning, and, as we roll out, I want it to be as smooth as possible for all practices,” explained Dr. Gearhard, a member of the WellStar Board of Trustees and a WellStar Connect physician champion. “I’m hoping we can work out the bugs before it hits Systemwide.”
Dr. Gearhard, who has served the community for more than 27 years, said, “Our System has never experienced anything this big before. WellStar Connect will completely change the way we treat patients. We are putting them at the very center – with regard to safety, satisfaction and convenience.”
Dr. Gearhard is most excited about the “one patient record” concept. “Charts will follow patients through our whole System – no matter what WellStar office or hospital they visit,” he explained. “They can even access their medical record from home. No more inconveniencing patients by asking them over and over again for the same information.
“Though no one likes change, I’m certain the benefits of WellStar Connect will far outweigh any negatives.”
Barry Echols agrees. “I’ve been a patient of Dr. Gearhard’s for seven years,” he said. “As a cancer survivor, I have a number of WellStar doctors, and I’ve found it frustrating to keep up with all my medicines and treatments. WellStar Connect will be very useful to me – it will be great to have my medical record at my fingertips.”
Cheryl Stephens, Cobb Family Medicine’s office manager and a 28-year team member, said nurses and providers also will appreciate the medication reconciliation aspect of WellStar Connect.
“We’ll be able to see office notes from other practices, and specifics like allergies will automatically update,” she said. “This will help us provide better, safer care.”
Though Cobb Family Medicine’s computer equipment is not changing, the software will be new. All team members will participate in rigorous training classes on every aspect of WellStar Connect. Computers in each exam room will enable providers to document important information as they interact with patients.
“I know some providers are concerned about the computer taking away one-on-one patient time,” said Dr. Gearhard. “But it absolutely doesn’t diminish the patient experience – I still look my patients in the eye and connect with them. You can lose contact with a paper chart, too – it’s all about learned behavior and making the patient experience very good.”
“We’ve always been the type of office to embrace change,” said Stephens. “We’re all excited to be the first ones to get up and going – it’s a new day for WellStar and for healthcare.”
Watch a WellStar Connect Roving Reporter Video on Cobb Family Medicine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smZq22CaXk8&feature=youtu.be
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