CEO Message: January 2020

Dear Colleagues:

Happy New Year! I hope you had a rejuvenating, relaxing holiday and end of the year with your family and friends.

Doing our best to ensure the greatest access for our patients is a top priority for NEMG in FY20, and is essential to our commitment to being a high reliability organization. On that thought, I would like to discuss one of the newest innovations to enhance patient access - Video Care OnDemand.

Led by Arnold DoRosario, MD, NEMG Chief Population Health Officer, alongside Lewis Goodrum, practice operations manager; Matthew Zawalich, ITS executive director; Kris Rodgerson, clinical systems engineer; Tim Cooney, ITS director and other members of the ITS team, the Video Care OnDemand service was launched on Dec. 16, 2019, and provides patients with video access to select NEMG clinicians via MyChart through their mobile phone, tablet or desktop computer.

Video Care OnDemand provides more convenient access to care, reduces overall time of care for the patient and is fully integrated into YNHHS’ Epic medical record for true continuity of care. The program is not intended to be internally competitive, but to compete with other telehealth platforms in the market and other convenient, low-cost options. In the near future, our goal is to imbed Video Care OnDemand services as an option at primary care sites.

Participating clinicians are from the NEMG Huntington walk-in, Shelton and treat a variety of low-acuity medical conditions, including allergies, colds and flu, ear aches, insect bites and more. Clinicians can diagnose symptoms, order necessary testing, prescribe medication and send prescriptions to the pharmacy of the patient’s choice. Video Care OnDemand is currently available Monday through Friday from 7 am – 7 pm, excluding major holidays. Following the patient’s visit, full documentation will be provided to their primary care provider, if applicable. For more information, please read our article in this newsletter, Video healthcare visits offer immediate attention in an on demand world.

It is only through open communication that we can become a high-performing medical group and employer of choice. On that thought, do not hesitate to provide input about your experience with NEMG. You can share your thoughts and ideas with your supervisor, a member of our leadership team or me. The “Ask the CEO” mailbox is also open for questions and comments.

Thank you all for your diligent work and dedication to providing our patients with the most exceptional experience possible. My very best wishes to all of you as we begin this year. Let us work together to create positive and meaningful change for our work lives as well as for the communities we serve.

Best wishes,

Prathibha Varkey, MBBS, MPH, MHPE, MBA President and Chief Executive Officer Northeast Medical Group