End of Year Thoughts

As we wind down 2014 and look forward to the new year, a few thoughts come to mind. It has been a good year for me personally and for the our family medicine practice. Health care is changing and our practice and the people that work here are changing to adapt to it. We have been a Patient Centered Medical Home Practice for over 5 years now. We attested for Meaningful Use Certification for our second time. We have begun the transition to ICD-10 coding/billing readiness and are on-track for the October 1st 2015 deadline. We have done our PQRS reporting for Medicare for a second year as well. The affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) has arrived and the walls are still standing... What the heck does all of that mean???

It means the practice of medicine has become more centralized. No longer can we function as an island of health care, disconnected from the hospitals and the insurance payers. No longer can you be an island of your own. It means your health is being monitored by other people so that we, as a population, can live longer, healthier, more productive lives. There is a sacrifice to be made. You are not just an individual who can take or leave health care. It means you are part of a greater whole. You are helping to take care of other people you will probably never meet...and they are taking care of you and your family too. You were paying for their health care long before Obamacare, you just didn't know it.  By not smoking and getting your vaccinations and eating healthy and getting out to exercise, you are not only helping yourself, but others. Policies are being made that will make it possible for generations of Americans to have basic health care and I think it's, overall, a good thing...but it means change, and that can be a little stressful. My word of advice for 2015 is, RELAX, because I'll bet there will be a 2016 too.

Happy Healthy New Year!
-Dr. Ronan and staff
www.lakelansingfamilypractice.com