streamline the patient’s & Provider’s experience?
enjoy your work and spend more time with patients?
Practice the Medicine you Were Trained To Practice?
think of creative solutions to everyday office challenges?
Is Micropractice for you?
Transitioning to the micropractice model can be highly rewarding. Yet, the shift can feel daunting for those accustomed to traditional primary care delivery, especially initially. If you're considering integrating micropractice concepts into your practice, the following resources could prove helpful:
For comprehensive support in adopting micropractice, consider Sage Micro Practice Solutions. Dr. Meghan Elkink and her team specialize in executing large-scale practice transformations.
For smaller, personalized consulting, Dr. Kelly MacGregor offers tailored mentorship. For inquiries, please contact by email.
Technology Integration
The Willow Family Medicine office has no landlines, physical fax machines, or paper charts, as cloud-based technology has replaced these administrative relics. The office space is utilized efficiently, and deliberate attention is paid to organization and set up to help facilitate both the patient and provider’s experience.
Online booking and appointment reminders replace phone appointment booking. Patients receive secure emails with results sent directly from their provider rather than a third-party staff member. These are templated messages that take providers seconds, not minutes, to complete. Templates reduce error, can include important information, and are customizable to each patient’s needs. Visits are streamlined by previsit patient questionnaires that are integrated into the EMR. Therefore, during the appointment, there is more time for face-to-face discussion. Patients can’t misplace prescriptions, as e-faxing is utilized for prescriptions. Patients can access their provider via email during business hours for any administrative task, and these requests can be responded to with the help templates.
Software Recommendations
Below are a few products essential to the WFM micropractice. All products below have been approved for Canadian use and meet current privacy legislation requirements. While there are many other useful products, many have not been approved for use in Canada or trailed by our office.
Accuro by QHR Technologies - Electronic medical record & online scheduler
Medeo Healthmail - Secure, EMR integrated messaging
Ocean by CognisantMD - Secure, EMR-integrated patient questionnaires and forms
Unite Communications - Remote, EMR-integrated cloud-based fax
Cliniconex - Appointment reminders
Squarespace - Website
Line2 - VOIP phone service
TextExpander - Multi-platform, multi-user smart phrase manager
Outcome Measures
How can you tell if micropractice improves outcomes and patient experiences? Data analytics. Since 2017, WFM has utilized anonymous patient feedback surveys. These surveys ask patients to rate their experience with office technologies and/or systems or report health outcomes and their satisfaction with a provider. While the former has become common in traditional medical circles, the latter often remains an unpopular concept, about which opponents say, “You can’t please everyone.” While this is true, feedback is essential in identifying growth areas and potential solutions for system improvement.
Resources
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. MacGregor offered practice mentorship and consulting services to clinic owners, students, and physicians in several virtual talks.
“Family Medicine - Should I Just Quit.” A two-hour presentation geared towards those not yet established in their career or those embarking on starting a new clinic.
Alberta Medical Association One Nail At A Time Podcast - Streamlining Your Practice - Part 1 & 2
For those looking to dig a bit deeper but not ready for consulting,
What is Mircorpractice - Dr. Meghan Elkink MD
Slow Medicine - Dr. Victoria Sweet MD PhD
Atomic Habits - James Clear
Dissident Doctor - Dr. Micheal Klein MD
Ideal Medical Clinic - Dr. Pamela Wible MD
The Happy Doc - Dr. Yami Lancaster MD
Better Now: Six Ideas to Improve Health Care for all Canadians - Dr. Danielle Martin MD
When Less Becomes More - Emily Ley
Here are a few examples of other micropractice or ideal medical clinics;
Full Circle Women’s Clinic - St. Albert, Alberta
Evergreen Family Medicine - Edmonton, Alberta
Sage Family Clinic - Cochrane, Alberta
Little’s Pediatrics - Portland, Oregon