by Jared Rutecki

No matter what stage of their medical education they may have been, OU-COM students were provided key insights into some of the developments shaping the future of osteopathic medical practice during Tuesday’s noontime presentation by former Ohio Osteopathic Association president and current American Osteopathic Association (AOA) trustee, Robert Juhasz, D.O.

“Dr. Juhasz has done a lot of work with osteopathic development, research and advocacy at the local and national level,” says second-year student and student government president, Ryan Palmer. “Just having him here to speak is a big deal.” Student Government cosponsored Juhasz's visit to the college.

His “Utilizing Technology to Improve the Quality of Patient Care” presentation covered a variety of topics. Juhasz has been involved with the AOA in developing and expanding the use of electronic medical records. He covered the history of electronic records from their start in 1982, including examples of his experience with the technology. Benefits of electronic records include real-time data capture, easily retrievable records for medical professionals working anywhere, electronic prescriptions as well as remote consultation and safety alerts.

“If you’re doing something with a patient who gets sick at 8:30 p.m., and the pharmacy closes at 9, you can send it over to the pharmacy immediately,” Juhasz said, lauding the potential of electronic prescriptions. “By the time they get there, the prescription is ready.”

President George Bush set a goal that in 10 years all Americans should have electronic medical records, he said. As an AOA trustee, Juhasz was excited by the potential of this goal, which would also include the creation of a subcabinet position dedicated to health information technology.

Juhasz also encouraged more transparency in the medical profession. “Transparency helps the people who pay the bill,” Juhasz said. This is accomplished by providing those who want to know more about their health-care provider with information. Interested parties include patients as well as employers, government officials and health plans. It also helps doctors see what treatments a patient has received in the past, keeping the records centralized.

“The more information we have in front of us, the better it is for the patient.”

Juhasz also pushed emerging technologies as a way to get patients involved in their own care. He urged students to use technology to expedite care while continuing to treat the patient with respect and dignity. “Turn the screen around and allow the patient a chance to learn about their own health,” Juhasz said. The AOA promotes a message of patient-centered care based upon an approach that recognizes the body’s ability to heal itself — an important tenet of osteopathic medicine.

The AOA, he said, has set goals for higher standards that include patient-centered care, practicing evidence-based medicine, focusing on quality care and improvement, and utilizing technology appropriately. A use of online technology, he suggested, included DOonline.org, an AOA Web site that provides clinical assessment program standards for care in areas including diabetes, women’s health and coronary artery disease.

Juhasz asked students to consider AOA membership. Students, he said, are represented in all AOA bureaus and committees. The AOA, he said, serves its members through collaboration, education, advocacy, research and membership, and students can participate in any and all areas. One such opportunity is joining in on D.O. Day on the Hill April 27, 2007, by working with legislators in Washington, D.C.

Juhasz noted the Good to Great plan, proposed by Jim Collins. The plan urges setting BHAGs, or “Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals” for osteopathic medicine and the AOA.

Student Government President Palmer said there was something for all students in Juhasz’s presentation. 

“His presentation served to introduce first-year students to a national figure, as well as for them to learn more about what opportunities exist for them,” Palmer says.

“Second-year students, who have had some clinical experience, can understand and relate to electronic records. It also gave the AOA an opportunity to show its concern for developing students into competent, forward-looking physicians.”