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.”
- 30 -
News for
the week of Oct 2 – Oct 7
