The spirit of 1996 lives on

If you want to understand the role that Petaluma Health Center plays in California’s Sonoma County, it helps to understand what took place in 1996.

In October 2016, Frontiers in Psychiatry published an online review of studies regarding cellphone addiction, some of which suggest that many people today might be a bit over-attached to those gadgets that seem to take care of more and more of our daily tasks.

Starting (and Staying) Small in Michigan

According to the numbers, small and independent medical practices are headed for extinction. But in Marquette, Michigan — on the shores of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula — the husband and wife team of Dr. Christopher Dehlin and Dr. Jennifer Dehlin are demonstrating that there’s a place for smaller medicine, even in an age of consolidation and managed care.

Dubious Idea? Try Brilliant Insight!

Most doctors would never do what Dr. Todd Stivland did — move from a successful clinical practice to founding one in which the average patient is 87 years old, suffers from multiple chronic health conditions — including dementia — and has less than two years to live.

What to do when the doctor cares too much

Yes, every doctor cares about their patients. But some doctors really, really care about their patients. These are the selfless physicians who will put the practice of medicine ahead of their need for personal time, family, and the need to recharge after what can be a very long day at the office.

The results can be very bad for everyone’s health.

According to a study in the September-October 2015 Family Practice Medicine, 46% of physicians report some level of burnout, with consequences ranging from lower patient satisfaction and increased errors to higher risk for drug and alcohol abuse among providers, and even suicide.

Defying a trend

If you happen to be in the Salt Lake City area and visit any of the 18 locations run by Granger Medical Clinic, you’ll see a lot that looks familiar, including a busy front office and the range of primary and specialty services you’d expect from any growing medical facility.

Look more closely, and you’ll see an organization that’s just a bit different in key ways.

While more and more U.S. doctors are giving up owning their own practices, and joining larger, hospital-owned networks, Granger continues to proudly assert its independence.

The 2017 eClinicalWorks National Conference was full of excitement and announcements, as we brought together more than 4,000 medical professionals to explore the latest developments on the healthcare IT frontier. We debuted Eva, our virtual assistant, offered a sneak peek at V11, and highlighted what’s new with our core EMR and Practice Management solution. From advances in interoperability to improvements in Revenue Cycle Management and much more, Dallas was unforgettable!

They say all good things must come to an end, and today marks the end of the 2017 eClinicalWorks National Conference. But what if there were a way to preserve the sense of discovery and renewal that we experienced this past weekend in Dallas? What if you could take it all back to your practice with you, and somehow open it up fresh every time you needed a bit of inspiration?

The Saturday Night Celebration still seems to echo about the Gaylord Texan Hotel & Convention Center, from the far corners of the Atrium to the Glass Cactus nightclub. The aroma of short ribs lingers in the air, the images of cowboys on stilts have been captured on many a smartphone, and the sights and sounds of the silent disco won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

That classic line from “Office Space” — “I’m going to need you to come in on Saturday…” — works great on the screen, but it’s usually not something folks like to hear in real life. Except this weekend in Dallas at the eClinicalWorks National Conference!