Gaining Recognition for Excellence

About a year ago, I was speaking with Mark Lamos MD, the Medical Director of Greater Baltimore Medical Associates, and the heart and soul of our advanced primary care strategy, and I was concerned that we would not be able to attract outstanding primary care physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants fast enough. To truly be able to coordinate care across our community we needed more outstanding clinicians to add to the ones we already had, both as employed and private practicing doctors and mid-levels. With a new recognition of the value of primary care, how would we ever be able to do this with everyone looking for these providers?

Was I ever wrong! What I did not realize was that since we were building patient-centered medical homes that helped the physicians and mid-level providers do what they were trained to do and loved to do, they would flock to us. This week, there were a bunch of news stories about other companies opening new primary care offices. But their model had not changed…limited hours of operation, no embedded care managers and no hope for the providers to truly have a team to help them get the job done. Providers running as fast as they can where the goal is to churn as many visits as they can is not attractive to those looking for a job these days.

Our model, on the other hand, which is focused on the measurable outcomes of better health, better care experience, and less waste, thereby allowing the provider to have more joy in their day is what primary care clinicians are looking for. They want the help of the care managers and the rest of the team to do things like improve the diabetes composite score of their patients to make them live longer and healthier lives! They want to work in a system that is available for people when they have a need and doesn’t use the emergency department as the pathway of least resistance. An example of how attractive GBMA advanced primary care now is to physicians can be found in the fact that all 3 current Chief Residents of the University of Maryland Family Medicine Residency Program will be joining us this summer! They are: Janna Becker, MD who will be joining our Hunt Valley practice; Peter Burkill, MD who will be joining Family Care Associates in the North Pavilion; and Margaret Sass, MD who will be joining our Perry Hall team. One of their mentors, Dr. Kevin Ferentz, recently joined us as the lead physician at our Owings Mills practice. And we have other great new colleagues either recently arrived or coming:

– Lisa Carey, DO Medicine/Pediatrics (Hunt Manor)
– Deanna Shapiro, PA (Hunt Manor)
– Elizabeth Shemin, NP (Texas Station)
– Kevin Carter, MD (Owings Mills)

I am also excited that our Greater Baltimore Health Alliance colleagues from Jarrettsville Family Care, Linda Walsh, MD, Mary Elizabeth Craig, MD and physician assistants Bridget Diehl and Kristen Jubb, have decided to become employed by GBMA as well!

So, if you need a primary care provider or if you know someone who does…you have a lot of great choices! It is wonderful to be recognized as the system of choice for outstanding primary care physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants.

Opening Day Fun!

It would not be an Opening Day in Baltimore without Orioles gear at GBMC. Please check out pictures from today's celebration at the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute!