MSMS Michigan Medicine September October 2022

Sept / Oct 2022 | michigan MEDICINE® 3 THOMAS J. VEVERKA, MD, FACS SAGINAW COUNTY Dear friends and colleagues, As we move into the fall, we have no idea what the colder months will bring—will we have yet another COVID wave? Will we face a full resurgence of the flu? Could Monkeypox become a full-blown pandemic? In the medical field, we face uncertainties like this every day. We can’t know what health issues or patient challenges we’ll face. At MSMS, we don’t have the power to predict what patients will present with, or where public health will chart its next course. What we can help reduce uncertainty with is a new federal rule that affects your practice management. In recognition of the importance of keeping the patient-physician relationship at the center of healthcare, many of us have been sharing visit summaries and treatment notes with patients for years. After all, our profession is frequently rated as one of the most-trusted among the public and a large part of that is from consistently open communication. While we appreciate that many practices have already adopted broad use of electronic health records and various methods of conveying them to patients, we want to ensure you have the most up-to-date information on everything you’re required to provide under the federal rule on health information technology and electronic health records. The feature article in this edition of Michigan Medicine® focuses on how to adapt your practice to one of constant connectivity with patients. Can we use this rule not as a burden, but as an opportunity to empower patients to take better charge of their health? By having all the same information as their physician, that’s exactly what they’ll be equipped to do. As always, if you have questions, that’s what we’re here for. Wishing you a pleasant fall, Thomas J. Veverka, MD, FACS MSMS President president 's “At MSMS, we don’t have the power to predict what patients will present with, or where public health will chart its next course. What we can help reduce uncertainty with is a new federal rule that affects your practice management.”

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