The pandemic has created a new era in healthcare for both patients and physicians alike. Many of you have discovered abundant value in having your own personal physician and their office staff working diligently to maintain a trusted relationship to improving your health care. Realizing that your primary care physician is your first line in managing your health care needs is crucial. Think of your physician and their staff as your healthcare advisors, always staying one step ahead of you to ensure you are healthy and receiving the care you need and deserve. It is their top priority to make sure they are always offering you advice, suggestions, and support in areas you may not have been aware of.
Included in this advice is population health, which is important for our community to understand to further gain trust with your physician. “Population health,” a term that is widely used in healthcare, helps physicians identify the health risks people in their community may be facing, in order to achieve positive health outcomes by addressing those particular health risks as early as possible. Having insight into who may be at a higher risk for certain diseases allows for early detection and treatment nearly always leading to better outcomes, not to mention cost savings. I serve as Medical Director for Partners In Care, a population health clinically integrated network of over 500 physicians and providers therefore I am always striving for reducing risks and achieving positive outcomes.
What does this mean for you as a patient?
This means that your physician and provider team will provide you with personalized attention to make sure you are up to date on preventative care, screenings, testing, vaccines, and education in areas that are important and customized just for you. Making sure you have your annual mammogram, colonoscopy by age 50, depression screenings during your annual wellness visit, and staying current on all vaccinations and boosters are some examples of ensuring that your health is at the forefront of your mind and your physician’s. While these things may either surprise you or even feel, at times, invasive, they are in fact part of offering complete patient focused care for you and your loved ones. No wonder insurance companies demand that participating provider and physician groups provide such services and do them diligently if they are to be a “preferred” provider in an insurance network. We, at Changebridge Medical, fit such a “preferred’ category through our powerful relationship with Consensus Health and Partners In Care ACO.
Trusting your physician’s advice when they offer you suggestions and reminders is important for patients to understand especially now when people are not always coming into the office as regularly as they had before the Covid-19 pandemic. Since we know so many details about your health and your personal and family life, your own primary care physician is best equipped to help you prevent disease through proactive health screenings and lifestyle modifications. Seeing your own continuity of care medical provider makes it more likely for them to catch problems early because they are actively monitoring your health.
Your primary care physician should know your:
• Health goals
• Lifestyle habits
• Medical history
• Medications
• Family health history
• Personality
• Preferences
• Social determinants of health
Here at Changebridge Medical Associates we are happy to offer resources that enhance quality of life and can have a significant influence on population health outcomes. We work within the guidelines of insurance and Medicare requirements and recommendations to offer screenings and testing in accordance with their recommendations.
Examples of these are:
- Health risk assessment
• Vaccines
• Possible boosters for COVID-19 (if/ when available)
• Depression & Cognitive assessment screenings
• Domestic violence screening
• Diabetic retinal testing
• Body Mass Index (BMI) measurements to measure height and weight
• Blood pressure
• Health education
• Preventive counseling service or programs designed to reduce risk factor, such as for sight loss, smoking cessation, fall prevention, nutrition, and mental health.
While COVID-19 may be the health concern at the top of everyone’s mind, other illnesses and medical needs still require timely attention. This is why our team at Changebridge Medical Associates have worked hard to maintain the same level of safety and quality as before COVID-19 affected our community. You can expect us to protect your health whenever and wherever you see us for primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. We uniquely follow our own patients within all area local hospitals, Morristown, Chilton and St. Clare’s, at many post-acute care facilities, in public, private and nursery schools and even in-home visits when needed. Putting it simply, we have been and will ALWAYS be there for you- 24/7 – 365 days a year when you need us!
We are your trusted health partner now and well into the future. Establishing a trusting relationship with a primary care provider is crucial and no other health care provider should know you better than us- indeed, many of our patients have trusted us for 35 years now at our Montville site, through 4 generations – and we are honored that they have done so!
Arnold Pallay, MD, FAAFP is a Board-Certified Family Physician and the Founder and Medical Director of Changebridge Medical Associates, a member of Consensus Health, in Montville, NJ, He has been serving the local community for over 34 years. Dr. Pallay is the Medical Director of Partners In Care, a Clinically Integrated Network of over 500 independent physicians in New Jersey. He also serves as the Vice Chairman of the Montville Board of Health and he is a the Medical Director at several area schools and senior care facilities.