Pediatrician Randy Reese Embraces Technology

January 11, 2014 By Becky Clark Print this article Comments

Maybe it’s the soft demeanor and blue eyes. Or maybe it’s the cow suit he wears at Thanksgiving. Or the way he sits on the table next to his young patients that puts him in the top 1% of pediatricians nationally. It’s that and more.

Pensacola Pediatrics pediatrician Dr. Randy Reese has the formula for success. Drive, the willingness to work hard, the gift of efficiency and meticulous documentation. With the help of office administrator Dan Manix, Reese and his partners have embraced technology to ensure a safe and productive office visit at the practice.

Technology and equipment are just part of why Dr. Reese's practice is so successful, according to practice administrator Dan Manix. People development and process review are the other two parts of the equation.

People Development

Several years ago, staff turnover was high and morale low. As outlined in their vision statement, the goal at hand was to create "harmony"--they wanted their staff to enjoy coming to work. Reese and his office manager started by researching wages at area practices and brought their pay up to be competitive. In order to better ensure hiring the right person for an opening, Reese created a paid three to four-day "work interview." They then introduced an innovative policy for counseling low performers in which a written reprimand comes out of the employee’s file after a year if performance improves.

Perhaps the most creative satisfaction builder is their "Warm,Fuzzy" reward and recognition program. "Fuzz me" is the term heard when someone wants to be congratulated. This is how it works. Warm Fuzzies have point values that translate into quarterly bonuses. It is funded by the doctors who pay in to the program. Employees reward each other for a job well done in different areas from punctuality to commitment to coworkers. Points are also given for reaching certain metrics. For instance, the accounting department was recently "fuzzied" for keeping their billing ratio below 1.5. (Reese's AR to charges ratio is 1.2. The national average is 1.5) The awards are focused on the behaviors at issue. The staff member bestowing the Fuzzy gets 10 points and the awardee gets 20. Giving a Fuzzy to a coworker in another office in the practice merits double points. This fosters communication among offices in the practice. A Doctor Fuzzy merits 50 points. Any level employee can receive from $150 to $175 per quarter. "We have no economic migration," commented Manix.

Technology and Equipment

Equipment is the second differentiator in the practice. In 2000, Reese's practice was like most-- covered in stacks of paper files. There were issues with portability and storage of the files. Someone would need a file and it would be at the hospital, or not updated. The files of medically complex kids grew to unwieldy sizes. There was a hygiene issue as well. Wanting to do it right, Reese and his staff researched electronic medical records (EMR) for two years before making a decision. There were many issues to consider. Could different aged doctors be comfortable using it with their different levels of computer knowledge? Would the software talk to the other products we were looking at for different tasks? Could it be custom to pediatrics?

These questions were answered by installing EncounterPro. Designed by a pediatrician's son, EncounterPro has built-in treatment plans and customizable menus. For instance, in the medications field, a doctor can add a new medication at any time. The program will create and print a prescription as well.

Medical records can be accessed from anywhere -- Reese can pull up electronic records if he is out of town or at home on the weekend greatly improving safety of the patient. EncounterPro also takes the guesswork out of coding. Proper coding has increased revenue at Reese's practice. The practice is at 99% for pay for performance from BC/BS.

Technology is not only used in the delivery of care. It plays a major role in business decisions as well. When an investment is made in medical equipment, consideration is given to how many procedures it will take to pay for the investment. That calculation is assisted by software. Other equipment purchases are made when it is determined that it will help them practice medicine.

Process Review

All of this technology has streamlined processes, the third part of the success equation. Patients at Pensacola Pediatrics check in quickly at a touch screen by entering limited information and swiping their insurance card with ClearWave. Insurance verification used to take up to two days. It is now done in an instant. Wait times have decreased dramatically.

Medical systems management software, MicroMD has also simplified scheduling and billing. With this software, the practice has reduced the amount of statements they send out monthly by 42%-- from 2000 to 1400. In addition, claims are filed every 3-4 days with most paid within 20 days.

With these procedures in place to increase efficiency and improve documentation, Dr. Reese is able to see up to 42 patients a day- 31% more than the average pediatrician. He is also able to accommodate same-day appointments. This forethought and hard work is not for naught-- his annual revenue is 230% above the national average putting him in the top 1% of pediatricians in America.

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