Leadership Message

Share the Work, Share the Values, Share the Credit By Adam Low, CEO

One of the tenets of effective leadership is to share the credit. The person at the top of the organizational chart is most often not the one who is greeting a patient, working through billing issues, providing direct patient care or even keeping the office clean. But every single step in the patient encounter makes an impression on the patient.

One reason why SENTA Partners gets such great reviews—see the story right below this one—is because of the dedication and professionalism of the team members. When we share the distribution of work and we share the values that are important to us, then it’s imperative that we share the credit, too.

In this issue of the SENTA Communiqué, you’ll also see the tremendous recognition bestowed on 13 of our physicians who were noted as Top Doctors in Atlanta magazine. Each individual’s clinical knowledge, communication skills and patient relationships are stellar—but I want to also credit the teams that support these outstanding doctors. It should make you proud when a doctor in your practice location is honored; the work that everyone is doing to make all the steps in the patients’ journey successful allows the doctor to focus on what he or she does best.

At SENTA Partners, our mission is to be the partner of choice for leading ENT and allergy physician organizations to deliver high-value, patient-centered care. To do that we must support their growth, innovation and stakeholder value, and we believe that this foundation is built on our values: teamwork, passion, accountability, excellence, growth, continuous improvement and value.

Thank you for sharing our values in the way you are present and intentional in the work you do. It’s a credit to the kind of team we are!

Patient Comments

Going the Extra Mile

(l-r): Kris Cali and Sharonda Wright

Kris Cali, Revenue Cycle Manager (RCM) at Atlanta Allergy & Asthma, recently received a letter from a patient who wanted to share her appreciation for the extra effort provided by Sharonda Wright, a claims specialist. Kris notes that “it is not often that a billing department receives any kind of a compliment from a patient, but Sharonda’s continued diligence and professionalism speak volumes.”

The patient wrote that while working with the insurance company had proven to be exasperating, Sharonda provided exceptional service, returning calls or answering questions promptly. Best of all, Sharonda’s diligence resulted in a successful outcome. “Sharonda has been very professional and did not give up but politely continued to explain the situation until we had an adjustment or an answer that made sense….It is rare you get someone in a service department who listens and works to resolve.”

Kris notes that working with professionals like Sharonda and the entire RCM team is a great honor.

Influential Voices

Physician Advisory Board Amplifies Best Practices and Patient Outcomes

Dr. Parikh

In addition to being Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at Northwest ENT, Shatul Parikh, MD, is also a member of the board of directors of SENTA and serves on the Physician Advisory Board, currently a four-MD group representing the different units and interests of SENTA Partners member practices.

“The purpose of the Physician Advisory Board is twofold: to help us create quality measures and metrics to achieve best-in-class care and patient outcomes and also to create opportunities for key clinical leaders to come together to determine whether there are clinical studies, research or technologies that can help drive clinical excellence,” he says. He wants physicians in the SENTA family to know that the Physician Advisory Board members serve as a conduit to the management team to review concerns brought to them. “We’ll do the due diligence if doctors bring us concerns; we are tasked with maintaining the highest clinical standards, so we want to know where we might be able to recommend improvements,” he says.

Although his role as CMO is separate from being on the Clinical Advisory Board, the responsibilities overlap in the area of physician development and excellence. This is especially important when integrating new physician practices into the SENTA Partners group. “I still have a very busy clinical practice, which I believe is important to stay relevant.”

(l-r): Dr. Allen, Dr. Carlton and Dr. Coleman

The Physician Advisory Board has room to grow as SENTA does. It is scheduled to have its first in-person meeting on August 25, 2021. Other SENTA physicians serving on the board with Dr. Parikh are Ronald Allen, MD, with ENT and Allergy Associates of South Georgia, in Valdosta; David Carlton, MD, with Atlanta Allergy & Asthma; and John Coleman, MD, with Piedmont ENT. “We all hold a vote, and the focus is collegiality and camaraderie. We want to support our clinicians through the work we do,” Dr. Parikh says.

Recognitions

SENTA Partners Doctors Recognized as Atlanta’s “Top Doctors”

(l-r top row): Dr. Fineman, Dr. Gardner, Dr. Guydon, Dr. Hwang; (bottom row): Dr. Lenchner, Dr. Schaffer, Dr. Sheerin and Dr. Tanner

Eight Atlanta Allergy & Asthma allergy physicians received Top Doctors honors in the Atlanta magazine annual listing: Stanley M. Fineman, MD, MBA, of East Cobb and Kennestone; Erinn T. Gardner, MD, of Canton and Douglasville; Linda D. Guydon, MD, of Johns Creek and Northlake; Lily G. Hwang, MD, of Alpharetta and Lawrenceville; Keith I. Lenchner, MD, of Buckhead and Stockbridge; Kevin L. Schaffer, MD, of Sandy Springs and Snellville; Kathleen A. Sheerin, MD, of Lawrenceville and Sandy Springs; and David D. Tanner, MD, of Buckhead and Johns Creek.

(l-r): Dr. Kauffman, Dr. Locandro, Dr. Parikh and Dr. Rollins

In addition, four ENT specialists were recognized: Ryan Kauffman, MD, of Northwest (NW) ENT; Drew Locandro, MD, of NW ENT; Shatul Parikh, MD, of NW ENT; and Chester Rollins, MD, of Piedmont ENT.

Dr. Carlton

Healthcare research company Castle Connolly also recognized David Carlton, MD, of Atlanta Allergy & Asthma’s Rome office as a 2021 Regional Top Doctor.

“In the changing landscape of healthcare today, our focus remains on providing the best quality of care to our patients along with our caring and competent staff,” says Dr. Tanner, Atlanta Allergy & Asthma medical director. “Fulfilling that mission takes intense dedication. Receiving an acknowledgement such as this gives us the opportunity to pause for a moment and realize our efforts have been recognized.”

Access the latest edition of Atlanta's Top Doctors feature by clicking on the magazine image.

Operations SENTer

All-in-the-family Referrals By Len Schiavone, Chief Operations Officer

Does your allergy patient have symptoms broader than allergies? Or does your ENT patient possibly have a food allergy? As SENTA Partners grows, it’s important to keep up with how much more SENTA locations can do for our patients in the 24 locations that now make up part of our network. SENTA physicians are recognized in the region and beyond as leaders in their specialties. So when you refer patients to another SENTA practice, you’re providing them with access to excellent, trusted physicians. Why refer outside the network when you can send them to some of the known best physicians in the area? Making a referral between SENTA providers is one way to extend the high quality of care you are providing.

Northwest ENT Secures Accreditation for Two Surgery Centers

A lot of work goes into maintaining accreditation to operate an ambulatory surgery center (ASC). Kristi Abbott, DNP, RN, ASC clinical director at Northwest (NW) ENT, and her team of seven, went through two accreditation processes for ASC locations in Woodstock and Buckhead. The smaller ASC in Buckhead was a relatively easy survey and paperwork, but the larger one needed to be accredited by the Joint Commission, and that included on-site reviews. The challenge was that the team wasn’t sure when the reviewers were coming, so they couldn’t let a day go by when the ASC wasn’t in pristine condition and ready for a compliance check.

The hard work paid off: both ASCs have been recertified for three years. In fact, the Joint Commission reviewers were complimentary of the procedures and protocols in place. Kristi says that her team has been working for the past year or so at improving processes to keep the ASCs clean and uncluttered, with all supplies stocked and medications current. “I have the best staff members. Each of them strives for a high level of accountability. It’s part of who they are,” she says.

The advantages of the on-site ASCs are that the patients at NW ENT get prompt care for ENT surgeries, she says. “If the physicians had to go to other surgery centers or hospitals, our patients would have to wait longer for appointments, and the physicians wouldn’t have this regular team supporting them,” she says. “We know them and what they like. And we can get answers for the patients quickly. It’s a better sense of continuity of care, and our patient satisfaction scores are amazing as a result.”

NW ENT’s ASC staff (l-r): Amanda Stump, RN; Amy Danielson, RN; Pamela Lowery-Bailey, RN; Meghan Gadbois, CST; Kristi Abbott, RN; Elaine Torres, RN; Crissol Martinez, Surgery Office Coordinator; and Lucy Walden, CST. (front): Corey Fowler, CST

On-site Surgery Center Provides Personal Touch and Great Continuity of Care

When ENT of South Georgia opened its ambulatory surgery center (ASC) in September 2016, the first run-through with the Joint Commission for accreditation went smoothly. All four of the RNs who work in the single-suite OR had worked in the local hospital so were familiar with Joint Commission processes, says Sonya Jones, RN, CPAN, nurse manager and one of the two recovery nurses. A third staff member is a pre-op nurse and a fourth is the circulator. The second accreditation, however, came in October 2020. Jones says she and her team were surprised at how much more detailed reaccreditation was.

Sonya Jones, RN, CPAN

For example, the reviewers—who were very impressed with the facility and the processes—wanted to be sure that every member of the patient encounter team was in the communications loop. The state-of-the-art ASC is in a facility immediately behind the clinic, and the reviewers looked at how the process worked from scheduling to pre-op communications to the day of the surgery and discharge and follow-up.

Jones says that having an on-site ASC is a big benefit to the patients because they get one-on-one attention that isn’t always possible in a hospital. Plus, because they’re working with the practice’s billing team, even the financial transactions are more personal. Other clinics have been interested in the ASC’s design and capabilities. “It’s big, with plenty of storage and separate sterilization areas. It’s a horseshoe design, so patients move around from consultation to pre-op, then the OR and post-op, so there’s much more privacy for patients because there’s no intertwining patients who are coming in or leaving,” she says.

Communications SENTer

Building a Strong IT Foundation By Frank Hutchison, VP of Information Technology

There are many challenges in growing a world-class company like SENTA. A business typically has to start small and then build the foundation brick by brick. IT has those same challenges, and, just as importantly, the IT team has to do it right on the front end. One challenge area we’ve been focused on is connectivity, which includes our internet and phones. We’ve been looking at many different options, and I’m excited to announce that we signed an agreement with a provider to consolidate all our internet circuits, which will give us the same quality of service, save us money and allow us to scale quickly.

Great things are happening in IT! Next challenge area is the phone systems. Stay tuned…!

Negative Pressure Rooms Installed

The negative pressure rooms have now been installed in the following Atlanta Allergy & Asthma locations: Alpharetta, Austell, Buckhead, Canton, Hamilton Mill, Kennestone, Lawrenceville, Rome, Sandy Springs, Snellville and Stockbridge.

The work is expected to be completed in Douglasville, Fayetteville and Johns Creek the week starting July 26 and in East Cobb, Northlake and Woodstock during the week of August 2.

Month at a Glance

Monday, Aug. 2
• East Cobb, Northlake and Woodstock negative pressure rooms installed this week

Tuesday, Aug. 3
• Anticipated in-office surgeries with moderate sedation go-live: Piedmont ENT

Monday, Aug. 16
• Anticipated Phreesia launch at Piedmont ENT

Wednesday, Aug. 25
• Physician Advisory Board meeting

News of Interest

Atlanta Far Down the List of Top 100 Asthma Capitals

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ranked Atlanta, Georgia, as the 60th most challenging place to live in asthma among the largest 100 U.S. metropolitan cities. The report is weighted on the following outcomes: asthma prevalence, asthma-related emergency department visits and asthma-related deaths. Atlanta has scored 71.22 points, less than the average 73.31 points, and had average rankings for all three categories. Allentown, Pennsylvania, topped the list as the most challenging place, followed by Baltimore, Maryland, and Richmond, Virginia. Click here for more information.