Leadership Message

A Season of Gratitude By Adam Low, CEO

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday on so many levels. The focus is family and friends, a leisurely afternoon watching the parade, hanging out in the kitchen, sitting around the table. I remember the Thanksgivings of my youth so fondly because it was one of the few times of year when the whole family gathered. It has kept its place as one of the most important family holidays.

It’s a time when we reflect on the abundance of our lives and give thanks for what we have and those we love. So as I think of what I’m grateful for, I include all of you who have worked so hard to make SENTA a special place to work. You bring enthusiasm and dedication to our mission of caring for patients. You bring kindness. You bring your willingness to work with others to solve issues, increase efficiency and do what needs to be done. Those are all special qualities—so thank you for bringing your best selves to the workplace.

We know that it has been a challenging year. So I encourage you to take the time to relax and enjoy your holiday with friends and family. There’s still work to be done, but it can wait while we take this much-needed break to give thanks.

Provider Spotlight

Stepping Forward Where You’re Needed

“Is there a doctor onboard?” Kevin Schaffer, MD, one of the allergist physician owners of Atlanta Allergy & Asthma in Sandy Springs and Snellville, heard the call and flagged one of the flight attendants. A young woman in her 20s had started to feel short of breath and generally poorly. “I thought that this might be an area where I might be able to help if she was experiencing asthma or an allergic reaction,” he says. He started to talk with the woman, and she was unable to pinpoint any pain or symptoms clearly. Her sense of breathing difficulty was more in her throat but also in her upper chest. She had no known food allergies and had not eaten since coming on board. She had no history of asthma. After listening to her lungs, Dr. Schaffer began to ask her questions to determine if she was anxious, but she denied that, too.

Dr. Schaffer

Because her condition was not getting worse, he and one of the nurses on board monitored her. However, the nurse noted that her pulse was thready and she might be dehydrated. The airplane crew’s emergency kit includes supplies for IV fluids—and Dr. Schaffer learned that this nurse’s specialty is inserting IV needles. “She had tremendous experience, so I took on the role of helping the nurse identify what she needed from the emergency kit and to help calm the patient so she could get the IV started,” he says.

The plane landed soon after, and flight attendants asked passengers to remain seated so that paramedics could come aboard and help the passenger off first. “The passengers were patient and understanding,” he says. No one tried to push their way forward, and by the time Dr. Schaffer deplaned, the young woman was sitting with the paramedics and looking better.

A change in habit

Dr. Schaffer says that what he did on the flight was not an extraordinary measure, but it does illustrate how calls for help can arise suddenly. The flight attendant calling for a doctor is almost a trope—but according to the New England Journal of Medicine, data from the pre-COVID era found that there was one medical emergency per 604 commercial flights. As a result of having been through the experience, Dr. Schaffer says that now, when he boards a flight, he introduces himself to the flight crew and identifies himself as an allergy physician and where he is seated. He may not be called upon again, but he says that the flight crew does appreciate having that information.

Employee Spotlight

Three Decades of Dedication

Patricia Froyen, LPN, with her well-wishers at Buckhead AA&A: (l) David Tanner, MD,
and (r) Keith Lenchner, MD.

Patricia Froyen, LPN, has been with Atlanta Allergy & Asthma in Buckhead for more than 30 years. Some time ago, she took her well-deserved retirement but found after four weeks that she missed the patients and co-workers too much, so she comes in when needed. When the office recently celebrated her birthday, the staff wrote her a poem of appreciation, lauding her work ethic and charm.

She who comes to the rescue when we need her to work more hours
She who makes the best coffee every morning so we can function at work
She who will move to the next-door senior care with Dr. T [David Tanner, MD] when they retire for real

Operations SENTer

SENTA’s Affiliate Network Grows to Include 38 Physicians at 35 Clinics and Three Surgery Centers

In mid-November, the 10-location, five-physician Centers for Allergy & Asthma of Georgia (CAAG) joined the SENTA Partners community. SENTA’s affiliate network now consists of 38 physicians at 34 clinical locations and three surgery centers throughout Georgia. CAAG is the first affiliation in allergy and immunology since the initial partnership with Atlanta Allergy & Asthma a year ago.

The CAAG doctors: top row (l-r): Dr Boleman, Dr. Hurwitz, and Dr. Kharod.
Bottom row (l-r): Dr. Patel and Dr. Vickery.

CAAG is led by Gene Hurwitz, MD, and also coming aboard are physicians William Boleman, MD; Neha Kharod, MD; Adesh Patel, MD; and John Vickery, MD, along with about 50 clinical and administrative staff members. Matthew Soberano, MD, will be joining the practice in July 2022.

This group of outstanding physicians has an excellent reputation for providing first-class clinical care to patients, which aligns with SENTA’s primary objective of partnering with outstanding clinicians across the platform. Join us in welcoming the group to SENTA.

Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Management Shifts By Scott McCutcheon, Executive Director, Allergy Division

In order to facilitate the growth and operational improvement goals at Atlanta Allergy & Asthma (AA&A), we have created two practice administrator roles. Many SENTA members already know Katie Howard, who will take primary management responsibility for nine locations. A new team member, Kobi Varner, MS, will become practice administrator of the other nine practices, making this a strong co-leadership team for AA&A.

Katie Howard and Kobi Varner, MS

Kobi brings nine years of health care expertise, having most recently managed practices in anesthesia and pain at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, as well as orthopedics, sports medicine and spine at Emory Healthcare. In addition to having a wealth of leadership experience in clinic and hospital operations, Kobi has experience managing both patient access and revenue cycle functions. Prior to his work in health care, Kobi held management positions in wireless telecommunications and the business and financial services industries.

Kobi earned his MS in financial management and information systems, is a published author, loves dogs—especially boxers—and enjoys outdoor activities, live music, traveling and baking cakes (which he learned how to do during the first month of the COVID-19 shutdown).

Katie will oversee the following offices: Austell, Buckhead, Canton, Douglasville, East Cobb, Fayetteville, Kennestone, Rome and Stockbridge. She will continue to oversee mixing, research and centralized appointments for AA&A.

Kobi will oversee the following offices: Alpharetta, Athens (to open February 2022), Hamilton Mill, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville, Northlake, Sandy Springs, Snellville and Woodstock.

HR SENTer

2022 Benefits Renewals Coming

It probably will not come as a surprise that 2021 was a difficult year for health care costs. So it’s important to realize how hard the SENTA team has been working to create a benefits package that remains very attractive to employers.

• Same plans: That means that there will be no need to change doctors, providers or networks.

• A softer hit: Our renewal increase was an astonishing 45 percent. (We had to fight for that; initially, the increase was 80 percent because of the very high usage of health care services by covered employees and family members.) However, the entirety of that increase will not be passed along to employees because SENTA will absorb the vast majority (85 percent) of this increase.

• You must enroll: This is an active enrollment, which means that every employee must enroll to be covered in 2022. Coverage does not simply extend from one year to the next.

Month at a Glance

Tuesday, Nov. 30
• Deadline to complete annual compliance training
• Deadline to complete open enrollment for 2022 benefits

Wednesday, Dec. 1
• Klara text patient communication system live at Northwest ENT

Friday, Dec. 3
• Live with CT scan at Piedmont ENT

Friday, Dec. 24
• Closed in observance of Christmas

Friday, Dec. 31
• Closed in observance of New Year’s

Tell Us What You Think

We Would Love to Hear From You

Do you have comments on this newsletter or ideas for the next issue? Email Tatiana at [email protected].

Your SENTA Communiqué Archives

October 2021  •  September 2021  •  August 2021  •  July 2021  •  June 2021  •  May 2021

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