By Joanne Fruth, MD
Atul Gawande, MD was onto something. His book The Checklist Manifesto is a beautiful exposition on how checklists in business and the medical profession create greater efficiency, consistency and safety.
We think we’re on to something at Avance Care. Our Standardized Physical Exam checklist uses a checklist approach so our Physicians and Advanced Practice Providers “don’t miss a thing”.
Our Wellness Visit Handout summarizes nutritional advice, recommendations on physical activity, immunization schedule, and prompts on all USPSTF recommendations. We discuss Narcan, safe sex, and contraception. We screen for depression, intimate partner violence, and alcohol use and misuse. Our patients commonly remark “this is the most thorough appointment I ever had”.
Our goal is to gather the grains of sand which build the foundation of our patients’ good health, one grain of sand at a time.
Dr. Fruth is a family physician with a mission to promote the benefits of primary care and especially Family Medicine (#FMrevolution). As Medical Director at Avance Care, Dr. Fruth uses her years of experience and passion for teaching to inspire other clinicians to make each primary care visit one which builds the foundation good health
Dr. Fruth loves hiking, trips to Broadway and seeking adventure (or a quiet evening) with her emergency physician husband. She has three adult children on their own missions to make the world a better place.