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physicians. Similar trends occurred in the 1990s, when HMOs were a big thing. Many local pediatric specialists are now part of these groups that are employed by hospitals. Some have chosen to be employed by Children���s Mercy Hospital, which is based in Missouri. Some are still part of The University of Kansas. Few are still practicing independently. In the end, we will all survive to practice another day. Q Tell us some of the common clinical challenges that you face with your patients on a daily basis. A: The largest challenges I deal with daily are centered on education and communication. The first, education, involves the referring physician. The second, communication, involves the patient. There is a gap between the standards and guidelines that are established in my field and what is being done in reality in the practice of medicine in Wichita. Examples of this would be screening for hypertension, high lipid disorders and obesity in children. While primary care physicians do a great job of screening in adults, they are far behind when it comes to kids and adolescents. The other gap I see is patients��� families��� inability to realize the seriousness of the disease of their loved ones and the importance of adhering to the treatment plan. Children with complex congenital heart disease are resilient creatures, but sometimes they can collapse like butterflies if no actions are taken to help them. That image is sometimes hard to convey to referring physicians or families. Q Can you describe your background in management and some of the challenges you faced as CEO of your practice? A: As physicians, in our learning years in school, we get minimum exposure to managerial skills, and we don���t get any formal training about all other aspects of running a practice besides how to treat patients. My biggest asset was the exposure I got during my cardiology fellowship, where I attended weekly meetings with my senior faculty to discuss many issues, such as marketing, logistics, politics, etc. During my last year at Harvard, I spent time as a junior faculty member with some management projects that were focused on productivity. I had to learn ��� firsthand and through many books, lectures and courses ��� different aspects of managing a practice. There are new issues daily that prompt each manager to stay up to date and keep an inquisitive mind to search for the best results. Things like scheduling patients, clinic flow, billing, financials and mar- keting are some of the many challenges that a physician at our current practice needs to be very familiar with and feel at ease dealing with the same way he would deal with clinical issues. Some of us have the patience, will and sharp thinking to deal with these challenges better than others. The dynamics keep changing daily, and in the end only the smart and most adaptive will survive and succeed. Q What would you like to see happen in your field of practice here in Wichita? A: I think in a town of our size, pediatric specialists need to cooperate and work more closely with each other to bring better, unique care to our population. Many visiting patients from around the state of Kansas like to come to Wichita. It feels closer to their homes than Kansas City. Doctors are the core of any health care system. They have survived many changes in the field. We are able to provide the most advanced, top-notch practice here in Wichita but with the feel of a welcoming, small-town attitude. I think this will put our specialists on the map and connect them to doctors in small towns to keep them updated about their patients��� care and progress. For more information or to reach Dr. Mo, please call Kansas Kids Heart Center at (316) 440-8801. ��� mdnews.com ��� md news Greater Kansas | 23