Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1322224
"Nephrologists are very independent-minded people," Dr. Chaffin adds. "To have a large group of nephrologists who all can work together and believe the same philosophy is unusual. It's one of the reasons I came to Syracuse." CONTINUING CARE DURING COVID-19 After the onset of the pandemic, the practice modified workflows and adopted protocols to ensure safety and health precautions for both patients and staff. "Every member of the group rolled up their sleeves," Dr. Oguntola says. "We were able to restructure the workflow with the appropriate screenings and CDC guidance. The staff were unbelievably amazing and continued to work under hard conditions with a good attitude." Despite the safety protocols, many patients stayed away. "Very few people were willing to come to the office for about two months, appropriately afraid of catching COVID-19," Dr. Chaffin says. "That set the practice back. When patients started to return, however, we were overwhelmed trying to catch up on two months' worth of patients who hadn't been seen." Toward the end of 2020, the team continues to see patients who have delayed care since March, sometimes to deleterious effects. Implementing telemedicine started as a challenge due to the nature of nephrology care. The technology allowed for safe, remote visits but could not meet nephrology patients' need for detailed physical exams and lab work. Additionally, some patients had difficulty adapting to the medium. "Many of our patients are over age 65, so the practice helped patients acclimate to the technology in order to complete telemedicine appointments," says Anne Zaccheo, MBA, FACMPE, Practice Director of Nephrology Associates of Syracuse, PC. "Through creative thinking and patience, the practice identified appointment alternatives and offered multiple telemedicine options to allow for audio and visual communication in an attempt to meet each patient's care needs." Zaccheo is also the President of the New York Medical Group Management Association (NY MGMA), "an active association of professional medical group practice leaders from all across New York […] whose members are dedicated to the advancement of group practice management through educational programs and the exchange of information and knowledge among and between colleagues." Zaccheo shares that the practice benefitted from the sharing of local best practices and collaborative problem solving related to COVID-19 and other practice challenges among other healthcare practice leaders in NYMGMA. " When you combine passion with training and excellence in what you do, it's very powerful. It's contagious. People see that, and they feel that." — ADEBOWALE OGUNTOLA, MD, PRESIDENT OF NEPHROLOGY ASSOCIATES OF SYRACUSE, PC AND MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF DAVITA KIDNEY CARE CENTRAL NEW YORK DIALYSIS CENTER Matthew Chaffin, MD, Compliance Officer Adebowale Oguntola, MD, President Phillip Ondocin, MD Anne Zaccheo, MBA, FACMPE, Practice Director at Nephrology Associates of Syracuse, PC and President at New York Medical Group Management Association 0 8❱❱❱❱❱ C O V E R S T O R Y