In a world teeming with technological advancement, Primary Care Physician Dr. John Rowe is excited about good old-fashioned listening. Really listening.
Dr. Rowe is Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s Integrated Practice Network medical director for Primary Care. We asked him to share about his 2024 priorities for Primary Care, what it was like working with his father, a fellow physician, and how the simple act of listening can equip providers with the tools needed to overcome medicine’s ever-changing landscape.
1. What are some of your immediate priorities for Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s Primary Care services?
To meet our mission of healing all people with compassion, faith and excellence in 2024, we need to focus on patient access and provider wellbeing. The two are closely linked. Our community needs easy access to the skills of a strong primary care network.
With a primary care provider shortage, we cannot hire our way to meet the current demand. We need to create an efficient, high-quality practice environment to be able to recruit and retain our providers. They are the key to our success.
2. How will the system continue to grow and expand its primary care reach in 2024?
We have a new recruitment team dedicated to helping us hire new primary care providers.
Additionally, we have plans to build new offices in the Nexton and North Creek areas. Hopefully, Primary Care will also be part of our locations in the Sawmill (Summerville) and Johnny Dodds (Mount Pleasant) locations. There still is a lot of planning taking place.
We also are working on reducing the burden of documentation within our EMR. That should help improve doctors’ ability to get home earlier or see an add-on visit with ease.
3. Tell us about some of the challenges faced by primary care and how you would you like to overcome them?
Our previous Chief Physician Officer Dr. Todd Shuman once said, “If you don’t like the pace of change in medicine to date, buckle up because it is only going to accelerate.”
Our challenge is to look at all the many changes that are coming at us, such as new treatments, work efficiency, quality targets and insurer plans. We then support our care teams with solutions to be successful, hopefully with as little disruption to our providers as possible.
We have an amazing team of administrators in practice and quality operations. This group meets routinely with frontline teammates to educate and support. They do a fantastic job of listening to the problems encountered and providing a solution.
We also have a group of medical neighborhood leaders. We have seven medical neighborhoods across the Lowcountry, each in charge of around 10-15,000 lives. These doctors roll out new treatments, services or workflows to their providers. They also do a fantastic job of listening to their providers to bring back to the large group unexpected challenges that we need to address.
4. How many Dr. Rowes have practiced in Charleston over the years?
My dad, with Primary Care Physician Dr. Strait Fairey, started Roper St. Francis Physician Partners Primary Care in the early ’70s.
I was lucky enough to be called to the field of medicine when my father was practicing. When I first joined the practice, I told my wife not to get comfortable because I did not know if he was going to fire me or if I would have to walk out.
If you knew him, it would not surprise you that he could be a demanding father. But as a mentor, he was truly one of the best. He knew when to let me do my thing, even if it was a different approach, and he knew when to give me guidance.
I remember one time when he coached me up a bit. He was so clever about it that it took me a couple of weeks before I realized that I had indeed been coached. I am truly appreciative of the years we worked together.
I love seeing some of his former patients. He has not been with us for a while, so the time spent reminiscing with them is priceless.
5. How has the approach to primary care medicine changed over the years?
Instead of change, I want to be excited about “old school” qualities. Because change is constant and will always be, it is obvious every time we walk into an exam room and have a computer screen to click through. But the question is, “how do you capture small-town medicine in a big-city world?”
That is what I want to advance. Whatever we can do to break down the barriers that are in a big city or system, the better we will be. Technology is so important but it isn’t the only answer.
Primary care doctors are – for the most part – good listeners. For me, the importance of that becomes clearer each day. But when it gets busy and demanding, it is challenging to listen to the degree that is required of a provider. Many times, during the day, I find myself taking a pause with my hand on the doorknob of the exam room to try to get myself to focus on that one aspect of care. With all the advancements and intrusions in how we have to provide care and with all of the many things that need to be accomplished, listening – really listening – gets lost. When I can listen to the level I want, the flood of busywork and “clicking” diminishes and the reason why I became a doctor comes back to the surface.
Don’t have a primary care doctor? Call (843) 402-CARE to connect with one today.