COVID-19 Update: An action plan for medical practices and healthcare professionals

Editor's note: This podcast was recorded in March 2020. For our latest resources and information, visit the MGMA COVID-19 Recovery Center.

In this special episode of the MGMA Insights podcast, we begin a series focused on COVID-19 and how it’s impacting healthcare professionals and their patients. Throughout this series, we’ll share conversations with experts regarding challenges such as staffing, communication, patient education, advocacy and more. 

Our first guest is Phil Boucher, MD, FAAP, Lincoln Pediatric Group. Here are a handful of highlights from his interview: 

• (7:52) "There’s nothing exceedingly pathogenic about Coronavirus. It’s not Ebola or something along those lines. But it’s something that we just haven’t seen before, so everyone is susceptible to it." 
• (10:24) "Waiting rooms get a bad rap, because people sit there and they see everyone with the coughs and colds and everything like that. For the vast majority of patients, though, they spend a lot more time at Target, school, church, out in the community, where they’re getting exposed to a lot more viruses. So, I try and bring down the waiting room anxiety and worry."
• (15:04) "Our staff want to serve our patients, and they love that and do that so willingly, but they have to protect themselves. They have to protect their family. And if our staff all get sick, then we’re not going to be able to continue to care for patients. … What we’ve tried to do is really be intentional about including them in the planning and the communication about how we’re dealing with this." 
• (17:26) "It’s so easy to just get swept up in the hysteria. It’s so easy to get swept up in why aren’t people doing more. But if you can show them [patients] gratitude, and if you can lead from the heart and help them, then we’ll talk through it."
• (20:49) "There’s nothing off the table right now, because we just don’t know. It requires a lot more innovation than we’ve ever had to do."

Additional resources:

• MGMA COVID-19 Recovery Center
• MGMA Podcasts: Find all our episodes related to the COVID-19 pandemic
• CDC: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• World Health Organization: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak
• Raising Good Parents: Coronavirus Checkup
• Lincoln Pediatric Group: Coronavirus Tips