Holiday Season Is Here! Here Is A Quick Tip Of Safety.
I love December! It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.
 
I have fond memories of the holiday season, especially since it’s a time to not only catch up with family, but friends as well through dinners, parties, informal get-togethers and maybe even a vacation.
 
Physicians First Messages wants to encourage you to make the most of this holiday season, especially if you’re going to take part in one or more of the aforementioned functions over the next few weeks.
 
But we’d also like to remind you to please celebrate the holiday season responsibly … for the sake of your well-being and others. 

Specifically speaking,  we implore you to never drink and drive, no matter how careful you might think you are. For various reasons, conditions on the road are already borderline dangerous at times, so why make matters worse when you can hurt yourself, or more importantly, someone else.
 
Furthermore, is it worth the embarrassment of getting yourself in trouble with the law should you get pulled over and fail a sobriety test?
 
Come on, you know the answer to that!
 
Here’s a couple of cold, hard facts about the dangers of driving drunk, according to the website about.com:
1.   Motor vehicle wrecks are the leading cause of death in the U.S. for persons under 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Reports. And of those deaths, more than 40 percent are alcohol-related.
2. An estimated 40 percent of all persons in the U.S. will be involved in a traffic mishap blamed on alcohol at some point in their lives.
3. A driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.10 or greater is seven times more likely to be involved in a fatal motor vehicle crash than is a driver who has not consumed alcoholic beverages. And, that a driver with an alcohol concentration of 0.15 or greater is about 25 times more likely.

Basically, the more you drink, the more likely you are to have an accident, and a fatal one.
 
Bottom line is, play it smart this holiday season. If you’re going out and planning to drink, bring a designated driver, plan to take car service or get on a bus … whatever it takes.
 
Physicians First Messages would love to see everyone play it safe during the holidays and beyond. You owe it to yourself, your family, your friends and society in general.
 
Won’t you please do your part?

Sincerely,

John Calhoun
CEO, President @ Physicians First Messages, Inc.

Floats, football, feasting with Family and Friends!
All of us here at Physicians First Messages wish all of you a safe and memorable holiday.
May your turkey be plump and juicy and your pie be endless and sweet!

This Veterans Day, Physicians First Messages would like to thank all our nation's veterans with a few simple and timeless words of appreciation:

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” - President John Fitzgerald Kennedy

For all you've given us, Thank You.

Sure, not every doctor today has the life like the one depicted above: a scene that could be taken out of a Hollywood emergency room. However, here at Physicians First Messages we know all too well from nearly 30 years of working with medical practices that every doctor faces challenges in their careers, and often they are challenges that can be managed! 

​Our friends at StaffCare know what you're going through as well, and observe "​Today’s physicians are juggling a number of obstacles and challenges, despite their devotion to the practice of medicine and the health of their patients."

Here's a list of some of the top challenges facing physicians today, along with some tips in overcoming them:

1. Less time with patients

According to a 2016 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, physicians spent just 27 percent of an average day or shift with patients, while nearly 50 percent of their day was spent on electronic health records and other “desk work”. 

From AAPA, the American Academy of PAs:
Every year from October 6-12, we celebrate National PA Week, which recognizes the PA profession and its contributions to the nation’s health.
This week is also an opportunity to raise awareness and visibility of the profession. Before it was a weeklong event, National PA Day was first celebrated on October 6, 1987, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the first graduating class of PAs from the Duke University PA program. October 6 is also the birthday of the profession’s founder, Eugene A. Stead, Jr., MD.

​Let's hear it for our hardworking PAs!

We shall Never Forget the dark day visited on America 17 years ago, nor those loved ones and friends we lost in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the four planes. #GodBlessAmerica

It's not work when you #lovewhatyoudo.

Did you know that the average HIPAA Violation costs upwards of $50,000 and can frequently include over a year in prison? With the continued changes being implemented to the current regulations violations not only continue but are on the rise, with random audits increasing as well. Physicians First Messages is here with a friendly reminder to not put off ensuring that your practice is not only compliant but is constantly apprised of the ever changing laws regarding HIPAA and HITECH Act. After all, there's no better time than now.  

And if your facility is already up to date on the regulations, you can still be in violation if you or someone in your practice makes any one of these very common HIPAA mistakes. 

The violation could be as simple as leaving your personal device unattended & unlocked, using public Wi-Fi networks,  having your work computer be susceptible to malware, or staff members that gossip about patients to friends and family. But even these seemingly minor mistakes can be enormously costly for a medical practice.

Here at Physicians First Messages we have taken steps to ensure that we are also in continuous compliance with the HIPAA HITECH regulations, especially in our system's transition to transmitting only over secured messaging for all text messages, so rest assured we've got your patients' privacy covered for you and your staff from this end.