A Season of Appreciation
Reflecting on 2020
Jeffrey Sassmannshausen, MD
Another month has passed. And, wow, what a year it has been. This pandemic has been a challenge. The one thing that has been consistent throughout the year is that our patients still have medical conditions. They still have cancers. They still get rashes. They still need to have labs monitored as the medications that are prescribed could lead to serious problems. While steps must be taken in order to remain safe, care still must be given in the office.
I have been very proud of my team at Three Rivers Dermatology. They have been always positive even when the numbers of sick patients increased. They always worked to help our patients. Through phone calls, video calls, in-person contact, they made sure that medications were delivered, labs were obtained and that referring offices were kept in the loop.
At the front desk, trying hard to keep a smile in their eyes, the young women tried to keep the lines moving despite the difficulties with communicating through a mask and a plexiglass shield. To the ladies at Windy Ridge Skin Care Centre, a huge high five. Skin care is still important. Educating the guest is imperative. The billing department kept on top of the insurance claims as many companies were not fully staffed and denials for our patients claims have increased. (We reversed most of them!) The nursing staff were kept on their toes. Understaffed most of the time as the schools had many children quarantining, they worked their tails off keeping the patient flow moving. This on top of the many challenging conditions we treat in the office which require much more time to figure out. The call center was always ready to help. Sometimes, the phones never stopped ringing as people were uncertain if they needed to, or wanted to, come into the office. To all of you, a gigantic thank you from the bottom of my heart. It was all of you who kept the office running.
To our patients, thank you for trusting us with your care. Sometimes we have no choice but to ask you to come into the office to have your condition treated. The trust you have put in us to keep you safe is appreciated. We will continue to be here for you as we enter the new year. Our main focus will always be patient care.
What are my expectations for 2021? Life will eventually return to normal. It will take time but, in the end, I am looking forward to once again going to a full restaurant, seeing movies, and having a celebration party with the team of Three Rivers Dermatology.
