Neponset’s Family Practice: Quality, comprehensive care, the way medicine was meant to be delivered

Eleni Kontogli

In the U.S., family medicine was established as a specialty in 1969. Immigrant populations were familiar with the concept and many embraced it, as the practice of family medicine reminded them of their own familiar experiences in their countries of origin.

Now, 36 years later, this model of care has become very popular with both families and individuals. In 2006, one in four office visits were made to family practitioners.

The American Academy of Family Physicians defines family medicine as “the medical specialty which provides continuing, comprehensive health care for the individual and family. It is a specialty in breadth that integrates the biological, clinical and behavioral sciences. The scope of family medicine encompasses all ages, both sexes, each organ system and every disease entity.”

Family providers focus not only on the health of the individual, but also the health of the family. There are no restrictions in terms of patients’ ages, and practitioners are trained to diagnose and address all types of health care issues. Our belief at Neponset Health Center’s Family Practice department is that the health of a family can be enhanced when all of its members see one single primary care provider.

Studies have indicated that this is not only a popular method of care, but a cost-effective one as well — Americans can save over $60 billion in medical costs by having access to primary care.

Family providers offer a more personalized approach to treatment, with the patient taking center stage. The care a patient receives is more integrative and proactive, with the provider acting as both medical expert and care coordinator to deliver seamless healing. It allows the patient to access services, treatment and knowledge necessary to live a healthier life and effectively manage chronic diseases.

Last December, we at Neponset upgraded our information systems and began transitioning to an electronic health record system. The Family Practice department, as well as all other Neponset Health Center clinical departments, incorporate this tool in improving the quality of care delivered, reducing medical errors and allowing for rapid access to information needed for patient care. There are no more missed labs, your visit is well-documented, and the system provides ways to precisely track requirements for health maintenance, from immunization schedules to the long term care of diabetes and other chronic diseases. The tool allows practitioners to access patient medical information in a safe and confidential mode and still meet the highest standards for patient center care.

Less than a year since opening, the Neponset Health Center Family Practice has provided state-of-the-art care to over 2,000 families, with more than 5,000 individual visits thus far this year. As the caseload increases each month, we are hiring new providers to meet the demand and respond to the communities we serve. Recently, we worked closely with major birthing hospitals to increase the number of newborn babies we see, and we are working closely with our Women’s Health Department to provide seamless care for our new moms, from conception to birth and beyond.

The Neponset Health Center Family Providers are part of a large clinical and administrative team that follows and adheres to tested processes and procedures that lead to improvements in the quality of care our patients receive. The care delivered is the sum of individual disciplines and professionals coming together, including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurse case managers, behaviorists, clinical pharmacists, health educators and nutritionists, brilliantly orchestrated by a single point provider — the Family Practitioner.

To make an appointment for yourself, your children or an elderly parent, please call 617-282-3200 and ask for an appointment with one of our family practitioners.

Eleni Kontogli, M.B.A., M.Ed., is the director of marketing for Neponset Health Center, a division of Harbor Health Services Inc.