For too many physicians, primary care practice feels like a shoe that just doesn’t fit. Like bewitched sisters in the children’s story, Cinderella, they’re cutting off parts of their feet in order to fit the shoes they believe they must wear.

Perhaps you’re among those doctors who are all but killing themselves to keep the clinic lights on, seeing 30 patients a day on an insurance-driven treadmill. You barely have time to talk to your patients, let alone practice comprehensive, relationship-based preventive medicine.

You keep lopping off toes, hoping that one day the shoe will finally fit.

The good news is there are other shoes to choose from! You can find them at Heal Thy Practice: Transforming Primary Care. Our 2010 conference, scheduled for June 10-13, at the beautiful Ballantyne Hotel in Charlotte, NC.  We will explore an array of different practice models that enable doctors to practice high-quality, comprehensive, holistic primary care—models that fit the kind of practice you really want to have.

You’ll learn about direct-pay fee-for-service and concierge care, condition-specific group visits, nutrition based medicine, medicolegal aspects of integrative practice, marketing strategies, the potential of healthcare IT, and many other aspects of practice-building. Most importantly, you’ll meet physician colleagues who’ve stepped off the treadmill and are successfully practicing the way they always dreamed of practicing.

“We got such positive feedback from those who were at our first Heal Thy Practice in Tucson last June, we knew we had to do another one,” says Meg Sinclair, conference producer. “The energy was fantastic, and attendees said they were learning as much from each other as from the lecture sessions. It was wonderful to see. One physician told us that he wished there had been a conference like this 20 years ago when he first started out in practice.”

The 2010 program chairman is Brian Forrest, MD, a fee-for-service family physician in Apex, NC, who was one of the most popular speakers at our 2009 conference. Dr. Forrest’s “Access Healthcare” model is clear proof that direct-pay practice can improve quality of care as well as physician quality of life, all the while staying within reach even of patients with very modest means. By eliminating insurance, you eliminate a huge amount of practice overhead. Dr. Forrest will show you how, and he will also be on hand for a special Q & A intensive.

The Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model will be a key theme at the 2010 conference. This model, which promises significant per-patient, per-month fees to qualifying physicians on top of standard office visit fees, is corporate America’s attempt to foster the sort of comprehensive, relationship-centered primary care its employees sorely need. PCMH also has strong political buy-in from Democrats and Republicans alike (see the Fall 2009 edition of Holistic Primary Care for a feature on PCMH).

PCMH creates an excellent platform for integrative care, but qualifying for Medical Home status can be challenging. Terry McGeeney, MD, MBA, CEO of TransforMED, will deliver a keynote outlining the core principles of PCMH, and strategies for making the transition and obtaining Medical Home designation. TransforMED, a subsidiary of the American Academy of Family Physicians, is a consultancy service dedicated to helping primary care doctors implement the new PCMH model.

Dr. McGeeney has nearly 30 years of experience in family medicine. He spent more than a decade in rural solo practice where he practiced the full spectrum of family medicine. He’s also logged 15 years as medical director of a large multi-specialty group.

A strong advocate of holistic and integrative approaches, Dr. McGeeney said he receives literally hundreds of requests to speak each year, and turns down most. But he was attracted by the core values of Heal Thy Practice. He believes that the PCMH approach is an excellent option for holistically-minded doctors who are looking for viable ways to practice truly preventive medicine.

Stephen Masley, MD, clinician, nutritionist, researcher, and gourmet chef, has been at the forefront of nutrition-based medicine for the better part of 20 years. His lively, scientific yet practical clinical nutrition updates are consistent sell-outs at national primary care conferences, and his Masley Optimal Health Center in St. Petersburg, FL, is a model of state-of-the-art holistic care.

Dr. Masley will offer one of his popular “Cutting Edge Nutrition for Primary Care” talks, as well as a separate talk on the business aspects of nutrition-based care.

David Nace, MD, vice president and chief medical officer at McKesson Health Solutions, Malvern, PA, is one of the nation’s thought leaders on electronic health records and health care information technology. A passionate advocate of the PCMH model, his area of expertise is in how to leverage the potential of information systems to improve patient care, reduce errors, rebuild patient-physician relationships and—believe it or not—make life easier.
Dr. Nace’s keynote will cover current and future directions in information technology for primary care practice.

Grace L. Keenan, MD, director of the NOVA Medical Group, Ashburn, VA, and the chairwoman of the first “Heal Thy Practice” conference, will provide a nuts & bolts counterpoint to Dr. Nace’s big picture vision, offering lessons learned from her 10-years’ experience digitizing her integrative practice.

Alan Dumoff, JD, an attorney from Gaithersburg, MD, and another popular speaker from our first conference, will be on hand to address medicolegal matters in integrative medicine, with updates on emerging statutes, new precedents, and fast-moving legal issues you’ll want to keep an eye on.

These are just a few of the highlights of our 2010 program, which like last year, will offer category I CME credits. A few of the lectures will likely qualify for AAFP “evidence-based” double credit. 

At Heal Thy Practice we try and practice what we preach, so healthy, hearty food is a key feature of our conference. The Ballantyne’s chef and catering staff are committed to purchasing and preparing local, organic produce, and they will work closely with us to provide conference meals that will be as nutritious as they are sumptuous.

The Ballantyne is renowned for its world class PGA golf course, and it’s lovely wooded setting. It’s close to downtown Charlotte, and there are lots of nearby options for family fun. We’ve taken our 2009 attendees’ feedback to heart and scheduled more R&R time into the program, so you’ll be able to take advantage of all that The Ballantyne and greater Charlotte have to offer.

Heal Thy Practice began as a vision that real health care reform could begin with doctors and patients working together to restore the bond of trust, the therapeutic alliance that should never have been broken. Real change will occur when we reestablish the values of prevention and health promotion as the central tenet of medical practice.

The wisdom and know-how for creating better health care are out there, in the hearts and minds of doctors who’ve done it. Heal Thy Practice is a forum for sharing that wisdom, exchanging best practices, and enjoying a few days of inspiration and good company. We hope you’ll join us in Charlotte in 2010! For more information visit: https://www.holisticprimarycare.net/.