By Libby Cluett
lcluett@mineralwellsindex.com

New to the community is Dr. My (pronounced “Me”) Myers, a seemingly energetic 34-year old family practice physician, serving as the first generation hospitalist at Palo Pinto General Hospital.

According to Myers, a hospitalist is a physician who works solely caring for patients in the hospital. She calls this a relatively new concept for in-patient medical care within the past decade or so.

“The thought process is, if a physician is available at all times they can provide better quality care,” she said.

Myers added that hospitalists are typically board-certified specialists in internal medicine, family practice or pediatrics.

The trend is more commonplace in large urban hospitals, according to Myers, who said she was surprised a hospital of PPGH’s size has incorporated a hospitalist program.

CEO Harris Brooks said this type of program is becoming more commonplace in smaller hospitals. The PPGH hospitalist program, which started a year ago, is becoming better received in the community, he added.

Brooks said he sees Myers as a specialist for in-patient care, treating acute illnesses and conditions, versus a primary care physician, who treats the whole, big picture.

While the hospitals gain by having better communication and consistency of care through a hospitalist program, the advantages mostly benefit patients, because “the focus is on hospitalized patients,” said Myers.

Myers, who had a private practice of her own in Florida, said that doctors who treat patients both in the office and in the hospital simultaneously are often limited in their time. She said this can result in delay of care, since those doctors must see patients early in the morning or late in the day, working around office appointments.

Often the delay also affects the patient’s hospital stay, sometimes leaving them in longer than they need to because their doctor cannot see them until after hours.

With a hospitalist, “patients are in and out of the hospital quicker. Things are handled in a more timely manner, patients are seen in a more timely manner and are discharged in a more timely manner,” said Myers.

With a hospitalist, acute issues at PPGH can be taken care of immediately. In her brief time here, Myers has treated a number of cases already, including people with respiratory failure from pneumonia and other pulmonary diseases or congestive heart failure.

“If somebody becomes acutely in respiratory distress, I respond immediately,” said Myers. “If somebody has had a heart attack, I can also respond immediately. Time is of the essence.”



PPGH

Her first formal day as a full time hospitalist was Feb. 25.

“Here I share [responsibilities] with other people,” she said, explaining that for one week she will be the primary person on call and available at all hours; however, the next week she will see patients during the day and another physician will be on call.

“There’s more structure, there is more of a focused obligation and responsibilities aren’t so divided,” said Myers of her new role at PPGH.

“I’m pretty impressed [with the hospital’s] capabilities,” including its magnetic resonance imaging machine, equipment that “not all hospitals have,” according to Myers. She also cited that because of the hospital, the community has orthopedic and cardiovascular surgeons, unlike similar-sized hospitals with no specialized surgeons.

Myers said she is additionally impressed by PPGH’s “Good Intensive Care Unit capabilities.”

Serving as a hospitalist, Myers must “figure out: what [patients] have, how to treat it and how to get them out of the hospital.”

Prior to seeing a patient, she prepares herself by doing research. This includes communicating with the ER, comparing current lab work with past results or reviewing X-rays. After seeing a patient, she will write orders, communicate with nurses, follow up on orders, labs, tests, vital signs on the same day they are ordered.

Additionally, she communicates with other physicians, case workers, social workers and physical therapists to determine the current condition and whether or not a patient is ready to be released.

“It is a very comprehensive process that people aren’t always aware of,” she said of the work done outside the patient’s hospital room.



Oh My, oh my

“We love her,” said Brooks when he was able to officially announce that Myers accepted the position. “I mean love her,” he emphasized.

During her interview for this article, she garnered similar comments from a fellow staff member who was passing by and praise from physician colleagues.

Not only is she “clinically competent” according to Brooks, “She’s easy to get along with, communicates well, is sensible and reasonable and enjoyable to work with.”

“She came two days after Christmas for a working interview and meshed well with the staff, referring primary care physicians and referring surgeons,” he added.

Myers, born in Vietnam, grew up in Florida. She received her medical degree from Tulane University in New Orleans, La., and her residency from the University of South Florida.

She practiced as a “traditional primary care physician” in the St. Petersburg/Tampa area, where she saw patients in the office and in four hospitals.

So, why did a physician who likes to scuba dive move from the Florida coast to Mineral Wells?

Myers quickly provided several factors that contributed to her decision, including “cost of living” and the fact that “Texas is one of the most physician-friendly states.”

In Texas, physicians are “paid better and malpractice [insurance] is cheaper” Myers said, citing that she was quoted $23,000 annually for medical malpractice insurance in Florida, versus $3,500 here.

“We thought long and hard,” she said, ultimately deciding to sell her Florida practice, a “24/7 commitment,” and come here.

Her husband of two years, Steven, recently sold a software company he developed, which matched paint for the automotive industry, similar to household paint-matching programs used at hardware stores.

Another advantage for both of them, “There is a good group of young professionals, a 30-something crowd, affiliated with the hospital,” Myers said of a group of about 10 colleagues they have socialized with outside of work.

Other than scuba diving, Mineral Wells provides the Myerses with extracurricular activities.

My Myers said the two, “Love to eat and eat out a lot.” They also enjoy running and have started taking dancing lessons. Her favorite — Salsa and Latin dancing.

One final advantage of living here, Myers cites, is that she and her husband closed in December on “a beautiful house on the bluff. We’re hoping to have a family,” she quickly added.

Her overall impression of her first months in Mineral Wells: “Surprisingly, the community is a lot more open-minded than most would expect and is very receptive,” she concluded.