Local medical practice wins major industry award

8 Oct 2007 8:07 AM -

Medicine On Second, a general practice with a flagship centre in Maroochydore and another in Forest Glen, has been awarded The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ (RACGP) Queensland General Practice of the Year Award for 2007.

The General Practice of the Year Award is a highly prestigious award in the medical industry and recognises the outstanding work of general practices; the commitment of the practice to accreditation; the standard of facilities offered to patients and staff; and the services offered to the local community.

The medical practice has had a significant impact on the medical community because of its well appointed premises, prime location and it’s ever expanding e range of general practice and allied health services it offers.

Medicine on Second’s partners Dr Michael Ryan and Dr Roger Morris say all the hard work the staff and doctors have put into the centre over the last few months have been worth it.

“We’ve really tried to position ourselves as an innovative, modern medical practice with lots of points of difference in the market and we think this is why we have been recognised with the award. This has meant being proactive rather than reactive about the way we care for our patients and the facilities we offer and at times pushing boundaries because of course our industry is highly regulated and there are many restrictions on what we can and can’t do. But when we’re recognised with an award like this, it all seems worthwhile!”

Practice Manager Nicky Jardine says even with the award in hand, the centre will continue to strive towards excellence and to maintain an “edge” in the market.

“Even with the accolade we still have room for more patients and will continue to offer our same day policy where in most cases you can call us and see a doctor on the same day,” she says.

Medicine in Second have some exciting plans afoot for the future with an al fresco area to be established outside the premises in Maroochydore where patients waiting for appointments can enjoy complimentary coffee and biscuits while they wait for the doctor, and an extensive allied health building due to be opened at the back of the centre by the end of the year. The allied health centre will provide the Sunshine Coast community with a full wellness/health precinct right in the heart of Maroochydore, effectively becoming the biggest health facility in the area.

For more information about the practice see: www.medicineonsecond.com.au.

EDITOR NOTES

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners is responsible for maintaining standards for quality clinical practice, education and training, and research in Australian general practice. The RACGP has the largest general practitioner membership of any medical organisation in Australia, with the majority of Australia's general practitioners belonging to their professional college. Over 22,000 general practitioners are members of the RACGP Continuing Professional Development Program. The RACGP National Rural Faculty, representing more than 5000 members, has the largest rural general practitioner membership of any medical organisation in Australia. For more information see their website: http://www.racgp.org.au

HISTORY OF THE PRACTICE

Founded in Ocean Street, Maroochydore in 1991 by Dr Michael Ryan, the practice initially was small and Dr Ryan offered his own after hours care, nursing home visits and contributed extensively to the commuinity of the Sunshine Coast.

In 1995 Dr Ryan was joined by husband and wife team Dr Peter Hodgkinson and Dr Lina Pisasale and the practice was relocated to larger premises at Plaza Central, 31-33 Plaza Parade Maroochydore soon after. Expansion of the practice continued when these doctors were joined by Dr Roger Morris in 1999 who soon after became a partner.

In 2002, Plaza Central Family Practice merged with Cotton Tree Medical Centre, formerly owned by well known Maroochydore GP, Dr Kevin Barker. Since then, the practice has grown in size and popularity to its present compliment of eleven experienced and well-trained medical practitioners, thus requiring the relocation of what was formerly known as Plaza Central Family Practice, to larger, purpose built premises now called Medicine on Second. A second practice was opened at Forest Glen in February 2007 and the Maroochydore practice is now part of the new multi-disciplinary wellness precinct which currently includes an allied health building, a pharmacy, and shortly a pathology and radiology.

KEY POINTS OF DIFFERENCE ON OFFER FROM MEDICINE ON SECOND

• Fresh coffee! Patients who fancy a cuppa while they’re visiting our Maroochydore surgery can enjoy a hot brew from our self-serving machine. All we ask is that you pop a donation in the charity box near the machine which we will donate entirely to one of our chosen charities. Biscuits are also available, and complimentary.
   
• Reminder System - We know in the busy world we live in it can be difficult to remember appointments for ourselves or other family members. That’s why we have in place a computerized recall system. Our patients are reminded to attend the surgery for an appointment by letter or email...just in case they forget!
   
• Minimal waiting times - Nobody likes to be kept waiting. Our staff are all aware of this and we have dedicated patient co-coordinators who monitor the patients in the waiting areas, offer refreshments and keep the patient informed of any delays.
   
• Gaining regular patient feedback - A member of staff phones patients after procedures and after their initial consultation to check on our service delivery. This is correlated and feedback given to GP’s and staff on a fortnightly basis.
   
• We offer a nice place to visit - When you visit our surgeries you’ll notice that they are new, modern, air conditioned premises, with local art works on the walls and music playing in the background. There’s also a plasma TV hooked up to a cable network. No sterile, ambient void premises for us! Our premises are also well lit, clean and spacious.
   
• Same day policy - If a patient is unwell enough to call us, we know they’ll want to see a doctor right away. That’s why we have a same day policy. No matter what, we’ll make sure patients are able to see a doctor on the same day. The appointment may not be with their usual doctor, and a wider variety of available times will be disclosed dependent on the time of day we are first notified of their desire to book an appointment, but we always do our best to accommodate our patient’s unique needs.
   
• Magazines - No more boring magazine issues from a decade ago. We try to always ensure that we have a diverse selection of relatively new magazines for our patients to enjoy. We also offer a complimentary photocopying service should anyone wish to photocopy a recipe or other item of interest within the magazine so that they remain in tact for the next patient to enjoy.
   
• Family friendly - A designated play area is available for children complete with an array of kid-proof toys. A babies changing area is available in the toilet areas in the main corridor. Most of our staff have children of their own and will do all that they can to make visits to the doctor a stress-free experience.
   
• Brochures and videos - We have many brochures and videos available for perusal and to advocate the importance of public health education. Patients are made aware via signage and our marketing materials that anything they require which is not available can be ordered in. Videos are also available to borrow. In addition information sheets are provided to patients on a regular basis where relevant. These may include information on the flu, chickenpox or even the measles epidemic in Japan!
   
• Facilities for people with a disability - Our practice is designed for wheelchair access.
   
• A team of female and male doctors – We understand that is important to find a doctor that you ‘connect’ with and feel comfortable to freely communicate any health issues you may be having. That’s why we’ve got a diverse range of doctors heralding from different countries, of different ages, and specialising in different disciplines. If you're from a non-English speaking background, we have one doctor who can speak five different languages!
   
• Staff training – Staff attend regular training, seminars and workshops to ensure their skills are up to date and also the hope of bringing new ideas to the practice.