Tryon Medical Partners Team News
January 2020
Reflections: How Far Tryon Medical Has Come
By Caroline Lee Wilds, MD
As we start the blank slate of 2020, I consider the journey that Tryon Medical Partners has traveled thus far. We have gone from a concept to an organization with eight office locations, an outpatient GI endoscopy center and three infusion offices with over 500 team partners. The contributions from everyone that helped to create this company have been tremendous. We care for a significant portion of the Charlotte population with strong relationships in primary care and seven subspecialties, with the recent addition of rheumatology. We are proud to support other independent physicians in the community, working closely with them and our new friends, Gaston Medical Partners. 

But with all our accomplishments, we know that there is need for improvement. It is tough to balance caution and excitement, innovation and tradition. We continue to learn and change in order to make progress. And yet, one thing must remain the same. Our culture. Our spirit of collaboration and caring – both for our patients and for each other. If we keep this at the center, TMP will not only succeed, we will thrive.
Tryon Team News From Human Resources
W2s will be mailed to team partners by January 31, 2020.

Editing and Updating Payroll:
Do you want to add or edit your banking information for payroll?  Click here for tips on how to do this in Tryon Medical's self-service platform.
Tryon teamwear? Cell phone discount forms?
It's all on the  Tryon Staff Portal .
New Year's Resolutions Resources
New Year, New You

It’s always among the top resolution: Lose weight. Eat healthy. Exercise more. What is the best way to reach your goal?

PARE DOWN YOUR LIST
  • Make no more than one or two resolutions or goals.
 
FIND YOUR MOTIVATION
  • Your why will help you keep going. Write it down where you can see it. 
 
START SMALL
  • Focus on one small change at a time.

Mental Health Resolutions

When thinking about a New Year's resolution, it is helpful to choose an objective that can be successfully reached.

The amount of weight lost or money saved is easily measured, but what if you want to make a mental health resolution, like stress management or reduction, anxiety control, or just to live happier? Instead of making a vague list of what you want to change, ask yourself three simple questions: what, why, and how? 

Think Outside the "New Year's Resolutions" Box
By Ryan Shelton, MD

Most of us commit to eating better or losing weight around this time of year, but there are many different ways to improve your health.
Ask your doctor to help you stop smoking.
Speak with your doctor to help you create an actual plan with regular check-ins. If you have the right kind of relationship with your doctor, he or she will help keep you accountable without making you feel bad if you falter. (A doctor should always be part of a smoking cessation plan if you have emphysema or COPD.)

Dream of a different resolution - better sleep.
You will sleep more soundly if you avoid electronics and video games at least one hour before bedtime. Drinking caffeine and alcohol within several hours of bedtime can interfere with your sleep quality too. The easiest way to improve your sleep? Get more of it by committing to an earlier bedtime.

Practice meditation or mindfulness.
Meditation has been scientifically shown to decrease stress and anxiety, and may also lower blood pressure and reduce age-related memory loss. If meditation is out of your comfort zone, learn more about mindfulness. It’s a great way to be more present when you are spending time with your family.
EAP is a Tryon Medical Partners sponsored benefit that offers support and resources for personal and work-related challenges and concerns. They are available 24/7 at 800-633-3353.
Go to  mygroup.com   / click on My Portal Login / Work-Life /
Username: tryon  Password: guest
Tryon Medical Partners News
Tryon Medical Partners' CEO Dr. Dale Owen Featured in Bloomberg News

Tryon Medical Partners' CEO, Dr. Dale Owen, has been featured in Bloomberg News' Prognosis Podcast, a new series on the current state of American healthcare. Dr. Owen is featured on Part Two of the podcast entitle d " The Doctor, the Patient, and Everything in Between ." Give it a listen!
Rheumatology Now Offered at TMP Huntersville
Dr. Alison Johnson is practicing rheumatology in Huntersville and SouthPark. (Rheumatologists Dr. Diane George and Dr. Jill Zouzoulas practice at the Ballantyne and SouthPark offices.)

Rheumatologists treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gout, lupus, Sjogren's syndrome, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, vasculitis, myositis, mixed connective tissue disease and polymyalgia rheumatica, to name a few.
Compliance 101 Quiz: What do you know?
By Wynona Raby, JD

Be the first to submit your correct answers! Teams of two may submit two answers, but no one may be on more than one team. Send your answer via email to  compliance@tryonmed.com .

1.   The primary federal law pertaining to medical information privacy is:
  • a. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
  • b. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
  • c. Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH)
  • d. All of the above
  • e. None of the above
 
2. What is PHI?
  • a. Protected Health Identifier
  • b. Patient Health Insurance
  • c. Protected Health Information
  • d. Privacy Health Information
 
3. HIPAA is needed for:
  • a. Protection of personal health information and our rights with respect to that information and to prevent fraud abuse
  • b. Ability to provide health insurance to everyone and cut the cost of insurance
  • c. Improvement of the economy in the United States and to eliminate the need for healthcare insurance
  • d. Prevention of infections and to lower the cost of prescription drugs
  • e. None of the above
 
4. The HITECH acronym means Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act.
  • a. True
  • b. False
 
5. Protected Health Information, PHI, can include which of the following:
  • a. Name
  • b. Date of birth
  • c. Medical record number
  • d. Message or issue
  • e. Diagnosis
  • f. Admission date, time and reason
  • g. All of the above
 
6. The HIPAA Privacy Rule protects all electronic, verbal and written PHI .
  • a. True
  • b. False
Be Sure to Share the T+ Love
If a patient tells you about a "T+ moment," encourage them to share their positive experience by filling out a T+ card and putting it in the marked boxes at each practice. Good things happen when team partners help one another get the recognition we deserve.
Team Partners: New and on the Move
We welcome new team partners and others making moves within the practice.
Live Answer
Connor Clavijo
Michelle Powell
 
ASC
Svetla Vetter
 
Ballantyne
Tricia Norman
 
COAG Team
Doshia Newell
 
SouthPark 6
Sandra Queen
SouthPark 8
Aisha Lulendo
 
Uptown
Erica Brandon
Tracy Hughes
Do you know someone who would make a great
Tryon Medical team partner?  Spread the word .