Detroit Doctor Discusses the Importance of Health Communication
Detroit doctor discusses health Communication and Health literacy
This week, we had a great interview with SHANKX Web Development about the importance of Health Communication. We believe that health communication is at the core of better health outcomes. When doctors and patients can communicate seamlessly, questions are asked and answered that leads to a better understanding of symptoms, diagnoses, and treatment options.
For us, health communication is super important, and it starts with developing trusting relationships with our patients. When we have trusting relationships and open lines of communication - text messages, emails, phone calls, video chats - we can truly help our patients understand their symptoms, our diagnoses, and the best way forward in terms of treatment and management.
Further, in communities like Detroit with lower levels of health literacy, excellent communication becomes even more important.
I got to meet Shankar Poncelet and Antrea Ferguson at a recent Direct Primary Care conference and we discussed this topic at that time, and they wanted to follow up with a deeper dive. We decided to engage in an Instagram Live discussion, which went well other than the poor sound quality on my end. I hope you enjoy the conversation!
recognizing national health literacy month
Here’s what they had to say: In light of National Health Literacy Month, we were joined by Dr. Paul Thomas MD of Plum Health, a Direct Primary Care Physician who runs a novel Direct Primary Care clinic in Detroit.
With three doctors and two locations of Plum Health already established, and a fourth doctor joining the Plum Health team in February 2021, Dr. Thomas shares how social media and the DPC model have been "primary" drivers of growth.
Literacy takes two distinct faces in our talk with Dr. Thomas:
Educating the patient community in Detroit about the alternatives available to them when it comes to accessing health care that TRULY serves their needs
Educating doctors and the broader medical community about how to harness the power of social media to not only build your personal brand but actually perform outreach in under-served communities and share the ways in which medical professionals can SERVE their patients
For more on Dr. Thomas's practice, Plum Health DPC, visit our website here.
If you’d like to sign up to be a patient of Plum Health DPC, you can enroll here.
If you're a medical professional looking to start your own successful DPC practice, be sure to check out Dr. Thomas's book, Startup DPC: How To Start And Grow Your Direct Primary Care Practice.