Author: Amanda Brummitt

Amanda Brummitt

10 Years of Building The Brummitt Group Family: Metro Anesthesia

In Fall of 2010, The Brummitt Group had just celebrated our second birthday and was plugging along with three employees.  We were working on projects for many clients, including the first three that we’ve talked about in previous posts.

And then, Doug Welch called.  As you may recall from the first post in this series, Doug has a knack for making phone calls that change the course. 🙂 He was the CEO of Medical City Lewisville.   The phone call went something like this:

Doug: My anesthesia practice is looking for a CEO/COO with strong recruiting and business development skills.  I know you are doing your own thing, but I think you’d be great if you are interested.

Amanda: I’m flattered you thought of me, but I love what I’m doing.  I’m working in my pajamas right now.  Why would I ever give that up?

Doug: They are really good docs and I think you’d like them.  Will you just do me a favor and meet with them?  If you end up not being interested, then maybe you can help them find someone.

Amanda: Sure, I can do that.

Amanda met with Norm Rice, MD and Stephen Ellis, MD of Metro Anesthesia a few weeks later.  She was impressed with the doctors and felt like it could be a great project, but wasn’t willing to give up The Brummitt Group.  She pitched to them a consulting gig.  They countered with going through the interview process and then only considering a consulting gig if she didn’t want to work directly for the group after that.  Clever guys!  She interviewed with their Management Committee and it was a great fit.

She’s still not sure how she got talked into it, but Amanda accepted a full-time position as their Chief Operating Officer!  They did agree to allow her to continue with The Brummitt Group.  It was a wonderful experience that stretched her skills, taught her a ton about hospital-based practices, and deepened her knowledge of anesthesia, revenue cycle management, and operations.

She got to work on a public education campaign with other large anesthesia groups about why you might want a Physician Anesthesiologist for your care, DoctorByYourSide.org.  She helped Metro produce their first press releases and improve their marketing materials.

She worked with the group to formalize many of their operating practices, negotiate hospital and payor contracts, improve their Requests for Proposal, and managed the day-to-day operations of the practice with the help of a great internal team, many who grew in their positions!

I knew a lot about anesthesia as it pertained to patient-care and hospitals, but nothing about how they got paid, how they scheduled, and daily operations.  I think I learned the most from Dr. Rice’s drawings.  He would create these elaborate charts by hand and run the numbers on staffing/revenue/anything else you needed on hand or in his head!  So smart!!  Of course, I needed it all in Excel.  But, I had to learn the why before I could learn the how.  Putting Dr. Rice’s brilliant plans into Excel formulas/charts was a great way to learn!  After just a few months, I could build sophisticated models…and learned quickly because he started with the why.  – Amanda

A little over a year into it, Amanda was loving Metro, but felt like she wasn’t giving enough of herself to The Brummitt Group.  It’s hard to do two jobs well, and it took losing a key employee at The Brummitt Group for her to see this.  With much sadness, Amanda resigned her position at Metro, or at least attempted to.  Apparently, the relationship had come full circle.  Richard Haldeman, MD countered with a consulting gig!

Amanda gladly accepted the offer to continue her operational/strategic responsibilities, and The Brummitt Group enthusiastically assumed many ongoing and as-needed responsibilities at Metro including launching a Facebook page, graphic design, printing, press releases, and website updating/design.

The Brummitt Group team worked closely with the Metro Marketing Committee, led at the time by Jenni Germany, MD and Jamie Sunny, MD.  Dr. Germany, Dr. Sunny, Dalia, and Amanda freshened up Metro’s logo and created a new identity package, launched a new website, created their first Facebook page, and first Twitter profile.  There were also many event invitations, holiday cards, brochures, and sign creations.

We had a blast working with the Metro team on everything from quality initiatives to patient satisfaction to branding and even revenue cycle management with the awesome folks from abeo!

And, they are some of our very favorite anesthesiologists!  You only want the best putting you to sleep…and we trust Metro Anesthesia.

medical logo
Amanda Brummitt

10 Years of Building The Brummitt Group Family: Surgical Group of North Texas

In February of 2009, we got a call from Dr. Ed Clifford of Irving-Coppell Surgical Associates that they were adding a new physician (Dr. Shahid Shafi, who is now their CEO), opening a new office, in the process of becoming Surgical Group of North Texas, and needed help marketing all of it.  Amanda had the pleasure of working with Dr. Clifford and his partners (Dr. Sina Matin and Dr. Julio Rivera) when at Medical City Las Colinas, so she knew they were great physicians that would be a good fit for The Brummitt Group.

We kicked off with a strategic plan and marketing campaign focused around the new office, new physician, and new brand.  Since that time, we’ve organized Open Houses, facilitated outreach campaigns, done photo shoots, assisted with operational and strategic decisions, developed press releases, and created countless print and web advertisements.

These projects have been accomplished with help from the surgeons and staff, as well as many other vendors.  We like to brag that we “play well with others,” and Surgical Group of North Texas is a fantastic example of that.  Level 2, Frontier Marketing, Expio, HomeKey Studios, McEwen & Associates, Schwenn & Associates, AlphaGraphics, Ultimate Bariatrics, and The Press Group are just a few of the folks that we’ve worked beside for Surgical Group of North Texas.  In fact, we are very aware of what we do really well and what others do better so we never hesitate to work with others who can balance our strengths with theirs.

Over the years, we’ve seen the group grow to seven surgeons, add additional service lines and niche specialties, build their own building, hire Dr. Shahid Shafi as their Chief Executive Officer, and continue to set the bar for surgical services in North Texas.  They provide excellent patient care at eight locations and counting across the DFW metroplex.  And our own team, family and friends can vouch for their amazing care.

Surgical Group of North Texas remains a client today, and we are thrilled to have witnessed their exciting growth.  We just love working with them.

Amanda Brummitt

10 Years of Building The Brummitt Group Family: Tuscan Cardiovascular Center

Dr. J. Douglas Overbeck was our second client, and we’ve had a blast working with him for the last 10 years!  Around the same time that The Brummitt Group was forming, Dr. Overbeck was joining Medical & Surgical Clinic of Irving.  He had the concept of Tuscan Cardiovascular Center – a beautiful office (decorated by his talented wife) and one of the best Cardiologists with a solid reputation for over 20 years (himself).  He just needed someone to help tell his story.

Tuscan Cardiovascular Center Identity Package

We used his beautiful office as inspiration for a color palette and teamed up with Sage Island for design services to build a logo, identity, and brand.  Since then, we’ve worked with Dr. Overbeck on a myriad of projects from rolling out endovascular laser therapy and radiofrequency ablation for varicose veins to opening satellite offices in Stephenville and Granbury.  We’ve helped set up screenings, created and managed advertising campaigns, built a website, streamlined forms, produced press releases, managed article publications, photo shoots, and scheduled speaking engagements.

Photo Shoot with Freeman Photography – The beautiful Donna Castro

Through Dr. Overbeck, we also got to know the amazing team at Medical & Surgical Clinic of Irving (recently changed to Baylor Scott & White Medical & Surgical CIinic Irving) including Jeff Duke and Lynne Hollyfield.  Jeff and Lynne really set the bar for practice administration!  They run a lean, efficient, and patient-centered organization.  It’s been our pleasure to work on outreach projects in Ophthalmology, Neurology, Pain Management, Pediatrics, ObGyn, Nephrology, and Endocrinology with them, as well as press releases, advertising, brochures, and social media.

In a very kind Facebook review, Jeff Duke said, “We have appreciated the excellent work from Amanda and her team at The Brummitt Group for many years. They consistently deliver timely and effective marketing information, press releases and assistance with our new physician practice referral development process. Thanks for the wonderful support of Medical & Surgical Clinic of Irving.”

Fun fact about our work with Dr. Overbeck: It’s created friend of a friend of a friend projects!  Dr. Overbeck introduced us to Medical & Surgical Clinic of Irving who recommended us to Dr. Vipin Kuriachan (a fantastic Ophthalmologist) who then suggested us to Dr. Tina Ali Mohammad (the coolest Psychiatrist we have ever met)!  We’d like to extend a huge THANK YOU to Dr. Overbeck for trusting us with his marketing needs…and being a conduit for us to do so many fun projects for so many great physicians.

Amanda Brummitt

10 Years of Building The Brummitt Group Family: Healthcare Associates of Texas

The Brummitt Group wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for our amazing clients.  We’ve been blessed to work with some of the best doctors around.

Our first client…and current client is Dr. Charlie Powell, Founder and Executive Vice President of Clinical Operations for Healthcare Associates of Texas.  Amanda first met Dr. Powell when he and his better half, Keila, were still in Florida.  Amanda worked at Medical City Las Colinas and he was in the Navy.  She recruited him to Texas and to Healthcare Associates of Texas.  While growing his private practice in Irving, they worked together on a corporate wellness outreach campaign where Dr. Powell did health talks at many of the large corporations in Las Colinas.

About the same time that The Brummitt Group was being created, Healthcare Associates was recruiting a new specialist to their practice.  This was winter 2008.  Dr. Powell hired The Brummitt Group to build a strategic marketing plan for this physician and introduce him to the local community.

Facebook Cover designed by Sheerah Haywood

Here’s what Dr. Powell had to say when we asked how he felt about working with The Brummitt Group after that project: “Amanda with The Brummitt Group has been the real reason for all of my success here.  She helped recruit me to the area and into a wonderful practice.  This has given me the opportunity to thrive and build a wonderful and very busy organization.  I now own the multispecialty practice, imaging center, sleep lab, pharmacy and other businesses that she helped me build through many other forms of advertising and promotion of me and my ventures.  Now that I own the practice and businesses, she has always been there in my times of need.  She has even been willing to step in as my acting CEO in a tough time of transition.  Her current projects with me include promoting my new physician and getting his practice started from the ground up.  Her numerous and invaluable contacts she has established in this area have proven to be an incredible asset.  Her continued devotion and attention to detail have made her and my ventures a wonderful success.  I recently started a new dietary supplement company called MetaRevive and had hopes of it being a hobby at best.”

physician marketing
Poster designed by Dalia Steer

D. Powell added, “Early on I realized that I had a great product line and a lot of demand for it.  I knew I had to quickly take my “mom and pop” operation and turn it into a top-notch business with a professional flare.  Amanda was the first person I called to help with this.  Within hours, she had formulated a lengthy and detailed plan on taking my new venture to the next level and beyond.  Her incredible professionalism and dedication to her work are extremely notable but are shadowed by her skill and genuine care that she brings to each project.  I look forward to the many future projects we will have together and the continued success she brings to them.  Thanks, Amanda.”

Open House Invitation designed by Dalia Steer

Since then, we’ve helped Dr. Powell and his team with everything from packaging design of MetaRevive, to secret shopping prospective acquisitions, to organizing open houses, to secret shopping and process improvement in their call center and pharmacy, to developing their website, to managing social media, to helping market all the cool procedures he develops.  Yes, develops.  He’s that guy!  He’s developed hair restoration procedures, allergy shot protocols, and ways to reduce/eliminate snoring.  He’s always looking for ways to improve the lives of his patients.

We can’t talk about Dr. Powell without telling you about Courtney!  Courtney LeClaire is Practice Manager of Cosmetic & Wellness Division of HealthCare Associates and she’s been working with us since the MetaRevive days.  We just adore her!  She is the glue that holds everything together on the aesthetic side of the practice….and she keeps Dr. Powell on task. 🙂  We asked Courtney what she loved about working with us and here is what she said: “Collaborating on ideas, working as a team, knowing that you all care about the final outcome, as well.”

We are incredibly thankful to Dr. Powell, Courtney, Keila, and all of the Healthcare Associates of Texas Family! It’s been fun seeing them evolve and growing with them.  Thank you, Dr. Powell, for trusting us with that first project and every one along the way over the last 10 years!

Fight on! ...from Matt Barkley and I
Amanda Brummitt

10 Years of Building The Brummitt Group Family: Where it All Began

Hi there; it’s Amanda.  As hard as it is to believe, The Brummitt Group celebrates it’s 10th anniversary this year!  It started with just me and a plastic desk from Costco.  Over ten years, The Brummitt Group family has grown and evolved.  Join us for a series of posts about our team, our clients, and the projects that have shaped us.

So, how did it all begin?

To think about the start of The Brummitt Group, I have to rewind … to 2005.  I was working for HCA Inc. at Las Colinas Medical Center (now Medical City Las Colinas).  I was the Director of Physician & Business Development, Marketing, and Managed Care.  Not a typo.  I had all those jobs thanks to Dany Decell and Doug Welch condensing roles and cobbling together an amazing position.  My ultimate goal was to be a hospital CEO.  Within HCA, the fastest way to do this was through the COO Development program, and to apply, I needed a master’s degree.  I had an undergraduate degree in business and wanted to stretch myself, so I considered JD, MPH, and MHA.  I landed on JD because law had always fascinated me.  The night before my LSAT, Doug Welch called me.  Doug had always been a bit of an unofficial mentor for me.  The short version goes like this:

Doug: “Do you want to be a lawyer or a hospital CEO?”
Me: “A hospital CEO”
Doug: “Then why are you going to law school?  Go get an MHA.”

I bailed on my LSAT and narrowed it down to two in-classroom Executive MHA programs, University of Southern California and Cornell.  USC won out.  With a lot of my family in San Diego, I thought I’d get to see them since I’d be spending time in LA.  I didn’t.  During the 17 months that I cranked through a 34-month program, I didn’t have time to see them even once!

USC was an amazing experience.  Our faculty were incredible … many sitting CEOs of large organizations.  And my classmates were pretty impressive, too!  We had doctors, lawyers, health plan execs, hospital execs, lobbyists, and IT execs.  It was like going to a conference every weekend when we had class.  Oh, did I mention it was weekends in LA?  Yep, I was very blessed to have an amazing boss, Dany Decell, that worked with me on my schedule.  I was a full-time hospital executive, single mom, and traveled to LA every other Friday – Sunday for class.  Yes, I might have been working during class…but it worked out just fine!

About those classmates … I met one of my very best friends who was definitely a key to the Brummitt name.  She set me straight when I was unclear whether or not I was ready to get married.  I was.  She knew it.  But, I’m getting ahead of the story.  We were both “commuter” students and instantly hit it off that first weekend of class.  At some point, we had the conversation about how silly it was for both of us to be paying for hotels/cabs in downtown LA and started sharing a room, and effectively became roommates.  She helped me with public policy and I helped her with finance.  Oh, you may have heard of her.  She’s sorta famous.  She was on the cover of Time Magazine for being a Silence Breaker and speaking up to eliminate discrimination, sexual harassment and assault within employment and academic settings.  Yep, I knew Adama Iwu when we were grad school students just trying to get a paper written so we could live the LA high life on a pooled $20!  Our cohort really was amazing.  Just Google Henri Ford MD.  Amazing surgeon and humanitarian.  And we got to do group projects with him!  His online profile doesn’t come close to how fantastic he is in person. 

Early Spring 2008, I was in the doctor’s lounge at Medical City Las Colinas and one of the physicians randomly suggested that I should start my own consulting company.  It was either Ted Krum MD or Steve Hoffman MD.  I don’t remember what sparked the conversation or which of these brilliant ObGyns said it, but I quickly dismissed it.  (THANK YOU to whichever of you guys suggested this!).  I had several of these odd moments where the idea came up, but I just wasn’t really interested in leaving hospital administration.

A few weeks later and nearing completion of my program, I’m sitting in my Physician Practice Management class taught by Michael Harris and had an epiphany.  Harris, who had been the CEO of Healthcare Partners, a large practice in Torrence, CA, told his personal story of walking away from this dream job to start a consulting company.  All of his reasons spoke to me.  I had never planned to walk away from the corporate life.  I loved HCA.  I loved being in hospital administration.  And, all of a sudden, his personal story rocked my plan.  (THANK YOU, Michael Harris!).

I was also about to get married to the ever-amazing, Bret Brummitt.  We had big plans … all of which included me being a hospital CEO with a large steady income, health insurance, and retirement.  He was on board and supportive of trashing all those plans and taking the risks of me starting a company.  Did I mention he was (and still is) self-employed?  Yep, two self-employed people which was terrifying to me as I’m pretty risk averse.  But, he had faith in me and pushed me to go for it.  Hence, the name of the The Brummitt Group!

Now, to clear up some misconceptions about The Brummitt Group.  No, Bret doesn’t work here.  No, Bret doesn’t own it.  And, for goodness sake … No, Dalia, Lian, Lillie, and I don’t work for Bret.  I just named the company after him … and someday plan to get around to legally changing my name to Brummitt.  Thanks to Bret for believing in the vision!

That’s the beginning in a nutshell.  Huge thanks to the people that influenced me along the way…whether they knew it or not!!  And, in case you were wondering what happened to that plastic Costco desk…it gets used every now and then for a health fair or open house. 😉

Amanda Brummitt

Experienced Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Maria T. Reyes, MD, Joins Advanced Women’s Healthcare

(July 15, 2018) Dallas, TX – Advanced Women’s Healthcare is pleased to announce that Maria T. Reyes, MD has joined the Advanced Women’s Healthcare team of physicians.  Dr. Michelle Heintges, Partner and Owner of Advanced Women’s Healthcare says, “We are thrilled to have Dr. Reyes join our practice! I’ve known her for years and she is an exceptional physician whose been providing excellent care to women in our community for years.  My partners and I have been looking to add a top-notch physician to our group, so the stars aligned when I found out she was looking to move her practice back to Dallas.  Her medical approach and vision aligns with ours at AWH and we are beyond excited to bring her on board.”

 

Dr. Reyes attended Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia where she earned an undergraduate degree in psychology.  She received her medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts and returned to Dallas to complete her residency at Parkland Memorial Hospital at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.  During her residency at Parkland, Dr. Reyes trained with the other physicians at Advanced Women’s Healthcare and looks forward to working with this amazing team again at Medical City Dallas.

 

Dr. Reyes has practiced in the Dallas area since 2004 and previously practiced at Comprehensive OB/GYN in McKinney, Texas.  Her clinical interests include preventive care, general and high-risk obstetrics, family planning/contraception, and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.  In addition, she likes helping women through the challenges of menopause and sexual dysfunction.  Dr. Reyes is proficient at minimally invasive surgery, including the use of the da Vinci robot and offers in office procedures such as Essure and endometrial ablations.

 

Board certified and fluent in Spanish, Dr. Reyes is a member of the American Medical Association, Texas Medical Association and Dallas County Medical Society.  She is also a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

 

Grateful for the time she spends with her patients, Dr. Reyes said, “It is such an honor to partner with women and be part of their pregnancy and their lives, often delivering two or three babies together.  Honestly, I see my patients as a close friend or relative.”

 

Dr. Maria T. Reyes is accepting new patients and looks forward to her continued partnership with patients to work towards healthy lives and healthy families.

 

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About Advanced Women’s Healthcare

Advanced Women’s Healthcare is a Dallas all-female Obstetrics & Gynecology practice dedicated to providing compassionate and quality healthcare to its patients. Services include low and high-risk pregnancy care, minimally invasive and major surgery, fertility and infertility concerns, incontinence management, and comprehensive gynecological care. Their team of trusted doctors and nurses provide outstanding healthcare and extensive patient resources, all in a state-of-the-art facility.

manage online review
Amanda Brummitt

How to Manage and Respond to Online Reviews

Patients can review your facility and providers on a myriad of sites including Facebook, Yelp, Google, and many, many more.  Be a part of the conversation rather than just the topic of conversation.  First, claim and update profiles.  Then, solicit reviews and respond to reviews.

Claim and Update Profiles

You have profiles…whether you want them or not.  Find, claim, and update.  Some of the most important are Google, Facebook, Yelp, Healthgrades, Vitals, WebMD, RateMDs, and even the hospitals where your physicians work.  Bing, Doctor, Doximity, and UCompareHealthCare are probably our next most used review sites.  We also typically update anything that shows up on the first five pages of a Google search.

Update your NPI (National Provider Identifier) information CMS.  This auto-populates into a lot of websites.

You’ll need to have the following things handy when you start claiming: driver’s license, SOS (Secretary of State) filing, last four digits of DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) number, and piece of mail with physician name and address.

Establish an email that is designated for profiles, particularly for multi-doctor practices.  You can usually only use one email per site.  Some won’t allow a gmail account.

Add pictures, website links, and be exhaustive with information about the services provided in the practice.  List interests, clinical specialties, etc. as they will help patients find your office.  Also, be sure to list any languages, besides English, that are spoken in the office.  Include information about the physician’s training for websites that allow it.  A short bio is also very useful.  And, pictures are highly recommended.

Solicit Reviews

The best defense against negative reviews is a good offense. If you have lots of good reviews, a few bad reviews only makes your reviews look realistic.  Inviting patients to give feedback can be done through different avenues, and realistically, several methods of communication with a patient will likely yield a response.  Invitations should be separate from billing communications.

Email

An email with an online link to a review site (general online or customized to practice) should be sent to every patient, varying which review website you list in email based on where you need reviews and which sites allow it.

Office signage

A sign in the office or waiting room that asks patients to contact the practice administrator with compliments and complaints is another method.  This may solicit more negative feedback but getting that feedback where it’s contained in office and not on the internet for all to see is beneficial to the practice.  In addition, a sign with online review information can be displayed in the office lobby.  The sign can be very similar to the printed card.

Printed card for online reviews

This could be handed out with the office staff’s verbal ask or done alone.  This info can also appear on your patient forms.

“Thank you for choosing our practice.  We hope you had a great experience with us.  If there is anything we can do to improve your experience, please contact me personally.  I want to know so that I can fix it!  If there isn’t anything we can improve on, please tell the world using the links below.”  Then, offer the links, contact person, and phone number.  Some sites don’t allow for solicitation of reviews, so be sure to check the terms of service.  For those sites, consider just asking patients to check out your reviews on those sites.

Signature line in emails

How many emails do you send in a day?  Every one of those is an opportunity to gently lead people to sites where they can review your practice.

Social media

Including links to online review websites on the practice’s social media is another way to invite patient feedback.  Social media is a great resource for patient reviews and testimonials.

Text

A short text with a link to a website where a review can be given is very easy to send.  However, a patient should be asked for permission to receive text communication from the office.  And, be sure to only do this with review sites that allow solicitations.

Verbal request

Patients are more likely to give feedback if asked by your office staff at the end of their visit.  The office staff can verbally ask patients to leave a review when the patient checks out.  They can also give the patient a small, simple card  with info about how to leave a review online so the patient can take it with them.

Website

A note on your website requesting patients to contact the practice administrator with compliments and complaints is another feedback method.  This can be done through a “Contact Us” tab on the website that sends an email directly to the practice administrator. The website can also include links to online review sites.

Responding to Reviews

We only recommend a response to reviews that are recent…last three months or so.  Develop scripted responses for positive, neutral, and negative reviews.  We use an ever-growing list of about 20 varied responses for this.

Don’t be defensive.  Thank the reviewer for providing the information.  Don’t discuss their issue publicly.  Contact them directly or invite them to contact you at your direct phone number or email.

Most importantly, take the feedback seriously.  You won’t make everyone happy.  But, look at these reviewers as unpaid consultants or secret shoppers.  These patients are likely sharing things that have also happened to other patients.  If you see a trend of complaints on billing issues, wait times, or other areas, RESOLVE THEM.

If you have questions or need help with any of this, feel free to reach out to us!  We love helping with reputation management.  We can do it full service, something in between, and are even willing to teach your staff how to do it.  And, we can also help with resolving those issues.  We love secret shopping and training staff.

 

 

Amanda Brummitt

18 Reasons to See an OB/GYN in 2018

By Kristen Carmichael, MD

Resolutions are made at the beginning of every new year, and a lot of people tend to put health-related goals on their list of what they would like to achieve.  Annual physical exams are one of the ways women can maintain their New Year’s resolutions.  More specifically, having an annual women’s health check-up with an OB/GYN is a great way for women to monitor their health and well-being, and ensure they are being treated properly for any conditions that may arise throughout their lifetime.

There are multiple reasons why seeing an OB/GYN should be a goal for you during 2018.  Whether you want advice on waiting to start a family or if you are ready to have children right away, an OB/GYN can guide you through a wide-variety of women’s health issues, including those completely unrelated to child-bearing or pregnancy prevention.

Let’s take a look at 18 reasons why it is important for women to see an OB/GYN in 2018.

Women’s Health

(1) It may not be common knowledge that OB/GYNs can administer their own vaccinations.  You can actually get vaccines from your women’s health physician for human papillomavirus (HPV), the flu, and other viruses/conditions.

(2) Your OB/GYN can also help with weight management issues and discuss options of diet and exercise that are best tailored to your individual physical fitness level.

(3) If you have any issues with vaginal itching, dryness, discharge, or odor, these are all medical conditions that your OB/GYN will know about and can help you with proper treatment.

(4) Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in women due to bacteria getting into the urethra after sexual intercourse.  Your OB/GYN can provide you with tips on preventing UTIs and provide you with medication to help your system rid your body of the infection.

(5) Cancer screening can be done during an OB/GYN visit. Learn about how to test for and decrease your chance of ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancers as well as colon cancer and breast cancer, which is the second most common cancer in American women.

(6) You can also have your annual health screening conducted with an OB/GYN.  They can test for high blood pressure, diabetes, and even bone density if it is something that applies to you.

(7) Many women battle with depression, and this is something your OB/GYN can discuss with you as you talk through the severity of your symptoms and how often they occur.

The Menstrual Cycle

(8) Problems with menstrual periods are another issue you can always discuss with your OB/GYN.  Your doctor can educate you about what your first period will be like if you haven’t had one yet, ways to improve heavy or irregular periods, and  changes to look for during your monthly period that may be abnormal.

(9) Your OB/GYN can also provide you with remedies for painful periods.

(10) Your physician is also a great resource for discussing premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms.  These symptoms vary among women, and you can talk with your doctor about solutions that work best for you.

Sexual Relationships

(11) The topic of sex can be openly discussed with your OB/GYN.  Your physician can explain what happens during intercourse, what may be causing pain during intercourse, and how hormonal changes can affect discomfort during sexual activity.

(12) Your OB/GYN can also discuss the ways to have safe and healthy sexual relationships with your significant other.

(13) Preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is very important. You should discuss with your doctor what steps you can take to lower your risk of becoming infected with an STI or with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

(14) Your OB/GYN can also administer a test for STIs and HIV if you are sexually active and would like to be tested.

Preventing Pregnancy and Getting Pregnant

(15) Seeing an OB/GYN gives you the opportunity to discuss birth control options with your physician.  OB/GYNs can help you determine which is the best method for you and your body, whether it be a pill, a patch, an implant, an intrauterine device (IUD), or another option.

(16) When you are ready to get pregnant, it’s important to discuss with your physician what steps to take to ensure a healthy and safe pregnancy.

(17) Your OB/GYN can also conduct an official medical test to determine if you are pregnant.

Menopause and Post-Menopause

(18) An OB/GYN physician can also help you with the challenges you are experiencing during the menopausal and perimenopausal stages of your life.  Vaginal dryness, hot flashes, and irregular bleeding are all issues that should be discussed with your physician.  There are a variety of treatment options available to ease these common problems.

 

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to make seeing an OB/GYN in 2018 a top priority on your list of resolutions for a healthier 2018.  Make sure you get your annual exam scheduled with your OB/GYN.  If you do not have one, Dr. Kristen Carmichael at the Medical & Surgical Clinic of Irving is accepting new patients and is happy to welcome you into her office.

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About Dr. Carmichael

Dr. Kristen Carmichael is an OB/GYN with the Medical & Surgical Clinic of Irving.  After completing her undergraduate degree at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, she went on to attend medical school at the University of Texas in Houston.  She has been in private practice since 2004.  She is a member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American Medical Association, the Texas Medical Association, and many other organizations.  Dr. Carmichael has been awarded the Best OB/GYN in Las Colinas, Coppell, and Irving and has been recognized as a Mom-Approved Doctor by DFW Child.   She loves helping her patients achieve their best health and is most satisfied when they feel educated, engaged and empowered in their healthcare.