Health Tech: Dr. Jeffrey Gelblum On How First Choice Neurology’s Technology Can Make An Important Impact On Our Overall Wellness

An Interview With Luke Kervin

Create open communication. As I mentioned earlier, a doctor’s greatest tool is communication. We’re treating patients, but more importantly, we’re creating a relationship with our patients. Secure patient portals make it easier for patients and providers to communicate. Telehealth allows patients to meet with a doctor from anywhere. I think something that surprised me the most was how quickly my older population adapted to telehealth. Many at first were hesitant, saying that they weren’t “computer savvy.” But now, many of them prefer telehealth appointments because it’s an easy and comfortable way to communicate with me, and I’m happy to treat them through this tool whenever possible. Telehealth is a great tool to keep the lines of communication open with patients.

In recent years, Big Tech has gotten a bad rep. But of course many tech companies are doing important work making monumental positive changes to society, health, and the environment. To highlight these, we started a new interview series about “Technology Making An Important Positive Social Impact”. We are interviewing leaders of tech companies who are creating or have created a tech product that is helping to make a positive change in people’s lives or the environment. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeffrey Gelblum, M.D.

Jeffrey Gelblum, M.D. is an honors graduate of the University of Maryland. Dr. Gelblum completed his neurology residency and post-graduate fellowship training at the University of Miami. His clinical practice, First Choice Neurology, was established in 1992. Over the last 25 years, he has successfully treated thousands of patients from South Florida, and around the world. He is considered a global thought leader in the neurologic treatment of dementia, seizure disorders, Parkinson’s, Diabetic and Peripheral Nerve Disorder, Familial Amyloid Polyneuropathy, COVID Long-Hauler, trauma, and chronic pain, and has hosted educational symposia in the U.S. and overseas.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory and how you grew up?

I am a full-time senior attending board member at First Choice Neurology, the nation’s largest, single-specialty neurology practice. We have over 80 offices and 140 providers, serving about 72% of all neurological patients in South Florida and many patients nationally and internationally through our Neuro2Go platform. Neuro2Go is a virtual platform created to pair patients with a board-certified Adult or Pediatric Neurologist to discuss a neurological condition regardless of location or insurance status.

I graduated from the University of Maryland, where I also attended medical school, and then came down to Miami, Florida, for my residency at the University of Miami School of Medicine, where I specialized in neurology. I also participated in neurology training and a fellowship with the University of Miami’s clinical neurophysiology program and a medical internship with Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Currently, I work in the adult neurology space, often treating patients with dementia, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and neuropathic pain. My time is split between in-person appointments most mornings and telehealth visits in the afternoons to accommodate care for all my patients.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

With over 25 years of experience in neurological care, I have lots of interesting stories. However, my favorite experience was working with Un Sourire Pour L’Espoir and Miami Jewish Home & Hospital to treat kids with cerebral palsy in Paris. The Miami community has a strong relationship with this organization, and I was excited to get the opportunity to use my skills abroad and help these children.

I got to travel to Paris and oversee an intake clinic for children with cerebral palsy. Our goal was to help them rehabilitate and bring them to Miami for additional rehab services. This was a rewarding and very beautiful experience and a pivotal moment in my career that allowed me to provide critical care for those in need and develop international relations in the medical community and long-lasting friends. I recently visited and reconnected with many friends.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I’m incredibly grateful for the people who’ve helped me get to where I am in my career, specifically a renowned professor of gastroenterology whom I met at my first hospital job. She’s now a patient advocate, but many years ago, when I was just starting my practice, she referred me my very first patient. She was a respected professor and the chairman of gastroenterology at a large medical institution in Miami, but she cared deeply about empowering younger doctors. She believed in promoting young doctors because “they are the future of our profession”. So, instead of referring this patient to a well-established, well-known neurologist, she referred this patient to me, and it’s made a lasting impact on my career.

I saw her recently and re-shared this story with her, emphasizing the special place she holds in my heart. Because of her, I now, as a well-established neurologist, instead of just referring to other established doctors, I make a point to refer patients to young, skilled physicians to carry out this tradition. I agree with this professor that these young doctors are the future of medicine, so we must work together to grow the profession.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My favorite “life lesson quote” is: “Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny. What we think, we become.” — Lao Tzu. This quote impacts my life daily.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Three things I’ve employed for a successful career are to 1.) always return phone calls, 2.) show up on time and 3.) never be afraid to ask for help.

Always return phone calls. In my experience, the best way to practice medicine is from a relational perspective. As physicians, we must have relationships with our patients. And, you can’t develop a relationship with a patient if you aren’t responsive to their needs. So, whether it’s a quick phone call or a chat through a HIPAA-compliant, secure patient portal, responding to your patients will always result in positive patient and practice outcomes. I make a daily effort to return phone calls and follow up with patients promptly.

Show up on time. Everyone’s time is valuable. Every patient deserves a doctor who respects their time by coming to appointments on time, being prepared and fully attentive to their needs. Some of the best advice I can give is to have a scheduling tool that integrates well with your electronic health records, patient portal or telehealth platform to minimize scheduling errors and keep you on track and focused on each individual patient throughout the day. (I use eClinicalWorks EHR solutions and healow TeleVisits platforms and find them easy to use and a helpful tool for staying organized and respecting my patients’ time.) No matter what life stage my patients are in, I always make an effort to respect their time, and I find they do the same for me.

Never be afraid to ask for help. Nobody is expected to know everything. In my experience, patients don’t expect doctors to know absolutely everything about every medical condition or situation. After over 25 years of practice, I’ve found people always respect when I’m honest that I don’t know an answer, need to investigate further or consult a fellow doctor. In most cases, when I refer a patient to another doctor for a second opinion or schedule a follow-up to discuss additional research I’ve found, they feel valued and are more likely to continue as my patient long-term.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion about the tech tools that you are helping to create that can make a positive impact on our wellness. To begin, which particular problems are you aiming to solve?

Interoperability and data sharing are some of the biggest challenges in healthcare today. Because of HIPAA compliance laws, patients can only view or share their records through secure portals, mail or fax. But who’s touched a fax machine in the last five years? Many patients ask me if they can view or share records via email, but in this day-in-age, email is still not HIPAA-compliant, so we need other avenues to share patient data securely. This challenge exists between providers as well. If I refer a patient to other specialists, I need a secure way to share records between offices. But, data and record sharing laws are 20 years old and not in-tune with our current technological capabilities. So it’s a challenge to find ways of quickly, securely and accurately sharing necessary information between patients and providers to support quality healthcare for all.

Another challenge in healthcare is accessibility. Especially at the onset of the pandemic, people with chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension and epilepsy still needed care but had limited options. Doctor’s offices were either closed or primarily seeing high-risk patients. Before the pandemic, I saw about 10% of my patients via telehealth. During the pandemic, that number jumped up to 90%. Today, it’s evened back out at about 50%, and I think that mark is here to stay because it gives patients and doctors more care options. For people who don’t have the flexibility or time to get to a doctor’s office, wait for their appointment and get all the way back to home or work, telehealth gives them access to quality care that fits with their schedule. Even as we come out of the COVID-19 trenches, many people still face challenges and need a flexible healthcare system.

How do you think your technology can address this?

Electronic health records (EHRs), secure patient portals and telehealth solutions are vital to solving the interoperability and accessibility challenges in healthcare. EHRs are the technical foundation of every practice, especially in neurology. Nowadays, we’re either gathering data for records to formulate a treatment plan or we’re reviewing previous data to understand patient progress as it relates to their neurological condition. We use eClinicalWorks EHR to manage our patient data, create records and communicate with our patients. A secure, seamless health IT system truly is the answer to healthcare’s biggest challenges.

For example, the eClinicalWorks patient portal creates one easy place for patients and providers to share medical and other confidential information safely. At my practice, this tool is particularly helpful with my regular patients with chronic conditions. All my patients have to do is create an account, and they are automatically entered into our HIPAA-compliant system for record sharing.

The patient portal seamlessly integrates with the EHR system, which gives me an ongoing, adaptable record for each patient. I don’t have to search through manila folders or filing cabinets to find my patients’ information. I can use PRISMA, eClinicalWorks’ health information search tool, to quickly search through records to find exactly what I need. This not only saves me time, but it ensures I’m exploring every avenue to give my patients the best care possible. Because in the end, it all comes back to the patient.

We’ve probably seen the greatest success in addressing these challenges with telehealth, specifically healow TeleVisits. It’s been amazing to see how we can use a smart device to provide comparable care to in-person visits. While some evaluation is still better suited for in-person visits, like sensation and reflex checks, we can do a lot with our patients virtually. Telehealth has improved health outcomes and compliance with treatment plans because we’re able to communicate rapidly and comprehensively with our patients.

Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?

Necessity is the mother of invention. Before the pandemic, telehealth was a convenience. During the pandemic, telehealth went from a convenience to an urgency to an imperative. For me, this evolution emphasized that telehealth is here to stay in healthcare and has many positive benefits, especially for neurological care. And, without a powerful, secure and user-friendly EHR and patient portal, telehealth can’t have these positive impacts, so all three are important as healthcare continues to evolve.

How do you think this might change the world?

I think telehealth and health IT solutions like EHRs are already changing the world. The ability to create an encounter with a patient from anywhere — their living room, car, office — is a revolutionary breakthrough. And, now that this encounter can easily integrate with existing online records, be organized and shared with patients or other providers is nothing short of amazing! Telehealth visits are here to stay, and our patients love it.

Because we saw so many patients using telehealth, we created our Neuro2Go platform during the pandemic to allow patients from anywhere to access quality adult and pediatric neurologists. We have over 100 expert neurologists available from over 50 medical facilities. And, this isn’t just for patients seeking neurological care, it’s also a resource for people who may be caring for loved ones with neurological conditions as well. We’re excited to use this platform to educate the community at large about neurological conditions. We’re even treating international patients, reaching countries like the UK and India. We see over 50 patients a day, and this number continues to grow!

Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?

I only see the expansion of telehealth and other remote healthcare technologies. As health IT solutions continue to evolve, we’re going beyond just audio and visual options to have more applications and more ways to help people where they are. From connecting a patient record with a smartwatch or a fitness tracker to track vital signs in real-time to remote stethoscopes for a real-time EKG, the possibilities are endless. I believe that as health IT providers like eClinicalWorks innovate their interfaces and offerings, doctors will have more resources available to obtain, analyze and monitor patient data to prevent and treat illnesses with greater accuracy. We will see these technologies become more efficient, smaller and user-friendly.

Here is the main question for our discussion. Based on your experience and success, can you please share “Five things you need to know to successfully create technology that can make a positive social impact”? (Please share a story or an example, for each.)

The driving force for any successful healthcare technology is to keep positive patient outcomes as the top priority. With this in mind, it’s important to create healthcare technology that gathers and manages data accurately, enhances data access for patients and providers, supports open communication, helps people where they are and drives future innovation. EHRs and telehealth help create a positive social impact by doing all of these things.

Gather and manage data. As EHR and telehealth capabilities continue expanding, we’ll have more ways of collecting and managing patient data. I think we’re incredibly close to at-home EKG, EEG and other types of tests that currently can only be done in a doctor’s office. These new capabilities will make a positive social impact because they will help care for people who may not want to or be able to come into the office. You never know someone’s situation, and we should be finding ways to provide quality healthcare to everyone regardless of their ability to come into an office. As we find new ways to gather and manage patient data, we will get one step closer to making this a reality for more and more patients.

Enhance data access. To make a positive social impact in healthcare, the data we collect both in the office and at home must be easily and securely accessible and sharable. Everything has to interface seamlessly. Data means nothing if it can’t be analyzed and shared with the appropriate people. If I have important health information about a patient that I can’t easily share with another provider I’m referring someone to, that makes the process more difficult for me, the patient and the other provider. However, when we can easily share patient records, like through eClinicalWorks’ EHR and PRISMA solutions, we’re creating a positive healthcare experience for everyone involved.

Create open communication. As I mentioned earlier, a doctor’s greatest tool is communication. We’re treating patients, but more importantly, we’re creating a relationship with our patients. Secure patient portals make it easier for patients and providers to communicate. Telehealth allows patients to meet with a doctor from anywhere. I think something that surprised me the most was how quickly my older population adapted to telehealth. Many at first were hesitant, saying that they weren’t “computer savvy.” But now, many of them prefer telehealth appointments because it’s an easy and comfortable way to communicate with me, and I’m happy to treat them through this tool whenever possible. Telehealth is a great tool to keep the lines of communication open with patients.

Help people where they are. When people come to the doctor’s office, they often step up their game and try to put their best foot forward. Or, some get nervous and experience white coat syndrome, which can impact lab results like blood pressure. These factors can impede what the patient is really experiencing and make it harder for the doctor to understand the issue at hand. However, when a doctor can see a patient in their home or another comfortable environment, doctors can get a more accurate glimpse into their health and daily life. For example, as a neurologist, I’m often looking for home-based functionalities, especially for patients with chronic diseases. So, when I’m on a telehealth call with a patient and I can see a pot boiling on the stove, I can ask, “What are you making for dinner tonight?” and open up a new avenue of discussion that may give me a better glimpse into how they’re functioning daily. These types of interactions remind me of old-fashion house calls, and to me, telehealth is a virtual house call. Understanding how someone’s doing on their “home turf” is extremely important for good healthcare and positive social impact.

Drive future innovation. I think the most important way to create a positive social impact with EHR and telehealth technology is to always be looking ahead. I’m excited to see what new forms of remote patient monitoring technology will become available in the next few years and how they will change healthcare. Doctors should be open to trying new technologies that make patient care easier and more effective. We should listen to our patients to understand what they need to align health technology with their needs.

If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?

I will tell you what happens if you make a negative impact in healthcare. Look at our current situation — the COVID-19 pandemic was the ultimate negative impact on healthcare. Because of poor preparation and a lack of unity, we faced a national catastrophe. Millions of people died, businesses closed, people lost their jobs, schools shut down — everything changed. And we’re still paying the consequences of this negative impact on healthcare — societal division. It’s inescapable from an economic, political, social and familial perspective.

So, a strong healthcare system is the foundation of a strong country and society. A well-functioning, accessible healthcare system leads to a strong economy, social fabric and population. Countries that have very poor health care, Haiti, for example, have a social fabric in complete disarray. However, inclusive health policies, reinforcement of healthy activities and healthy behaviors and access to a thriving healthcare system makes a world of difference in our everyday lives. Without good health, you can’t have a good society. Period.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

I’d want to have a meal with Julia Child because it’d be the best meal I’d ever have in my entire life, and it’d be a very entertaining dinner.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Please check out fcneurology.net to learn more about our practice. We have lots of resources available, including our medical library, podcasts, and “Memory Café” blog for those living with or caring for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Additionally, check out Neuro2Go at neuro2go.com, a platform we created leveraging healow TeleVisits (eclinicalworks.com) to make mental health care accessible no matter a patient’s location or insurance status.

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational, and we wish you continued success in your important work.