TEAM GSM!

Over the past 4 years, Green Spring Internal Medicine has undergone transformation as our team has journeyed deeper into advanced primary care delivery models. We began investing energy in newer models of care in 2011, starting out with a Maryland pilot program. Over time, new programs have evolved, most notably MDPCP which is a Maryland-based Medicare pilot program which extends through the end of 2026. This model has allowed us to increase our staffing, to offer services like care management, and to provide more resources to older patients at our practice. 

Other insurance companies have formed their own models, some of them replicating Medicare's Accountable Care Organizations. Through a company called Aledade, we have partnered with other regional practices in efforts to improve patient care, achieve better outcomes for our patients, stem rising healthcare costs and at the end of the day have more satisfied patients and staff. Equity has emerged as a theme in these models, especially after the pandemic highlighted how healthcare inequality led to terribly worse endpoints for certain populations.

Last year was a landmark year for the practice. On the same day as the official end of the Public Health Emergency, Dr. Zachary Nayak joined us. We are now able to care for new patients again, hoping to serve more members of the Baltimore Metro community with excellence. Our motto is: Thriving together! Our theme song is built around teamwork. 

TEAM GSM stands for the values which we share:

Trust

Excellence

Accountability

Meaning

Good revenue

Special care for the needs of the poor

Making lives better

Trust has a lot to do with the practice of medicine and with the function of our team. Trust is earned. It is the key ingredient in the doctor-patient relationship.  The pandemic showed the impact of public distrust in physicians, with unvaccinated people bearing the brunt of COVID outcomes over the couple of years. It is said that people trust the comment section of the newspaper more than their own doctors. Some of our patients are trusting internet doctors. We hope our patients will trust us the most, though! Trust is also key to how we function as a team, serving our patients.

Excellence defines the work of two Hopkins-trained physicians working together to care for our patients and also of every member of our team in their roles. Excellence involves a continuous learning process, weekend reading, medical conferences, board certification, healthcare advocacy, communicating well with our patients and colleagues, and relating well to one another.

Accountability is built in to our relationships, our processes, the incentives which drive us, and the way we relate to organizations outside of the practice. We are accountable to our patients first, working from a Patient and Family Advisory Committee and receiving feedback from surveys. As a small practice, we are able to quickly act upon the feedback we receive when appropriate. We are also accountable to one another in our various roles. Our practice is accountable to MDPCP, insurance companies and other practices in ACO models as we work to make the healthcare system better.  

Meaning is what gets us up in the morning. The work we do can be a matter of life or death. Our team is with our patients in some of the best and some of the worst moments in life. We are able to bring healing and, when no cure is found, comfort. There are few other occupations which hold more meaning than healthcare. 

Good Revenue is the standard to which we hold for our profitability. To be sustainable, Green Spring Internal Medicine needs revenue. Revenue is necessary not only to hold course but to grow. Growth is the sign of a healthy business. Yet, we hold ourself to only the kind of revenue which comes as a result of what is good for our patients. This means that we hold to standards of care and evidence-based medicine in offering our services. When we consider a new service, we ask ourselves whether it will be good for patients.

Special Care for the Needs of the Poor has been a core value over the years. When I started Green Spring Internal Medicine, I hoped to out-concierge the concierge doctors. Doctors at my first practice were the trend-setters implementing concierge medicine nearly 20 years ago. Such an exclusive model did not sit right with me ethically. Now, nearly 18 years after opening our doors, our practice is actively designing ways to help our patients when we identify social needs they have. This ranges from a ride service to social work consultation. We have expanded our network of resource providers and have been able to directly help some of our patients through MDPCP's HEART program.

Making Lives Better is something we feel passionate about. The healthcare system can be rough, especially for people suffering from multiple chronic illnesses. Often those with the most resources or connections fare better than those without. Even with insurance, access to healthcare can be limited. By being the first stop in the healthcare system for most of our patients, we are able to smooth the rocky road, at least to some extent. We also advocate for better healthcare where we are able to use our influence.