Plum Health Blog
Dr. Paul Thomas Speaks at the Dr. Morris S. Brent Lectureship
This month, Dr. Paul Thomas spoke at the Dr. Morris S. Brent Lectureship, a part of the Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Alumni Reunion Weekend activities. In the lecture, Dr. Paul Thomas discussed best practices for personal branding, and why it is important for doctors to become physician leaders, and build the platforms that can help them educate other doctors and the community about important issues in medicine.
This session will focus on developing a personal brand for physicians. What is a personal brand? How can you leverage your personal brand to attract new patients? How can you own your own brand and content? These topics and more will be addressed in this session!
Dr. Paul Thomas talks about Personal Branding at the WSU SOM Alumni Reunion Weekend during the Morris S. Brent Lectureship.
To watch the full lecture, head to the 2:14 (2 hour, 14 minute) mark in the YouTube video below:
Paul Thomas MD at Wayne State University School of Medicine for a Business of Medicine Elective Course Panel
Wayne State University School of Medicine Business of Medicine Elective Course Invites Dr. Paul Thomas to a Panel
Dr. Paul Thomas, a Wayne State University School of Medicine graduate from 2013, was invited to be a part of a panel discussing Business of Medicine. This was a group of medical students interested in the business side of medicine.
I was really happy to receive this invitation as it is my opinion that medical schools should focus more time in their curriculum to the business of medicine. Topics that ought to be discussed included how to attract patients, how to generate revenue, how to pick and use an electronic medical record, how to manage practice finances, how to start a PLLC or an LLC to operate your business or purchase real estate for your business, how to invest, etc… These skills would be transformational if all physicians were equipped with these business fundamentals.
Paul Thomas, MD of Plum Health DPC speaks to a group of medical students at Wayne State University School of Medicine During their Business of Medicine elective course.
During the course of the evening, we talked about all of the above topics and more, including the following:
How do you build and maintain a patient population in a private practice?
How do referrals work, and what do you focus on when building relationships with specialists when it comes to referrals?
How to decide on employee personnel (PA vs NP vs another MD/DO, MA's vs CNA's etc)
As a growing practice, how do you gain buying power against large healthcare establishments?
Other than telemedicine, what changes from COVID do you foresee staying/playing a role long term?
It was an excellent conversation and I was happy to share my knowledge and insights in these areas. After the event, I received the following thank you.
On behalf of the students and myself, a sincere and grateful 'thank you' for the gift of your time and your insights last evening.
During this very informative and engaging discussion you helped these first-year medical students gain a better understanding of many of the business issues involved in establishing a direct primary care practice. Your entrepreneurial skills were very evident, and we are thrilled they had a chance to get to know this other side of your story.
It was great to observe the ease with which you engaged with the students, and we all benefited from the breadth and particulars of the discussion. The discussion continued after you left, and I am certain the students will continue to benefit from the opportunity to hear about your fascinating journey and will take to heart the advice you gave.
In closing, it’s great to see medical students engaged in the Business of Medicine, as if we want to create a more compassionate health care system, we need to fundamentally change the business models that we use to deliver health care services. Hopefully these students will be apart of that change for the better.
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Paul Thomas MD Presents at the AAFP DPC Summit 2021
Paul Thomas MD Presents at the AAFP DPC Summit 2021
Today I'm presenting at a national conference about Direct Primary Care.
I'll be at the AAFP DPC Summit 2021 talking about how doctors can connect with their patients and communities to grow their practices.
It's an honor to be selected as a thought leader in this space, and my aim is to help doctors start and grow successful direct primary care practices!
Learn more at about the DPC Summit, here.
If you’re a doctor wanting to start your own DPC practice, read more here.
If you’re a patient, and you would like excellent primary care services for yourself, your family, or your business, you can enroll here.
#StartupDPC #PlumHealth #DirectPrimaryCare #FamilyMedicine #Detroit #AAFP #DPCSummit2021 #PaulThomasMD #PlumHealthDPC #DirectCare #PrimaryCare
The Shocking Reason Why Health Insurance Premiums Continue to Rise
This year, I had the opportunity to speak at TEDxDetroit. At first, I struggled with what to say, other than I’m grateful for the platform and the opportunity. But, I realized that it was important to discuss the outrageous increases in health insurance costs for the average American family.
The Way Rising Health Insurance Costs Affect the Take Home Pay of Americans
The average family in the United States paid about $3,500 for employer-sponsored health insurance coverage in 2009 and that amount of money ballooned to about $6,000 in 2019.
What’s even worse is that employers were spending $9,860 per employee in 2009 to administer those health insurance plans, and in 2019 they’re paying $14,561 for those same health insurance plans.
All of this money spent on Health Insurance costs is a huge detriment for our national economy and for the paychecks of individual Americans. Imagine if health insurance costs were the same today as they were in 2009, each American family would have an extra $10,000 in wages from their employer. Instead, that extra $10,000 is spent on health insurance costs.
The Reason Why Health Insurance Costs Continue to Rise in the United States
Let’s start by discussing the 80/20 rule in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA set forth some well-intentioned provisions. Here’s what HealthCare.gov has to say about this 80/20 rule:
The 80/20 Rule generally requires insurance companies to spend at least 80% of the money they take in from premiums on health care costs and quality improvement activities. The other 20% can go to administrative, overhead, and marketing costs. The 80/20 rule is sometimes known as Medical Loss Ratio, or MLR.
According to the American Economic Association: “Rather than lower premiums, insurers searched for other ways to come into compliance. Initially, there were efforts to relabel some administrative costs as “quality improvements”—like lobbying to count spending on nurses’ hotlines as part of the 80 percent. But the easiest route to meeting the requirement was simply to let medical claims increase. That companies opted to do this, instead of lowering premiums, didn’t come as a surprise”
Within that 20% of administrative, overhead, and marketing costs, insurance companies have their profit margin. Therefore, the more money spent on insurance claims, no matter how bogus, the larger the profit margin becomes for the insurance companies.
Increased Health Care Spending on Inflated Health Insurance Claims
This brings me to the glaring example of inflated health care costs based on questionable medical care and out-of-network billing. In December 2019, I heard about the $25,865 throat swab that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota paid for. The gist of the story, from NPR’s Bill of the Month series, is that a woman in Manhattan went to a doctor for a sore throat, received a throat swab, and was given an antibiotic.
Because the throat swab was processed by an out-of-network lab, the cost of the throat swab was $25,865.
First of all, a good primary care doctor can develop a trusting relationship with a patient, obtain a history of the illness, and perform a physical exam for 99% of viral or bacterial throat infections or cases of pharyngitis. In other words, a throat swab is NOT NEEDED in 99% of pharyngitis cases.
Second, the fact that the insurance company paid for this $25,865 throat swab is insane. The reasonable cost for a throat swab like this might be $100 to $500, no $25,865. If I ran the insurance company, I would be calling the out-of-network lab’s bluff here and they’d be paid a reasonable $500 at most.
However, as discussed above, the more money insurance companies spend on health care or medical losses, the more profits they’re able to rake in due to the 80/20 rule in the affordable care act.
That’s why we’ve seen our health care spending increase from $2.5 Trillion in 2009 to $4.01 Trillion in 2020.
We must end these insane health insurance practices before it further affects our earnings and our Nation’s economy.
Thanks for reading and thanks for watching my TEDxDetroit talk,
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC in Detroit
Paul Thomas MD at TEDxDeroit 2020
Paul Thomas MD at TEDxDetroit 2020
It’s a tremendous honor to be back at TEDxDetroit! I spoke in 2017 about our mission to provide affordable and accessible healthcare in Detroit and beyond.
This year, I’m grateful for TEDxDetroit, the community of positive supporters who are working to make Detroit better everyday, and the opportunity to share my perspective on why our health care costs continue to rise.
Join me tonight on the virtual main stage at 8:15 pm - the event is free and all are welcome!
If you're not already registered, GO! What are you waiting for? TEDxDetroit 2020 starts at 10am and it's FREE: http://tedxdetroit.connect.space/
If you're registered, snap a selfie in the virtual photo gallery: https://virtual.fancyflashpb.com/virtual/capture/owZX3
Paul Thomas MD will be speaking at TEDxDetroit. For more information, go to https://www.tedxdetroit.com/speakers-2020/
Dr. Paul Thomas Welcomes 300 New Medical Students to Detroit
Last week, Dr. Paul Thomas welcomed 300 new medical students to Wayne State University School of Medicine. Typically, the incoming students are packed into a large lecture hall at WSU SOM’s Scott Hall. But this year, due to Coronavirus, the event was held outdoors at Chevrolet Plaza, adjacent to the Little Caesars Arena. This open air venue accommodated 100 medical students at a time, and there were three “Welcome to Detroit” sessions throughout the day.
Dr. Paul Thomas gave a “Welcome to Detroit” lecture to the incoming medical students that emphasized the significant history and culture of the City of Detroit. There are so many opportunities for students to immerse themselves in service learning, by volunteering at local free clinics and by giving back to Detroit and the surrounding communities, by working with grade school students and the elderly, by volunteering at food banks and soup kitchens.
Dr. Paul Thomas shared a quote from Jeanette Pierce, “Detroit is big enough to matter in the world, and small enough for you to matter in it.”
Wayne State University School of Medicine Dean Margit Chadwell with Dr. Paul Thomas, MD, guest lecturer and Clinical Assistant Professor.
Emerging Leaders Connect at Michigan Association of CPAs Event
Last week, I was invited as a speaker/panelist at the Michigan Association of CPAs event in Midtown Detroit. The panel focused on entrepreneurship and working with folks who are solo entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals. Many accountants and certified public accountants (CPAs) in Detroit and Metro Detroit are self-employed.
Additionally, many freelancers and self-employed individuals make more than the cutoff point for Medicaid in the State of Michigan (around $17,000) but not enough money to comfortably afford private health insurance. Or, self-employed individuals may not want to spend so much money on health insurance, and rather invest that money back into their businesses.
We take care of many folks in this situation - people are looking for alternative ways to manage their personal health and well-being, and many people are choosing direct primary care services like our Plum Health DPC service as a stand-alone service or as an add-on service to their health insurance plan or catastrophic coverage plan.
This was a great event and brought together many interesting accounting professionals. A big thank you to Matthew Kidd and the Michigan Association of CPAs for the invitation.
Further, it was a pleasure to share the stage with Andrew Dickow, the Managing Director at Greenwich Capital Group. He is an enthusiastic and engaging speaker, and he brought a ton of insights to the table regarding entrepreneurship, investment, and the food and beverage industry in Detroit and beyond.
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
We had a great time with the Michigan Association of CPAs Event, called Emerging Leaders Connect. It was a pleasure to speak with Matthew Kidd and Andrew Dickow regarding entrepreneurship in Detroit.
Photos courtesy of:
Kelly Dzierzawski | Video & Creative Services Senior Manager | Michigan Association of CPAs
Paul Thomas MD Presents at Grand Rounds at Wayne State
On February 15th, I had the honor of presenting at Grand Rounds at Wayne State University School of Medicine. Grand Rounds is a weekly presentation and an integral part of medical education. Clinical problems in medicine are discussed by focusing on current or interesting cases. Grand Rounds presentations can also be used to disseminate new research or interesting changes in the healthcare landscape.
For this Grand Rounds for the Internal Medicine Department at Wayne State University, I was asked to share my expertise regarding Direct Primary Care. This is a presentation that I have given in the past to the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians and at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. I updated the presentation to include a clinical case, or a person in our practice who I helped by managing their diabetes and hypertension. The personal information is anonymized to protect their identity.
It was a tremendous honor to be invited by my alma mater to give a presentation of this magnitude, and I’m happy to share this information about Direct Primary Care. I believe that healthcare should be affordable and accessible for everyone, and we will need more doctors to adopt Direct Primary Care practices to meet this goal.
Thanks for reading and watching,
-Dr. Paul Thomas of Plum Health
Family Doctor Speaks at the Detroit Public Library
In October, I had a great opportunity to speak at the Detroit Public Library about health care. The focus of my talk was our Family Medicine practice in Southwest Detroit called Plum Health DPC. The DPC stands for Direct Primary Care and our mission is to make healthcare more affordable and accessible for everyone.
This talk was well attended by Detroiters and Library Patrons who wanted to learn more about lowering the cost of their health care. Folks in Detroit and across America are facing ever-rising costs for health insurance premiums and prescription drugs, ER visits and lab work.
One such Detroiter showed me the bill from a recent ER visit, which illustrates the inflated cost of medical care, especially the medical care delivered in emergency departments.
A Detroiter shows me their medical bill, showing the inflated costs of a chest x-ray, breathing treatments, blood work, and an EKG. Shared with permission.
So let’s run through this bill and demonstrate the inflated costs of health care services when you receive them through the emergency department.
This person was charged $120 for a Basic Metabolic Panel, a test that costs $6 in our office.
This person was charged $47 to check their Magnesium level, and it’s $10 in our office.
This person was charged $57 for an EKG in the emergency department, and it’s $2 in our office.
A 2 view x-ray in the Emergency Department cost this person $107, but it can be obtained for $38 in the community.
Worst of all, this Emergency Department visit was billed out at a Level 5, or the highest level of severity for any emergency department visit. This would be on par with a stroke, heart attack, or gun shot wound. Because of this high level coding, this person was charged $1,204.00 for this visit, which was an asthma attack.
At Plum Health, we value price transparency, and we want to make sure that folks understand the costs of their medical care before those services are rendered. This prevents people from being sent to medical bankruptcy, the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States.
“A study done at Harvard University indicates that this is the biggest cause of bankruptcy, representing 62% of all personal bankruptcies. One of the interesting caveats of this study shows that 78% of filers had some form of health insurance, thus bucking the myth that medical bills affect only the uninsured.” - Investopedia article
This is why I get out into the community and speak at different events - I want to educate folks about how they can live healthier lives and prevent financial calamity in the process.
Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful day,
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Want to take a deeper dive? Read our book, published on Amazon.
Paul Thomas MD at the Detroit Public Library speaking about Direct Primary Care.
Paul Thomas MD of Plum Health DPC speaks at the Detroit Public Library about Direct Primary Care and making health care more affordable and accessible.
Paul Thomas MD Speaking at Michigan State University
This week, I was invited to speak at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine regarding Direct Primary Care. It was a neat experience because the school has three campuses and my lecture was simulcast to the other two campuses. I spoke at the Detroit location (did you know that Michigan State University has a medical school campus in Detroit?) and the talk was broadcast to the East Lansing and Macomb campuses.
The lecture was an hour, and in the first 45 minutes I discuss the current crisis in primary care, I define Direct Primary Care, and then I give real-world examples of how Direct Primary Care is working in our clinic in Southwest Detroit. During the last 20 minutes, I answered as many questions as I possibly can.
I love speaking with students about our healthcare system and about Direct Primary Care because I see the lightbulb go off - I see them ‘get it’ and understand the model and why it works well. I love witnessing that moment - the “aha” moment.
A few students bought my book about Direct Primary Care after the event and the pictures below are of me signing the book. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day.
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Get your copy of the book, Direct Primary Care: The Cure for Our Broken Healthcare System
Signing a book for one of the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine Students.
Dr. Paul Thomas MD of Plum Health DPC signing the book, Direct Primary Care: The Cure for Our Broken Healthcare System after a speaking engagement at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Detroit, Michigan.
Dr. Paul Thomas at the Future of Family Medicine Conference
Last month, I had the opportunity to speak with over 100 students and residents interested in the specialty of Family Medicine. This was at the aptly named “Michigan Future of Family medicine Conference” hosted by the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians. The event was held at Michigan State University and hundreds of students were able to attend on a Saturday morning in October.
The invitation for the fifth annual Michigan Future of Family Medicine Conference, hosted by Michigan State University and the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP).
For students, it can be hard to get excited about the future of Family Medicine. Family Physicians work long hours, have to deal with tons of insurance bureaucracy and red tape, and earn less than their colleagues in other specialties. It can leave students deflated.
Dr. Paul Thomas of Plum Health DPC speaks at the Michigan Future of Family Medicine Conference 2018 Panel on Career Options, taken from the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians’ (MAFP) twitter account, here: https://twitter.com/MIFamilyDocs/status/1051106817705725953
However, I find that when I speak about Direct Primary Care and the opportunities that a DPC model of care can provide, students are energized and excited about the future of family medicine. You see, Family Medicine Doctors have the most tools in their tool set and can have the biggest impact on the community level - we lower admission rates to hospitals and decrease the cost of care for our patients. We also lower the rates of disease and death rates from disease.
But, as mentioned previously, Family Medicine is less desirable from the student’s perspective as it pays less and is a difficult job because of insurance hassles.
I think our profession, Family Medicine, is at a real moment of crisis, but also at a crossroads for opportunity. We can continue to be a part of the healthcare industrial complex, billing and coding, racking up charges on our patients, or we can adopt the Direct Primary Care model and serve our patients and our community with affordable and accessible health care services that are more just and compassionate in their delivery.
That’s my message, I’m glad to have had the opportunity to share it, and I’m very happy to have seen it resonate with so many energetic and eager medical students and residents.
Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful day,
-Dr. Paul Thomas, MD with Plum Health DPC, a Direct Primary Care service in Southwest Detroit
Dr. Paul Thomas of Plum Health DPC speaks at the Michigan Future of Family Medicine Conference 2018 Panel on Career Options, taken from the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians’ (MAFP) twitter account, here: https://twitter.com/MIFamilyDocs/status/1051097050086035456
I had the pleasure of speaking to an audience of over 100 + Medical Students and Medical Residents at the Michigan Future of Family Medicine Conference in October 2018. I shared the stage with Dr. Sheala Jafry, Dr. Fatin Sahhar, and Dr. Amy Keenum. The event was held at Michigan State University and hosted by the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP).
Paul Thomas, MD Speaks at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
This week, I was able to speak at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine to a group of about 50 enthusiastic first and second year medical students on September 24th, 2018. This presentation focuses on the philosophy and practice of Direct Primary Care and the main points of a DPC practice.
I believe in Family Medicine and I believe in Family Medicine doctors and their ability to fix our broken healthcare system, to remake it into a compassionate, intuitive system that delivers comprehensive care.
Because of this belief, I speak as often as I can to medical students, residents, doctors, and allied health professionals about Direct Primary Care and its transformative power in our healthcare ecosystem.
Thanks for reading and watching,
-Dr. Paul Thomas, family medicine physician practicing at Plum Health DPC in Southwest Detroit
I had a blast speaking at the AAFP Direct Primary Care Conference
I cannot tell you how much fun I had speaking at the AAFP DPC Conference, I loved it this much:
Dr. Paul Thomas speaking about Branding and Marketing your Direct Primary Care practice at the American Academy of Family Physicians Direct Primary Care Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Seriously, I had an amazing opportunity to speak directly with my Direct Primary Care colleagues about Branding and Marketing your Direct Primary Care practice at the American Academy of Family Physicians Direct Primary Care Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.
I believe that our family physicians are the backbone of the health care system in America, and I am encouraged and enthused by their willingness to step into their own power and create ideal practices that optimally serve their individual patients and their greater communities.
I'm all in on helping my colleagues create their best practices and to become the doctors they were meant to be. One of the biggest challenges that doctors face is in the realms of branding and marketing as most family physicians have little or no training in these areas.
What I conveyed in my lecture was how to create a brand, engage in branding your practice, and actively market your practice. I'm posting about this again because I'm that amped up and because the lecture is now live on the AAFP website, here.
Thanks for reading and for watching! Below are some bonus screenshots from the talk. If you're an individual looking for this type of care for yourself, your family, or your employees, please call me at 313.444.5630 or send me an email at paul@plumhealthdpc.org. If you're a DPC doctor and you need help branding and marketing your practice, reach out to me because I'm happy to help.
Sincerely,
- Dr. Paul Thomas, MD, physician with Plum Health DPC in Southwest Detroit
Speaking at the AAFP DPC Summit 2018
Speaking at the AAFP DPC Summit
This weekend, I had the privilege of speaking at the American Academy of Family Physicians' (AAFP) Direct Primary Care Summit 2018. The DPC Summit 2018 took place in Indianapolis, Indiana from July 13th - 15th and we shared best practices about Direct Primary Care.
Several of the founding members of the Direct Primary Care Alliance, an organization advocating for the needs of the independent DPC doctors, including Dr. Paul Thomas, MD, Dr. Ryan Neuhoffel, Dr. Julie Gunther, Dr. Phil Eskew, Dr. Nicholas Tomsen, Dr. Landon Roussel, Dr. Amy Walsh, Dr. Delicia Haynes, Dr. Jeff Gold, Dr. Luke Van Kirk, Dr. James Gaor, Dr. Staci Benson, et al.
The name of my talk was "DPC Hustles Harder", an homage to the entrepreneurial spirit and can-do attitude of my home town summed up in the phrase "Detroit Hustles Harder." I also see several parallels between Detroit and the DPC movement - embattled, not fully understood, at a crossroads, with the potential to grow rapidly.
I named my talk DPC Hustles Harder because as a DPC doctor, your name is not on the back of your patients' insurance card and you will not get referrals from large health care systems or their doctors or administrators. In fact, as a DPC doctor, you have to go out, pound the payment, write for local papers, write blog posts, send emails, and leverage social media platforms to reach your target audience.
All of this can be a ton of work and it can feel overwhelming, especially for physicians who haven't had any formal communications or digital marketing training. So I set out to simplify the tools and processes for doctors to reach more patients.
I did this because I believe in the Direct Primary Care model and the DPC movement, it's ability to lower the cost of care and deliver a higher quality of service for patients, families, and communities across our nation. I sincerely believe in the abilities of my DPC colleagues, and I want to help and uplift their efforts.
I don't have the full video version of my presentation, but I will post it as soon as it's available. For now, I have several pictures taken by my colleagues (see below), some great memories from connecting with my colleagues, and a deep sense of gratitude for the ability to teach others about how to overcome challenges when it comes to branding and marketing their Direct Primary Care practices.
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day,
- Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Finally, if you’re a Primary Care Doctor or Allied Health Professional that is looking to Start and Grow a Direct Primary Care practice, check out our sister site www.StartUpDPC.com.
Speaking at the American Academy of Family Physicians Direct Primary Care Summit 2018, my lecture was called DPC Hustles Harder and it focused on Branding and Marketing your Direct Primary Care Practice.
Barriers to Starting a Direct Primary Care Practice and How to Overcome Them
I am so excited for this weekend! I'll be speaking at the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians annual conference on Saturday morning. The title of my presentation is "Direct Primary Care: Barriers to Adoption and How to Overcome Them." The lecture will be held at Western Michigan University and will start at 8:10 am.
Here's what the MAFP has to say about the presentation:
Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a dynamic and exciting practice model well-suited for Family Physicians. Its adoption in Michigan, however, has lagged behind other states, such as Florida, Colorado, and Kansas. This engaging session will begin by defining DPC and identifying successful practices in Michigan, as well as regionally and nationally. We will then identify barriers to starting a DPC practice and how to overcome them. Paul Thomas, MD, Plum Health Direct Primary Care (Detroit)
I am speaking because I believe that we have a unique opportunity to remake our healthcare system into one that is truly compassionate, and one that benefits all parties involved - namely patients, their families, their physicians and allied health professionals.
I am so enthusiastic about Direct Primary Care because it removes the middle men and barriers between patients and their doctors, and allows for a restoration of the doctor patient relationship. It also lowers costs on everything from office visits, to lab work, medications, and imaging studies.
If you're available, please join me for this lecture, Saturday July 14th at 8:10 am in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Sincerely,
Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Below is a PDF from the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians quarterly magazine about the upcoming presentation, and beneath that is a short video from the conference:
Finally, if you’re a Primary Care Doctor or Allied Health Professional that is looking to Start and Grow a Direct Primary Care practice, check out our sister site www.StartUpDPC.com.
Wayne State University School of Medicine History Presentation
Our video has been posted online! I had the opportunity to present the history of Wayne State University School of Medicine, and it is now available as a YouTube video. Check it out, below.
Thanks for reading and watching!
- Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
The History of Wayne State University School of Medicine
This week, I was invited to give a presentation on the history of Wayne State University School of Medicine during its Sesquicentennial Celebration. Yes! The WSU SOM is 150 years old, and it has a rich history of diversity, inclusion, and innovation that should be celebrated. Interestingly, the history of the Medical School is the history of the University, as the University grew out of the Medical School. While I can't cover the entire history in a single blog post, I will give some highlights from the early years of the college below. When the full presentation is released later this year, I will post it to the blog as well.
Theodore A. McGraw, MD, founder of the Detroit Medical College, which would later become Wayne State University School of Medicine.
The Detroit Medical College was founded in 1868 by five returning Civil War Veterans. One can only imagine the horrors that they saw on the battlefield and you can also imagine the inadequacy that they felt in treating wounded soldiers. In the 1860's, aseptic surgical techniques were only beginning to be used and anesthesia was not fully understood.
Can you imagine what it might have felt like to be a battlefield clinician, and not having the proper tools or training? Dr. Theodore McGraw, founder of the Detroit Medical College is quoted as saying: "I had discovered in my two years of army activity that I was deficient in that exact knowledge of anatomy that was essential to good surgery. The advent of antiseptic and aseptic surgery, besides, had opened a new field for operative work, that of the abdomen, which demanded a study of anatomical relations which had never been taught in the schools."
Dr. Theodore McGraw was focused on both teaching and learning, and that desire is summed up in this quote "We entered into the matter with unbounded enthusiasm – enthusiasm for teaching and developing ourselves."
To this end, the charter of the Detroit Medical College elucidated how this would be achieved. In the charter (pictured below), it is written that "Pains will be taken to instruct each Student in PRACTICAL DIAGNOSIS. For this purpose the advanced Students will be called upon in turn to examine patients. After pronouncing a Diagnosis, questions will be asked in relation to differential symptoms... ...Little benefit can result to the Student from seeing cases diagnosticated and treated by the Professor of Practical Surgery and Medicine, unless he is first allowed to exert his own powers, and test his own knowledge, by personal examination of the patients."
The Detroit College of Medicine charter from 1868, signed by founding physician Thodore A. McGraw, MD. The charter puts forth the founding principles of the institution.
This ethos of having students practice medicine, to serve the community, and to learn by doing, echoes throughout the history of the School of Medicine. This is the very foundation of the University and the key to its enduring greatness. It is also the reason that I chose to attend WSU SOM - I wanted to immerse myself in the diversity of the city and the breadth of clinical opportunities available in Detroit, from serving homeless and uninsured patients in community clinics to learning from some of the leading minds and researchers in the country at the University clinics.
At its inception, the Detroit Medical College set up a relationship with Harper Hospital and St. Mary's Hospital, which allowed students to learn from and serve the people of Detroit. The focus is, and has always been, learning by doing. The early photos below illustrate these tenets.
The above photo series include the following images: first is the Detroit Medical College, which housed the medical school after 1868, the second image shows students during anatomy lab sometime around 1900, which is not very different than anatomy lab at the School of Medicine today. The third image is St. Mary's Hospital, one of the two clinical training sites after 1868. The fourth image is the operating theater at St. Mary's Hospital in 1898. The Operator is Dr. Henry O. Walker. At his left, hands behind his back, is Dr. Theodore McGraw, the founder of the Detroit Medical College who emphasized teaching by doing. The final image is Harper Hospital, the primary clinical training site for students at the Detroit Medical College.
It was an honor to be able to relay the history of Wayne State University School of Medicine to my physician colleagues this weekend, and it is a great reminder of what makes doctors from Wayne State unique and so skilled - the focus on hands-on clinical training and the diversity of the people we have the privilege of serving.
Thanks for reading,
- Dr. Paul Thomas, Physician with Plum Health DPC