Medical pros speak at chamber luncheon
The Homewood Chamber of Commerce held its monthly membership luncheon Oct. 15, hosting a panel of three medical professionals.
Dr. Tarika Bhuta of McCool and Bhuta, Brookwood Baptist Health CEO Tim Puthoff and Dr. Weily Soong of Alabama Allergy & Asthma Center gave their thoughts on the healthcare industry in Homewood and surrounding areas.
The strength of Homewood’s medical environment is the presence of almost every medical specialty, according to Bhuta. “
If you drive up and down Highway 31, you can find almost every specialty represented,” she said. “... That makes access easy.”
The wide variety of medical specialists in Homewood makes it much easier for any citizen with any ailment to obtain treatment, according to Bhuta. This easy access to healthcare in Homewood makes for a healthier workforce in the city, she said.
Having a strong network of providers creates a better experience for the residents of Homewood and the Birmingham region.
The panel talked about the emergence of telehealth as an option for residents who live too far away to make regularly scheduled doctor's visits. Telehealth is the distribution of health services and information over the internet or phone.
Soong said that residents should get ready for this new wave in healthcare as it should start to become more relevant in the next five years.
“This device is going to change how we do medicine,” Soong said, referring to the cell phone. “Everyone is thinking, ‘I have to see the doctor,’ but there are some situations you really don’t need to see the doctor. Think about how inefficient some of these visits are. It could be a lot faster done via FaceTime or some sort of telehealth visit. We’re going to have to get used to that.”
Bhuta said telehealth will have limitations and will not completely replace traditional doctor visits because doctors will not have a great opportunity to give a good exam for some medical problems. She said certain fields will benefit from telehealth. Pathology, radiology and dermatology are a few examples of things telehealth can help.
Bhuta said that McCool and Bhuta now offers telecare for audiology. This service allows hearing aid patients to get their healthcare through their phone instead of having to make a visit to the doctor’s office.
Along with telehealth, the medical field helps the business community in Homewood.
Puthoff said Brookwood Baptist Health provides about 2,000 jobs at about $129 million in payroll, with even more jobs being created indirectly. Jobs for contractors, vendors, suppliers and the insurance business benefit indirectly from the success of hospitals, Puthoff said.
Puthoff said Brookwood Baptist Health helps the Homewood community in many different ways.
“Additionally, our hospital provided about $17 million in uncompensated care,” Puthoff said. “We are also one of Homewood’s biggest property tax payers. Our direct and indirect economic impact is pretty substantial.”
The Homewood Chamber of Commerce will hold its next luncheon Nov. 19.