HealthEast® Clinic Quality Data
“Our pediatrician is a doctor who wants to keep on learning.”
HealthEast® Maplewood Clinic patient Mirabelle J.
Jules, Mirabelle’s mother, had quite a bit of contact with her kids’ pediatrician by the time Mirabelle came along. “I have three other children — a 13-1/2-year-old, a 12-year-old and a 9-year-old — and being an active, busy family, we were at our clinic pretty often,” said Jules. “And we’ve had great experiences with our pediatrician, Dr. Kelly. He’s always been really great about taking time with us, answering our questions and explaining the medical side of things.”
In addition to appreciating Dr. Kelly’s friendly bedside manner, Jules notes that the clinic’s walk–in care has come in handy as well. “Not to have to call and schedule an appointment — I love that. Every time I’ve done walk–in with my kids for a strep test or ear infection, I’ve been seen just as quickly as when I have a normal appointment.”
However, when Jules and her husband decided to add another child to their family, she did have some hesitations. “My daughter Mirabelle was adopted from Ethiopia. She was in good health when we came home with her, but she spent the first part of her life in a country that has a lot of health issues you don’t see in kids here,” Jules commented.
As such, Jules wasn’t 100 percent sure that her usual pediatrician could provide the type of care that Mirabelle would require. “While we loved Dr. Kelly, I wouldn’t have continued to bring Mirabelle to him out of loyalty. We had an appointment with him maybe a week after we came home from Africa with her, and I had really high expectations — and he met them all. His knowledge clearly extended beyond the run–of–the–mill American kid, and he really impressed me with how he evaluated her growth and development — he really was confident and competent.”
Now, just over a year later, when Mirabelle visits Dr. Kelly, it’s usually for the typical childhood illnesses. “He’s just that good pediatrician that we really like — but I am still so impressed that he had the knowledge to care for her from the beginning,” said Jules. “It really seemed like he wanted to keep learning.” Dr. Kelly’s desire to learn extends to others at the clinic as well: “We did walk-in care not too long ago, and Mirabelle’s Ethiopian name, Tseganesh, is still on her files. And the receptionist greeted her by that name — she had actually been practicing how to say it. The fact that they did that — it was so impressive.”
HealthEast® Clinic Quality Data
Using Communication to Ensure Top Care: Dr. John Kelly
After 16 years as a practicing pediatrician, Dr. John Kelly is enjoying the rewards of working with teens that he’s cared for since infancy. “To me, caring for kids means I can make a big difference. A course direction early in life can make a big difference later in life — and I get to see that now, as babies I cared for are now going off to high school.”
In addition to getting to see his patients grow from stage to stage, Dr. Kelly’s status as a constant source of care also supports a high quality of care. “If a child had a particular problem in the past, I already know his or her background, and can be really efficient in caring for them. Or knowing a sibling’s history — such as if one child in a family has asthma, and another comes to me with a cough that won’t go away — that makes it a lot easier to figure out what’s going on.”
In Mira’s case, Dr. Kelly had a little help on figuring out what her care needs might be. “We follow guidelines developed with the University of Minnesota International Adoption Clinic,” he said. “They categorize their information on screening and evaluation by geographic regions, which is so helpful with kids who were adopted internationally. For instance, there are children who come with vaccine records, but they’re often not immune to the diseases they were vaccinated for. Either their bodies didn’t respond or the vaccines were expired. We test them for different things, depending on where they’re from, just to be safe.”
However, even with these guidelines in hand, Dr. Kelly doesn’t hesitate to refer a child elsewhere if he thinks specialized care is needed. “I might see a kid who has a developmental or behavioral problem that might be related to adoption. As a pediatrician, I of course try to offer patients most of their care in our clinic, but I quickly recommend a consultation when it’s warranted or requested.”
One technique Dr. Kelly uses to ensure top-level care: Talking directly with his patients, as early as possible. “I start talking to a child about their care at a pretty young age, trying to get most of a history from a kid when they’re even just 3 or 4 years old,” said Dr. Kelly. “Parents can provide backup information, but it helps to develop a doctor/patient relationship sooner. And a parent might know a child has a stomachache, but they don’t know details about where, when, what makes it hurt, what makes it better. A lot of times, the kid can tell me more than the parent.”
