Don't let Rusty DeGeorge's soft voice and laid back southern charm mislead you; he has seen both global suffering and daunting domestic challenges, and he is passionate about addressing them and making a difference in today's world.DeGeorge arrived at his current position as CEO of Conrad Pearson Clinic, the largest urology practice in the Memphis area, by following a career path that started at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. That path quickly led him into the healthcare field, where he has served one of the nation's leading pharmaceutical companies (Pfizer), the largest multispecialty clinic in Mississippi, one of the largest healthcare insurance providers in the country (United Healthcare), and the leading OB/GYN group in Memphis (the Ruch Clinic). He stepped forward to take the helm of Conrad Pearson 10½ years ago and continues to chart a confident course, maintaining their state of the art facilities and their leadership role in serving men's healthcare needs in the Mid-South area.

 

There may be considerably rougher waters ahead, however, admits DeGeorge—not only for Conrad Pearson but for all healthcare service providers:

 

When the physicians first formed this group, they had the vision of building a full-service campus, including an ambulatory surgery center that allows them to provide all care under one roof. When I joined the group, we had seven locations around the city, mostly located on hospital campuses, and our current care center was in the planning stage. Its completion was a huge step for our practice, taking us from seven locations to four, including this one. Now patients no longer have to take extra time off from work for multiple trips to visit the doctor, get blood work done, have X-rays taken, and finally undergo a procedure; it can all be done here.

 

Urology is a specialty where virtually all the procedures are done on an out-patient basis. Once we built this facility our physicians were able to walk right next door to handle their surgical cases, instead of driving to the hospital and waiting for hours when cases were behind; this state-of-the-art center has made them much more efficient.

 

Another big change that I have seen is one confronting all medical groups. It's the ever- increasing government regulations andmandates that we're forced to comply with in the face of a decreasing reimbursement landscape.

 

With all these mandates and regulations come increased costs. Many times it requires additional personnel, and unlike other industries, healthcare providers can't pass on our increased costs to customers because Medicare has a flat fee schedule, and our provider contracts with Cigna, United Healthcare and Blue Cross all stipulate flat rate payments. It's a challenge, continuing to meet our commitment to provide state of the art care with the latest advances in technology and their associated costs—while faced with lower reimbursements.

 

Add to that the national and global shortage of physicians, and the nearly 40 million more people that will be covered by the new healthcare legislation and who will need doctors to treat them, and you have the makings of an even more serious future problem. Since many of the urologists currently in practice are aged between 55 and 60 on average, inevitably the problem will worsen as they retire.

 

 

We're actively and aggressively recruiting new physicians to meet the need.

 

In order for groups to survive healthcare reform, they will need to get larger. Groups that are big are going to get bigger; smaller practices are going to have to come together to form larger practices. So we are also considering strategic regional mergers—identifying targets of interest.

 

I believe that one of the key roles any practice manager has today, and in the future, is going to be as political activist. The hospital industry, the pharmaceuticals, the insurance providers, all have a lobby on their behalf; but physicians, by and large, have not been engaged in that arena. The AMA unfortunately represents only a minority of less than 20 percent of all physicians nationally.

 

Conrad Pearson has thus taken increased steps to get engaged politically, especially within our state. Several years ago we joined with a group of about 40 practices from across the state and formed a state-wide organization, the Tennessee Group Practice Coalition, which hired lobbyists to successfully represent us in the legislature and work in conjunction with the Tennessee Medical Association.

 

We have also joined some large urology practices in an association that similarly protects our interests on a national basis,

 

True. That's one reason we have committed to our second-year sponsorship of the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge on September 11. The event is designed to increase awareness of the risk prostate cancer poses to all men, and the importance of early detection. The free screenings we will offer are a way of reminding people that if they catch it early, their chances of survival with prostate cancer are very high.

 

This is an event that started three years ago with one urology practice in Baltimore, and has been spreading. Last year, Memphis's first year of involvement, eight practices in major U.S. cities participated, and this year we have 14 or 15 cities involved. We hope to create the male equivalent of the annual breast cancer Race for the Cure. In addition to raising awareness, we're trying to raise money for prostate cancer research and for patient education. Last year the Memphis Challenge attracted 350 runners and walkers; this year we'd like to double that and bring in $35,000 or more.

 

I envision this becoming one of the quality premier events in town that everybody looks forward to—with music, food, fun, and a very good cause to support.

 

Previous statistics from the American Cancer Society said that 200,000 men are diagnosed each year with prostate cancer, and 28,000 die. Their 2010 estimates place those numbers at nearly 218,000 diagnosed, with more than 30,000 deaths predicted.

 

Our facility is one that urology groups double and triple our size don't have. That's a huge plus for the patients of the Mid-South, because they can get everything done right here in one spot. And despite the size of our group and the number of patients we see, we still have a small office feel—we are still able to treat people on an individual level so they don't feel lost in the crowd.

 

The fact that we have been successful in providing quality care in a state of the art setting, despite the challenges of increased regulations, decreased reimbursement, and future physician shortages, is definitely a source of pride. Our success is due to the dedicated team of professionals—both physicians and staff alike—that truly care for the patients. Our physicians' combined experience in urology care exceeds 250 years' worth—that's a pretty impressive lot of knowhow.

 

 

My son and I went to Haiti on a mission trip during his spring break this year; it was really a rewarding experience. We helped to rebuild and bring in supplies for an orphanage and adoption agency. Conditions are just abysmal, with 80 percent of the people getting by on less than $2 a day.

 

We got really involved and plan to go back next spring. I also went to Indonesia after the tsunami hit in December of 2004 and worked there—that was also an interesting experience.