Lake Country Medical Group Employee Spotlight: Rannie McCannon

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Lake Country Medical Group and Concierge would like to welcome Rannie McCannon to our practice. She brings with her a tremendous amount of experience working within the community as well as a keen understanding of medication regimen and working with pharmaceutical companies. Rannie graduated from Greene County High School and was a cheerleader there for four years. She worked for Jay and Melinda Spivey at Lake Oconee Family Pharmacy here in The Harbor Club until it closed. In 2003, she was hired as a full-time Pharmacy Technician at Publix Pharmacy. Rannie stated, “I really enjoyed working at Publix and I’m very proud to say that I worked there for 18 1/2 years! I enjoyed working and building relationships with all of the Patients, Pharmacists and Technicians over the years.” 

At Lake Country Medical Group Rannie is taking on the roles of Chronic Care Management Coordinator and Medical Reconciliation Specialist. According to Dr. Nicolas Chronos, “Rannie is friendly, efficient, and effective. Since hiring Rannie we have seen a dramatic improvement in our ability to reconcile medications, check patients are on the correct medications, and save money for patients on their prescriptions. I am amazed by Rannie’s desire and ability to make sure patients are able to take the medications they need by finding grants and coupons to make their medications more affordable.” 

What Is Medical Reconciliation? 

Medication reconciliation is the process by which a healthcare professional creates a comprehensive list of all the medications a patient is currently taking, including information such as the proper route of administration, dose, time, and frequency of the medication. This sounds simple but it is actually a process that oftentimes gets disregarded in the business of a medical practice or hospital.

In fact, according to the NIH, 

“The average hospitalized patient is subject to at least one medication error per day. This confirms previous research findings that medication errors represent the most common patient safety error. More than 40 percent of medication errors are believed to result from inadequate reconciliation in handoffs during admission, transfer, and discharge of patients. Of these errors, about 20 percent are believed to result in harm. Many of these errors would be averted if medication reconciliation processes were in place.” 

Why is medication reconciliation important? 

Medication reconciliation is important because it reduces the medication errors made in regards to the patient. With more than 7 million Americans impacted by medication errors every year, this process is integral to the healthcare system. When medication lists are inaccurate, a patient may be receiving too much or too little of a certain medication. Healthcare professionals will also be checking to make sure that there are no duplicates on the list. A second healthcare professional who monitors the medication reconciliation process, ensures that a double-check is being done so that all medications are being prescribed within safe levels, none are being duplicated, and that the patient is safe from harm caused by medication errors. 

At Lake Country Medical Group and Concierge we believe it is vital to be diligent about medical reconciliation. We have had new patients come to their first visit with a list of medications which have not been properly managed by previous providers. In just two months Rannie has helped our patients understand their medications and ensure that the medications they are taking are serving their purpose and not causing harm. 

In addition, Rannie has been able to help many of our patients save money on their prescriptions. In several cases she has saved them thousands of dollars! When asked to share an example Rannie explained, “the other day a patient stated to me that he couldn’t afford his Eliquis medication and that he was spending over $200 per month for the medication. I reached out to the Eliquis Foundation that helps fund certain Medicare patients. Once all of the correct documents were sent in, the patient was approved. Because of their annual income, they were able to receive Eliquis free of charge for the remainder of the year! That saved them a total of $2,400 for the year which is amazing!!”

All About Rannie McCannon 

  1. How long have you worked for Dr. Chronos? 

I have worked with the Lake Country Medical Group for almost two months and it thrills me to come to work everyday to be of support to the team. 

  1. What do you enjoy most about working at the practice? 

I really enjoy working with the patients. I know most of them already which is also exciting! 

  1. How long have you lived in Georgia’s Lake Country and where are you originally from? 

I have lived here in Greensboro, Ga. all of my life. I love this community as it is where I was raised and where I have raised my family. 

  1. Can you tell us a little bit about your family? 

I’m very honored to say that I’m happily married to my wonderful husband, Robby McCannon, who is a Greene County Deputy Sheriff. He is also very well known in the community. We share a total of 21 years together and have 2 beautiful children (Rj and Jaxon) whom we adore so much!

 

Resources – 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2648/

 

An Ounce of Prevention

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You may have heard Benjamin Franklin’s popular saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” We can conclude that he meant taking precautions can prevent consequences later. What some do not know is that Franklin’s statement was originally intended for fire prevention. During a visit to Boston in 1733, Franklin was extremely impressed by the city’s fire prevention methods.  Franklin sent an unsigned letter to his own newspaper The Pennsylvania Gazette. Published on February 4, 1735, his letter — “Protection of Towns from Fire” — began with the expression “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Then he wrote about how a city should prepare itself for a fire. 

 

Franklin may have been using this phrase in regards to fire safety, but it is also significant in terms of our health. According to the CDC, seven out of 10 U.S. deaths are caused by chronic disease, while roughly half of the country’s population has been diagnosed with a chronic illness, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, AIDS, or other conditions classified by the medical community as preventable. Statistics like these signal a need for greater national emphasis on proven preventive approaches to health care. Healthy People, a federal program administered by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, states routine cardiovascular exams alone save tens of thousands of adult lives each year, while vaccines save the lives of roughly 42,000 children on an annual basis. Preventive health screenings and primary care consultations have also been found to significantly increase life expectancy, particularly among the 30- to 49-year age group. National Institute of Health explains, up to date vaccinations, annual or biannual checkups as well as routine tests and exams are critical to preventative medicine.  

 

At Lake Country Medical Concierge our focus is on preventative medicine. Our focus on preventative medicine involves taking care of your long term health, making lifestyle changes, and being proactive about your risk factors for certain conditions so that you are two steps ahead before an illness strikes. Unlike traditional medical practices, we keep you healthy – not just treat you after you become ill.  In order to do so we complete a comprehensive annual wellness exam. This helps us to create a customized wellness plan that is personalized on your goals, lifestyle, family history, and health status. From there we focus on ensuring you stay physically and mentally healthy through support and guidance on nutrition, fitness, stress reduction, and improved sleep. 

Dr. Nicolas Chronos says “preventative medicine is at the heart of what I do. One important benefit of concierge medicine is the fact that my focus as a doctor is less about intervention and more about preventing disease and chronic illness.” The concierge model enables our practice to include extended visits, continuous follow-up, and a distinctive emphasis on prevention and wellness. These characteristics promote high-quality, individualized care.  When asked why they chose to become a member of our practice, many patients stated that they viewed a concierge practice membership as an investment in good health and disease prevention.

 

One of our members said, “They are concerned about your long term care, they make sure diagnostics are done as needed and have a focus on prevention. I feel very well taken care of.”