At Highland Springs Dr. William Featherston Is Always Right Down The Hall
By Sunny McKinnon
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
He looks the part of a physician: confident, self-assured, and knowledgeable. He even wears the requisite white coat.
Yet, somehow when you meet Dr. William Featherston, you realize that something’s different about this doctor.
And as you visit, as you talk, you realize what it is—this doctor is not in a hurry. He’s listening.
A Safe Harbor
“A doctor should be someone who listens,” he explains. “With my patients, I like to just sit back and and listen. In my years of practice, it has been my experience that a lot of very important details will come out if the doctor will take thetime to listen.”
In a world where statistics show that the average doctor spends between 5 and 7 minutes with each patient, Erickson’s 20-25 minute average is refreshingly reassuring.
“A doctor’s office should be a safe harbor. A place where a person can relax and be confident that their care is the medical team’s only concern,” he continues. “That’s the Erickson philosophy, and it’s always been mine as well—open and two-way communication is the key to health care.”
The Future of Health Care
Always a leader in health care, Erickson is the only retirement community in the nation to implement a system of electronic medical records. Although electronic record keeping is mandated by President Bush to be in place by 2014, now fewer than 18 percent of all doctors nationwide have implemented the new technology.
Centricity, as Erickson’s records system is called, is used by 100 percent of Erickson HealthSM physicians, including Dr. Featherston at Highland Springs.
“We deal in data, and in some cases, getting the information to the right place and the right physician is the most important factor in care,” says Featherston. “With electronic records, we have instant access to health information via our secure Web server.