Wake Forest Baptist Health

James G Guerrini

James Guerrini, Medical Director for Urgent Care Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Health, specializes in family practice, urgent care, and occupational medicine. His path to urgent care was paved by the extensive expertise as a primary care physician and the urge to help patients in getting better accessibility to healthcare. Guerrini’s patient care philosophy involves helping patients achieve their goals by ensuring that they’re an active member of the health care team, so that they’re making active decisions and being an active participant. 

In the light of your experience what are the trends and challenges you’ve witnessed happening in the Patient Engagement space?

Meeting patient expectations, particularly in the urgent care setting, has become increasingly challenging. Patients expect short wait and visit times, price transparency and competitiveness, and sometimes tests and/or treatments that may not be medically necessary or in fact potentially even harmful.

What are some of the points of discussion that go on in your leadership panel? What are the strategic points that you go by to steer the company forward?

We strive to provide the best patient experience possible within the framework of high quality, evidence-based medicine. We are continually reviewing opportunities to utilize technology when appropriate to assist with improving facets of operation such as online reservations to help manage patient wait times.

How do you see the evolution of the Patient Engagement space a few years from now with regard to some of its potential disruptions and transformations?

When complete price transparency has been achieved in all aspects of healthcare that will truly be transformative. The current state is too confusing to the average person and severely limits their choice. On Demand care will become more of the norm and eventually 24/7 access with all services being available all of the time will become a reality. The traditional Monday through Friday approach will no longer apply to healthcare, and really never should have.

What would be the single piece of advice that you could impart to a fellow or aspiring professional in your field, looking to embark on a similar venture or professional journey along the lines of your service and area of expertise?

Be honest with yourself that your passion to become a physician has enough energy to withstand the near constant obstacles that continually try to extinguish that flame and stand in the way of what truly being a doctor is all about; helping keep people healthy while relieving their illness and suffering when it appears.