Doctor cards help Pennsylvania hospital put a human face on patient care

Honus Wagner's 1909 baseball card sold for $2.35 million earlier this year, so how much would the card of cardiologist Roddy Canosa, DO, fetch?

Not much, he admits.

But that hasn't stopped patients from keeping Dr. Canosa's photo card when he sees them at Ephrata (Pa.) Community Hospital. He's one of dozens of physicians featured in doctor cards at the hospital.

The facility hands out the images to new patients to help them identify doctors, physician assistants and other health care professionals who come to their bedside. Doctors and patients liken them to baseball cards, but these are about connecting with patients, not home runs and batting average.

"It doesn't have my golf score, but maybe that's a good thing," Dr. Canosa joked.

The cards are bigger than the typical ones you might find clipped to a child's bicycle spokes. These 5½-inch by 8½-inch cards feature several photos and names of doctors from practices in town, kind of a team snapshot of internists, cardiologists, surgeons and other physicians.

Some cards are blank on the back while others have a simple description of what the physician's practice does, such as provide heart care.

"We kind of jokingly call them physician trading cards," said hospital spokeswoman Joanne Eshelman. "I have the complete set. I feel like a collector."

The health profession isn't the only one to tap the card craze. Some communities circulate cop cards of police officers that boast personal information and a message from the officer. Rabbi trading cards feature great rabbis of certain decades and include one series of color photos of rabbis in action during Jewish holidays.

Ephrata Community Hospital came up with its idea about a year and a half ago after reviewing patient satisfaction surveys.

"Our patients were telling us that their doctors hadn't been in to see them during their stay, but we knew that a physician had been in to see them," Eshelman said.

Internist William D. Loretan, DO, is a fan of the cards because of the connection they help him make with patients. When he meets a new patient, he uses the bedside card to show who he is or to identify an associate who will see the patient later.

"People are coming to your room all the time and you don't always know who these people are. You show them the card and they can identify you as a physician," Dr. Loretan said.

Even if his picture looks a little different.

"The photo is kind of old. I wear glasses now," he said.

The hospital has grown to more than 300 physicians, so the effort made sense to help patients keep track of specialists and other unfamiliar faces.

"Since our population is on the older side, it lessens the confusion. They can check their card and see who their doctor is," said Stacie Whiting, the hospital's customer excellence coordinator.

The hospital uses photos from ID badges to make the cards. New patients receive the cards in welcome packets or from the doctor directly. About 15 practices are participating.

"Patients appreciate having them. It's also good for family members," Eshelman said.

Physicians said the program seems unique among hospitals. A similar concept -- bookmarks with physician photos -- has been used since 2002 at Pekin (Ill.) Hospital. The bookmarks detail the doctor's specialty, office location, phone number, training and board certification.

"It instills more confidence in the patient from the get-go," said Sandy Brooks, RN, Pekin Hospital's vice president of medical staff affairs/compliance. "It just kind of personalizes the care a bit."

Dr. Canosa, the cardiologist at Ephrata, notices that patients pull out the doctor cards when he enters the room. Some put checkmarks by physicians they've seen. Some take the cards home so they can recognize a physician during an office follow-up.

With this kind of warm reception, maybe his card will become a collector's item.

Someday.

"If this takes off and I can go to sports shows and get paid what the athletes do when they sign autographs, that would be great," he joked.

"But I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon."