Extraordinary Doctors Doing Extraordinary Things
Starting today, I will shed some light on (and maybe even stir up a round of applause for) some of the Practice Fusion users who inspire us. Each user we profile in our new series “Extraordinary Doctors Doing Extraordinary Things”, will be someone who provides quality care for those in need. Let’s kick off the inspiring user of the month series with an incredible woman and Practice Fusion EMR user, Dr. Scharmaine Baker Lawson.
Scharmaine Baker, a New Orleans Nurse Practitioner, has traveled around the globe, providing care to folks in places such as Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Scharmaine realized the need for care was closer to home than she had thought. Katrina’s destruction washed away homes, memories and even lives. Those that were left standing were barely left with the clothes on their backs, let alone their health records. Scharmaine kicked up her medical mission, traveling home to home as a new age house-call doctor. Before Katrina hit New Orleans, Scharmaine had 100 patients. After, she had over 500 hundred, mostly incapacitated and elderly and all dispersed in FEMA trailers and salvaged homes.
Her dedication to provide quality care helped bring a healthy state of mind to those who were recovering from the damage. Together, Scharmaine and those 500 patients were slowly able to put the pieces back together one check up at a time. Since our web-based EMR allows her go mobile, she travels around the city, becoming not only their nurse, but their social worker, financial advisor ,health records keeper and friend.
“I do this because I am from here and my grandmother who raised me, when she got ill it was very difficult for her to get out see a doctor or anyone to help her, so whenever I see little old ladies, I feel like I’m doing it for her,” said Baker.
Practice Fusion isn’t the only one impressed by Scharmaine’s hard work. She has caught the attention of major new publications like CBS News, Forbes Magazine and was the 2008 Nurse Practitioner Entrepreneur of the Year and 2007 Housecall Clinician of the year.
