Emory Urology Team at Atlanta VA Wins Prestigious Montague Boyd Prize
March 2016
"Teleurology to Enhance Access and Expedite Care of Patients Referred with Hematuria," an Atlanta VA Medical Center quality improvement project, was awarded the 2016 Montague Boyd Prize of the Southeast Section of the American Urological Association (SESAUA) at its 80th annual meeting in March in Nashville. Emory Urology PGY3 Ilan Safir, MD, graciously accepted the award on behalf of himself and the seven other Emory Urology residents, four physician assistants, and two faculty members who participated in this two-year project.
The Montague Boyd Prize is the SESAUA's most distinguished award. Montague Boyd, MD, of Atlanta, GA, founded the SESAUA and served as its first president in 1933 and 1934. In his honor, the Montague Boyd Prize was established in 1967, and is given to a resident, fellow, or urologist less than ten years in practice for outstanding research that impacts urologic patient care. Over the past four decades, the SESAUA has grown from 47 to 2,000 members, and currently represents the largest section of the AUA.
The results of the VA study showed that patients much preferred and were highly satisfied with the use of telephone appointments as the first step in the evaluation for hematuria compared to conventional face-to-face clinic appointments. Patients reported that improved convenience, efficiency, cost, and quality of care were important factors in their preference.
"With our current healthcare environment demanding that dependable care be delivered expeditiously, conveniently, and at lower cost, such a creative and innovative teleurology approach is the way of the future," says Muta Issa, MD, professor and chief of urology at the Atlanta VA Medical Center, who designed, directed, and supervised the project.
"Travel distance can be a major hindrance for patients trying to obtain prompt evaluation for medical issues," says assistant professor Christopher Filson, MD, who guided the project's health services research component. "This study shows that a teleurology program can help break down those barriers in an efficient, cost-effective manner."
In addition to the Montague Boyd Prize, the project has received additional recognitions and awards over the past 12 month, including Best Poster at the 2015 American Urological Annual Convention and Best Research at both the 2015 Georgia Urological Association Annual Meeting and the 2016 Emory Urology Research Retreat.
Contributors to the study included Emory Urology residents Dr. Ilan Safir, Dr. Salil Gabale, Dr. Jonathan Huang, Dr. Samuel David, Dr. Steven Gerhard, Dr. Jeff Pearl, Dr. Adam Lorentz, and Dr. Usama Al-Qassab, as well as physician assistants Mr. James Baumgardner, Mr. Brooks Goodgame, Ms. Jennifer Lindelow, and Ms. Maggie Dear.
