From House Calls to EHRs, Dr. Reason’s Dedication to his Patients and Community Shows

GOUVERNEUR, N. Y. – Jan. 14, 2013 – Dr. Edward Reason, D. O., was named among the finalists for The 2012 Country Doctor of the Year Award presented by Staff Care. The national award is presented each December to a physician who best exemplifies the spirit, skill, and dedication of America’s rural medical practitioners.

To qualify for the award, the nominee must be a primary care physician providing quality care to patients of all in a community of 20,000 or fewer people.

Although he did not receive the award – Dr. Neil Nelson, M. D., of Gibson City, Ill., was the 2012 award recipient – Dr. Reason was honored to have been named a finalist among a nationally competitive field of rural doctors.

“It really came as a surprise to me when I found out that was a finalist for The Country Doctor of the Year Award,” said Dr. Reason, “I didn’t even know I was in the running. Although, I’m not sure what I’d do with the winnings,” he joked.

In addition to the award, the winner received temporary physician coverage for two weeks in order to take a much-deserved vacation. Dr. Reason is not one to often take time off; he sees patients Monday through Sunday, often working well into the evening to see each and every one, whether scheduled or walk-in. His “day off” is Wednesday – those days he only sees 15 patients and spends the rest of the day meeting with professionals to help him make sure his office meets the highest standards.

Dr. Reason is exactly the sort of “Country Doctor” one would imagine – he makes house calls, sees patients who have been rejected elsewhere, and sometimes sees patients without payment when the patient cannot afford to pay. Overall, his practice sees an impressive 5,000 patient visits annually.

“I believe that everyone deserves access to treatment, no matter what their condition, no matter where they live or how much money they have,” said Dr. Reason. “It’s just so great to be a part of so many people’s lives. You realize when you start seeing your patient’s children, and their grandchildren, that your practice is a cornerstone of the community.”

Dr. Reason is highly involved in Gouverneur’s E.J. Noble Hospital, currently serving as Department of Internal Medicine Attending Physician there and having throughout the years has sat on numerous hospital committees. He often makes visits to the nursing home and the emergency room at E. J. Noble Hospital to care for patients, and, according to the hospital’s Medical Director, Dr. Donald Schuessler, Dr. Reason’s skill and dedication make him a “pillar of medical the community.”

“For 26-plus years Dr. Reason has been providing exemplary care for the patients of this
community,” Dr. Schuessler said. “If anybody needs care, he’s there; people from all walks of life, without regard to anything except whether they need care, he’s there for them. He’s bright, competent, caring – it’s a privilege for me to call him a colleague.”

Dr. Reason has been working tirelessly with his office staff to ensure his patients have access to the latest technical innovations in healthcare. His practice recently upgraded to Electronic Health Records instead of paper charts to improve patient care and coordination.

The Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization (FDRHPO) congratulates Dr. Reason for this achievement and applauds his commitment to rural healthcare.

“Dr. Reason truly exemplifies the spirit of the Country Doctor,” said Denise Young, Executive Director for the FDRHPO. “Primary care physicians like Dr. Reason working throughout rural Northern New York are the glue that keeps their communities together, making sure their patients can receive the highest quality care without having to travel long distances to do so.”

About the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization (FDRHPO): The Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization (FDRHPO) acts as an agent of transformation to ensure the North Country healthcare system is strong and flexible enough to meet the needs of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division soldiers and families and the surrounding civilian community. We do this by bringing stakeholders together to leverage resources for regional projects, including ones that recruit and retain health care providers, boost the use of health information technology within and between medical facilities, improve the community’s emergency response system and provide on-going education to civilian healthcare providers about the needs of military service members and their families. This model of military healthcare grew out of a movement of “planned community integration” that gets soldiers and their families more involved in the civilian communities surrounding military installations, in healthcare, schools and housing. In healthcare, this model bolsters the system for Soldiers and civilians alike, creating a unified infrastructure that can offer more choices and services than separate systems could offer in isolation.

About Dr. Reason: Dr. Edward Reason was born in Washington, D. C. He received his undergraduate degree in 1976 from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He attended medical school at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, graduating in 1982, and completed his residency at Flint Osteopathic Hospital in 1986. He has been serving the Gouverneur community and the surrounding area of southern St. Lawrence County for 26 years.

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