Psychiatrist Uses Spruce to Improve the Doctor Patient Relationship
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Carrie Scott
- October 3, 2023
Meet Dr. Juan Lua Gonzalez, M.D., a board certified psychiatrist and medical doctor specializing in adult psychiatry and women’s mental health. Dr. Gonzalez takes an integrative and holistic approach in working with each individual patient’s goals towards a healthier, happier, and more balanced life. He and his team at Desert Wellness and Psychiatry focus on treating stress/anxiety/OCD, depression and bipolar disorders, sleep difficulty, ADHD, women’s mental health, and sports and performance psychiatry.
A bit about the business…
I am a board certified psychiatrist and focus on psychotherapy and medication management. I have a particular interest in women’s mental health and performance psychiatry. Much of my therapy work is helping individuals gain sight into their emotional experiences, clarify their values, and improve communication to live a more intentional and authentic life.
What first brought you to Spruce?
I started my private practice in 2019 with the intention of practicing medicine where the focus is the relationship. It’s my belief that a large portion of healing comes from the caring relationship between patient and doctor. Spruce was our attempt at leveraging technology to improve the doctor patient relationship. There is nothing more frustrating than to be in a vulnerable situation and not feel heard or cared for. This is often the case in medicine when you try and reach out to your doctor. You struggle with a recorded message for 30 minutes then are told to wait 48 hours for a response. With Spruce there is a direct line between the patient and the provider. Addressing concerns quickly and directly helps in preventing issues from worsening. Spruce was that tool that was HIPAA compliant and gave us the ability to text, call, share files, and have video visits with maximum flexibility.
How do you use Spruce at work?
Spruce is an integral part of our daily routines. Our practice first opened in 2019 and shortly after healthcare delivery changed forever with the pandemic. With Spruce we were positioned to instantly start video visits. During the height of the pandemic we were 100% remote and Spruce was our platform for secure video visits. Now we do about 50-70% virtual visits but 100% of communication between appointments is done via Spruce. We use the built in screening questionnaires, fax function, and for in-house communication with other providers. off work orders and lab reports and also shared via Spruce.
What is your favorite Spruce feature?
My favorite Spruce feature is scheduled messages and saved messages. We have programmed messages that will include therapy worksheets for review.
What do you like to do most when you’re not working?
I currently work Monday – Thursday and the rest of my time is dedicated to my wife and 3 young daughters. Most of the time you’ll find us goofing off at home or planning the next travel vacation.
Learn even more about Dr. Gonzalez and the team at Desert Wellness and Psychiatry.
New to Spruce? Try it out FREE for 14 days: https://l.sprucehealth.com/startspruce