Centennial Medical Center (CMC), welcomed Congressman Sam Johnson to its facility on Sept. 3 to speak to a group of 30 physicians and staff about health care reform.

Johnson’s visit to CMC included a tour of the emergency department where David Arai, M.D., medical director of the emergency department at CMC, showed him the medical center’s MEDHOST Emergency Department Information System (EDIS) that allows physicians to track patients more efficiently.  This system helps to ensure shorter wait times, fewer errors, and more face time with physicians, thus improving doctor-patient relationships.

After the tour, Johnson sat down with CMC physicians and staff to talk about health care reform and his ideas for lowering health care costs. He also encouraged physicians to see themselves as small business owners, discussing the importance of tort reform for physicians’ liability insurance.

 “As a physician, health care reform directly impacts you and your business.  Your voice is very important to the health care debate,” said Johnson.  “I believe that it is possible to lower the cost of health care without government involvement by focusing on the doctor-patient relationship.”

“Health care reform is a much debated topic in our field, and I know we all appreciated hearing first hand Congressman Johnson’s ideas and thoughts on the subject.  Centennial has been directly impacted by the uninsured, and we are looking to congressional leaders like Mr. Johnson to come together and enact legislation to expand coverage,” said Joe Thomason, chief executive officer at Centennial Medical Center.

Johnson left CMC physicians and staff with a few final words of encouragement. “I was here for the grand opening of this facility, and I’ve seen it grow to become one of the premier hospitals in the area. Keep doing what you’re doing – providing quality health care to residents.”

Johnson, who serves the third district of Texas that includes parts of Northern Dallas and Southern Collin Counties, is a highly decorated American hero who served in the U.S. Air Force for 29 years as a fighter pilot. He flew combat missions in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. During his 25^th combat mission he was shot down over North Vietnam, captured and held as a prisoner of war at the infamous Hanoi Hilton for seven years where he spent 42 months in solitary confinement.