Partner Spotlight: Anthony Consolazio, MD, Lead Provider at United Health Services Walk-in Clinics

We’re excited to spotlight Anthony Consolazio, MD, Lead Provider at United Health Services Walk-in Clinics! 

• How long have you been in health care, and what are your favorite parts of it? 

I have been in medicine since graduating from Upstate Medical University in 2002, for nearly 24 years. I love working in a fast-paced clinic where I can have an immediate impact on patients’ acute issues. The appreciation they have for the quick access and availability makes the long hours and daily schedule very worthwhile.  

• Can you tell us one of your favorite patient stories from working in medicine? 

I once had a patient, about 10 years old, brought in to the walk-in by a very concerned and anxious mom due to a rash that appeared on his leg. It was a red linear lesion, and mom was quite concerned about a blood clot or autoimmune issue. It looked suspiciously nonmedical to me, so I nonchalantly wiped it with an alcohol prep as part of my exam, and it disappeared. I diagnosed Sharpie to the thigh, and the kid fessed up to having used markers earlier in the day unsupervised. We all had a good laugh, and mom was thankful for the simple answer. 

• How has Practicing Excellence helped you as a clinician? 

Practicing Excellence has opened my eyes to new ways of framing problems and interactions with both staff and patients. Being able to take a step back in the moment and see what the other party needs from the interaction and how I can provide that, even when it is not obvious from the surface substance of the discussion, is invaluable.

• Can you tell us about a time that a tip you learned came in handy, with a patient or a colleague, for example? 

Within days of the PE kickoff event, I had an opportunity to discuss disruptive behavior with one of the providers in my department. I recalled from the slides in the event some strategies for having such talks and scanned quickly through the modules in the app to find the expanded discussion on the topic to review and refresh, as well as to write out some pre-scripted phrases appropriate to the specifics of the provider issue to help keep me on track. It was a more successful and productive discussion than prior encounters, thanks to the framework I had learned.  

• What new skills are you looking forward to developing? 

I am looking forward to developing better active listening skills as well as adopting a growth mindset to expand the range of information I receive before making decisions, after years of making quick decisions with sometimes incomplete information, compared to what is obtained with better skills. 

• What do you look forward to most after each week’s new tip? 

Each week, I look forward to figuring out how the tip or skill can help me. Initially, it was stressful, having yet another thing to think about or work on, but after a few cycles, it became obvious that incorporating the new tips made things easier and helped me be better at and less stressed by the tasks I needed to accomplish.