Innovative Technology at Wellstar Enhances Liver Health

Your late teens, 20s & 30s
Striving for top health performance
You may feel on top of your game—even unbeatable—In your 20s and 30s. You may be tempted to think, “Why even bother with a physical?” Yet this is training season for building up lifelong healthy habits.

Establish your care coach: In your late teens to early 20s, transition from your pediatrician and establish yourself with a primary care physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant by scheduling a physical.

“When young men show up for preventive care, we talk about the future,” said Dr. Dean Seehusen, chair of Family & Community Medicine at Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center in Augusta. “Then we talk about what that’s going to take habit-wise. What you can do in your 60s and 70s is based on what you’re doing in your 20s, 30s and 40s.”

Stay on top of your stats: The information from your annual exam can help you stay on track to live out your vision, measured in part by important health stats—like glucose and cholesterol levels, body mass index and blood pressure. Staying on top of your trending numbers can help prevent heart disease, stroke and diabetes down the road.

It’s also a good time to talk about your vaccine status, such as tetanus (needed every 10 years) and HPV. To protect yourself and your partner, it’s important to test for human papillomavirus. Also known as HPV, it’s the most common sexually transmitted infection and can cause several types of cancer for men and women, even though you likely won’t have symptoms. You may have already received this vaccine in your teens, but if you haven’t yet, it’s recommended through the age of 26.

Men may also consider self-screening for testicular cancer through self-exams during these earlier healthcare years, according to John Aaron III, a physician assistant who cares for patients at Wellstar Family Medicine in Alpharetta.

Look for weaknesses: Make your health team aware of your family medical history, from heart disease and stroke to cancer. This will help them create a personalized health plan for you. You may need screenings or tests for certain health conditions at an earlier age than the average population.

Find a Men’s Health care team near you, including the Wellstar KSU Health Center for Kennesaw State University for students.

Wellstar and CLEAR are launching an initiative that simplifies and speeds up the patient check-in process. 

Wellstar patients who opt-in to use this free service can verify their identity with CLEAR before their appointment to simplify check-in once they arrive. It only requires two steps:

• Patients will receive a text a few days before their scheduled appointment to register with CLEAR. They can then register from their mobile device. 
• On appointment day, participating patients will select “Check-in with CLEAR” at the kiosk in the medical office waiting room and take a quick selfie to check in for their appointment. 

Why CLEAR?

CLEAR’s technology is trusted and secure. At the heart of this first-of-its-kind partnership is CLEAR's pioneering integration with Epic, a leader in the electronic health records market, to power seamless patient registration and on-site check-in.  Wellstar co-developed the integration and is the first health system to utilize the CLEAR Verified technology application.

“Identity is foundational to making patient experiences safer, easier and more efficient in healthcare,” said CLEAR CEO Caryn Seidman Becker. “CLEAR’s collaboration with Wellstar and Epic will bring frictionless and secure check-in for patients. With the launch of this seamless experience, CLEAR is one step closer in our effort to replace the clipboard in healthcare.”

CLEAR’s identity platform is secure and HIPAA-compliant, and many patients may already be familiar with the technology. It’s used locally at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and State Farm Arena.

Keeping care convenient

This new check-in option reflects the Wellstar vision of delivering world-class healthcare to every person, every time.

“Our patients’ time is precious. Introducing CLEAR’s proven, secure technology will help make the check-in process even more efficient and safe,” said Dr. Hank Capps, executive vice president and chief information and digital officer for Wellstar. “We are committed to building an ecosystem of care that includes technologies that have never been used in healthcare. When combined with compassionate care from Wellstar clinicians, we will deliver a truly world-class experience.”

CLEAR check-in is available at:

• Wellstar Acworth Health Park
• Wellstar Avalon Health Park
• Wellstar Cherokee Health Park
• Wellstar East Cobb Health Park
• Wellstar Vinings Health Park

Register now and try the experience at your next appointment: clearme.com/wellstar.

Former former major league baseball player CJ Stewart didn’t want to have a colonoscopy. He dreaded the liquid diet. The needles. The IV sedation. The possibility of cancer.

So how did CJ face his fears—and what happened next?

On track for a heart attack

It started in 2020 when CJ scouted a new primary care provider. He chose Dr. Randy Hines II, Wellstar Primary Care. He said Dr. Hines was the most straightforward doctor he had ever visited.

“I was overweight,” CJ remembered. “My health changed positively because Dr. Hines said things to me in a very positive way. He was direct with me and that helped save my life.”

Dr. Hines learned CJ’s father was a diabetic and had quadruple bypass heart surgery to treat a heart attack. CJ remembered him saying, “‘You’re on track to have the same thing but you can control it.’” 

CJ admitted that he had a daily dose of French fries and two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before bed. Dr. Hines challenged him to rethink his relationship with food if he wanted to see his daughters walk down the aisle one day. It was tough talk and it meant something.

“I really love my daughters!” CJ said. “It made me change.”

As a result, he modified his diet, took up running and lost 45 pounds.

Preventing colorectal cancer

Then CJ’s mom revealed a family history of colon cancer.

“My wife and daughters were like, ‘We really need you to go get checked to make sure you’re good,’” he said.

Because of his fears related to the colonoscopy, CJ wanted to have Cologuard, an at-home screening test for colon cancer. But Dr. Hines recommended the 47-year-old have a preventive colonoscopy screening instead, explaining that if pre-cancerous polyps are detected during the procedure, they can be removed before becoming cancerous. 

“I didn’t want to hear it,” CJ laughed. “But hearing that from a fellow African American man, I trusted that it was the right thing to do.”