More Than a Job.
Emed Multispecialty Group values its team members and the culture. Our new series of monthly spotlight videos feature hard-working, talented employees and medical assistants that have made a lasting impact on the clinic. We invited them to tell us exactly why they chose Emed and what a “Emed Family” means to them. Watch to hear what they have to say!
Dr. Alexander Ralys is a family medicine trained physician and clinical director of Pain Management at Emed Multispecialty Group in Jacksonville, FL. He’s lived in Florida since 1996 and has learned to love everything it has to offer. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Colorado in Studio Art, a master’s degree at USF in Tampa, FL, and completed medical school in 2017 at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, FL.
Since medical school, Alex has trained and worked as a primary care physician as well as worked in healthcare management and business development, consulting, and healthcare compliance. He’s committed to improving the healthcare experience for everyone involved.
Q. Would you share with us your personal mission as a manager for Emed?
My personal mission is to create a welcoming, accepting, and inclusive environment that reduces barriers to care for all of our community. That includes maximizing efficiencies and improving workflows within the clinic, creating a comfortable environment for patients, and maximizing relationships with insurance payors.
Q. Tell us about your current role at Emed Multispecialty Group?
Currently, I am the clinical manager at Emed and help oversee our pain management programs. This means that most of my time is spent taking a big picture approach to healthcare rather than focusing on each individual patient. It’s my job to make sure that all the complex clinical systems required to operate a busy healthcare practice are operating smoothly.
Q. So are you also a practicing physician?
Historically, this was not my role at Emed Multispecialty Group. However, starting in early 2024, I have started taking primary care patients in addition to my other work in management. I’m very excited for this new chapter and to have more direct time with patients.
Q. So, what’s next?
Fantastic question. My personal goals are aligned with the greater goals of Emed which is to advocate for and work to create accessible and inclusive healthcare for the entire community of Jacksonville and Northeast Florida.
Q. How did you get involved with Emed?
I got involved with Emed because of Dr. Rene Pulido. I have been involved in healthcare in some capacity since I was around 16 years old. Several years ago I was looking for something different from the typical inpatient, big medicine, corporate environment. Instead, I was craving an environment that truly embraced the local community and put patients and their needs first. Emed does that and has allowed me to really grow into myself in the process.
Q. You’ve been a part of Emed for a number of years. Tell me what you’ve learned?
I have learned how to deliver effective healthcare while navigating the incredible complexities of our modern healthcare environment. Healthcare in the United States is complicated by endless hurdles for patients and providers to navigate, particularly when dealing with insurance companies. I believe Insurance companies have made healthcare as complicated as possible as a way to avoid paying for services. At Emed we have the resources to address those barriers to care efficiently.
Q. Who is a good candidate for a visit to your clinic?
I believe Emed Multispecialty Group serves everyone. We are a completely bilingual clinic offering a full spectrum of primary care services including on-site labs, on-site imaging, a vegan café that is open to the community, a primarily Spanish speaking clinic, pain management services, and medical marijuana. We have the diversity of resources to be able to be a medical home for everyone in the Jacksonville community from the uninsured all the way to the well insured.
Q. Do you find your work very rewarding? If so, what is the best part about pain management?
Absolutely. Every day when I come to work at Emed I feel I am able to help save lives and see the differences our clinic has been able to make in the community directly. Many of our patients come to the clinic with diverse and complicated situations, some of them tragic. Emed has positioned itself with enough staff and resources to help patients regardless of their situation. Every day we see patients walking out of our front doors with smiles on their faces and feeling like they received answers to their questions.
Q. What are the goals of the pain management department?
The goals of our pain management department are to provide patients a multi-model, comprehensive, approach to pain relief that consists of medical management, procedural interventions, alternative therapies, and most importantly education for effective lifestyle modification. We believe that we can effectively improve patients pain levels and quality of life while avoiding costly and often ineffective invasive procedures and surgeries.
Q. If you had a patient in front of you right now, what would you say to that person?
To any of our patients I would say that help is available. You know, we all go through difficult situations in life, you are not alone, and Emed is here to help you navigate those issues. We deal with everything from very straight forward primary care visits all the way to complicated healthcare issues involving disability, workers compensation, auto-accidents, pain management, chronic illnesses, and we have the resources and relationships to get you the help that you need.
Q. We talked about a lot of things. What do you hope people will remember?
What I want people to remember is that Emed is a community driven, inclusive and caring environment that is always ready to help.
