A TV Heartthrob Leads to a Real-Life Starring Role

EDITOR’S NOTE: In recognition of National Doctors’ Day, coming up at the end of the month, starting Monday, March 25, MedLearn Media will be honoring five individuals with profiles of their fine work in the field of healthcare and medicine. Today’s honoree is Erica Remer, MD, CCDS, ACPA-C.

Tall, dark, and handsome, Randolph Mantooth was the heartthrob for Dr. Erica Remer. And his starring role as Paramedic John Gage in the TV series “Emergency” motivated her to be an emergency physician.

Although she says she wanted to become a doctor at the age of 5, she admits that the TV series was key.

“I don’t really remember why I wanted to be a doctor when I was 5, but I decided I wanted to be an emergency physician in 1972 because of the TV show, Emergency! with Randolph Mantooth and Kevin Tighe,” Remer wrote in an email to RACmonitor. “It was the perfect fit for me – I could establish rapport quickly with patients and loved the cognitive puzzle. And I wanted to meet a dreamy paramedic like John Gage (I was 12!).”

Although she does not practice clinically any longer, she says she does practice medicine for her pets.

“I often wake up exhausted after a shift in the ED in my head,” Remer told RACmonitor. “It’s usually about forgetting to document on a patient!”

Today Remer has her own consultancy, Erica Remer, MD, Inc. She also markets a line of clinical documentation integrity (CDI) modules for providers with CME and serves as cohost on Talk Ten Tuesdays, the live, popular Internet broadcast produced by ICD10monitor.

She is also a prolific writer, and her essays on ICD10monitor reflect her 25-year career as an emergency medicine physician, as well as a consummate CDI professional. In a yet-to-be-published essay for ICD10monitor, Remer writes, “One of my superpowers is being able to see things from all sides. I believe the (healthcare) system as it is designed is important, with checks and balances. Providers shouldn’t be able to engage in fraud and abuse, and payers should have to pay for services legitimately rendered without throwing up roadblocks. The government is the biggest payer, and they get their money from me and you. We don’t want them to be squandering our taxpayer dollars, but we don’t want our hospitals to go bankrupt fighting ridiculous denials, either.”

In observing National Doctors’ Day, Remer wrote: “I want to thank all of you doctors who are still practicing clinically. It is really hard in today’s environment. I appreciate all that you do!