Meet Jeff Cooper of Cooper Pediatrics in Duluth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Cooper.

Jeff, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I finished my pediatric residency at Emory University in 1991. Like all residents, I dreamed of not being “on call” all the time. I accepted a position with a very large group where I would only be on call every 6th day. In 1991, there were no nurse advice lines; the pediatricians attended every delivery and ibuprofen was a prescription medication that had to be called to a pharmacy if a child was running a high fever. In short, when I was on call the work was grueling and non-stop. I read an article about a Kaiser physician from California who moved to Arkansas and started his own practice. He reported, “With my cell phone I can be on all call all the time, anywhere and my life is so much better.” By this time (1992) I’d just gotten my first cell phone. I was very unhappy with my situation at the time and thought, “I could do that.”

I opened the office on a Tuesday the morning after Labor Day in 1992. The first day, I saw five patients, the next day two, and on Thursday none. Ouch. This was going to be harder than I thought. Slowly as I gained a reputation for being a caring physician and I was able to meet and greet many of the obstetricians in the area, I began to see more and more children. Apparently, while men talk about their job and golf game, mothers talk about their pediatrician.

Over time, Cooper Pediatrics outgrew our six exam rooms in the first rented space in Norcross. We moved to Duluth in December 2000 with 11 exam rooms and eventually built out the adjoining suite to add seven more. The practice has two full-time and one part-time pediatrician and two full-time nurse practitioners. We are a primary care practice and do well visits along with sick care. We manage both acute problems (sore throats, ear infections, injuries, etc) as well as chronic illnesses like asthma and ADHD.

I think I have the greatest job in the world. Sure, there are times when being a physician is stressful, but children are resilient and 99.99% of what I do ends with a good outcome for everyone involved. Children are fun to talk to and provide me with an immense source of entertainment and joy. I love to interact with the kids and draw them into conversations about their lives. I’ve told many people that sometimes parents treat their pediatrician like any other service oriented worker: “Here’s my sick kid; fix him.”

Eventually, though, every family goes through a crisis. A child gets very ill, or parents’ divorce or the parents catch their teenager smoking weed. When these events happen, I get to make a real difference in the life of the child and in the life of the family. Those are the times that are the most rewarding for me. When I say “I love my job”, I’m not kidding. I think I was born to be a pediatrician and literally love what I do.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Surprisingly, I would say that my experience has overall been a smooth one. I went straight through school, majoring in music as an undergraduate at Emory. I attended Emory School of Medicine then did my pediatric residency at Emory. The only detour was the year I spent in another practice. In retrospect, that was probably a good thing. That year was like doing a fellowship in “how to run a practice and what not to do.” I worked very hard there but I also learned a lot. I learned how to establish the flow of a practice and what not to do. I learned how to manage employees and how you can encourage or destroy morale. I saw inefficiencies and realized they could be avoided. Without that rather intense year, I don’t think I would have been as prepared to run a business.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Cooper Pediatrics – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am a pediatrician. I take care of children both well and sick and manage both acute and chronic illnesses.

I work very hard to run a very efficient practice, reduce wait times, provide immediate responses to inquiries and refill requests as well as provide excellent medical care.

Quality improvement is a constant endeavor here as we strive to be the best that we can be.

Cooper Pediatrics was one of the first practices in the United States to use a true electronic medical record. We’ve won numerous awards for that i.e. the “What Works Award”. We received the Nicholas E. Davies Award for the best use of electronic medical records in primary care the first year it was issued in primary care. Our practice has also been recognized as having one of the highest vaccine rates in Georgia.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
At this point in my life, I can’t imagine not practicing pediatrics, but at the same time I need to plan for the long-term survival of the practice should something happen to me or should I eventually retire. This is important for the care of my patients as well as employees. This is part of the reason I have just added another physician.

Contact Info:

• Address: Cooper Pediatrics
  3645 Howell Ferry Road,
  Duluth, GA 30096
• Website: www.cooperpediatrics.com
• Phone: 678-473-4738
• Email: receptionist@cooperpediatrics.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CooperPediatrics/

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