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Wellness means different things to different people.  I have my own ideas but I see my job as discovering what it means to you and helping you achieve your aspirations for health.  It doesn't always equate to longevity, mostly to feeling well for as much time as possible as you wind your way through life.  Wellness from physical, psychological and spiritual perspectives.

The cornerstone of my Wellness Program is preventive healthcare.  I achieve this by offering every patient a COMPLIMENTARY ANNUAL EXECUTIVE PHYSICAL EXAM..  This is an extensive two hour physical with all tests conveniently  done right in my office.  Complimentary because it releases me from the constraints of various insurance company definitions of "preventive health", I do what I think is best not what's "allowed". Complimentary because it's makes it easier for the patient to commit to, there are no hidden costs.

Wellness also means getting you back on your feet as soon as possible by being available when you need me, being responsive to your calls, emails or texts 24/7, holidays and weekends, even on vacation. We have an atmosphere of mutual respect, I know that my patients don't call me unless it's important so I in turn respect their time. The sooner I can see you the sooner you can start on the path to recovery and it greatly reduces hospital admissions, especially in the elderly. I take patients on a urgent same day basis, even walk-ins.  I have a policy of personally calling patients with test results the same day they are available, even tests ordered by other doctors so that you don't have to wait any longer than necessary and if further testing is required there is no delay. 

THE ANNUAL EXECUTIVE PHYSICAL EXAM:
The two hours we spend together gives me a chance to connect with those patients that I don't see regularly and a thorough review of the past year for those that come in more regularly.  I'll review your Family History, Social History (relationships, children, work, sources of stress, habits like diet, exercise, alcohol, and tobacco), Allergies, Medications, Past Medical History and Surgical History.  I also look to see if Vaccines and other periodic preventive health recommendations (like Mammograms, Colonoscopy, Bone Density, Prostate exam) are up to date. Then a survey of the past couple of years to make sure we aren't missing important follow up tests or consultations.

The exam itself is a head to toe (literally), hands on physical done by myself.  Additionally, complimentary in-office testing includes a Chest X-Ray, Elecrocardiogram, Pulmonary (lung) Function Screening, Pure Tone Audiometry (hearing), Vision Screening, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (memory), Burns Depression Checklist, Epworth Sleepiness Index (sleep apnea screen), Fall and Dizziness Survey, Stool Occult Blood, BMI and Body Fat Analysis, Lab tests: CBC, Chem 20, Urinalysis, Thyroid (TSH), Lipid Profile (cholesterol) and PSA (prostate cancer).

All this is followed up by a written report mailed to you and is available on-line as well.  Your report is written in layman's terms and includes concise recommendations for you to work on.

Of course, my philosophy is to inform patients so that they may make educated decisions.  I completely respect an individuals rights to choose which bits of advise to follow and never criticize how someone's chooses to live their life.