“When patients come to us, they expect good care. But they don’t necessarily expect us to care on a personal level. We do and it makes all the difference.”
This is what I have quoted for 18 years here in this blessed community that I often call ” Mayberry on steroids.” I was born in San Diego, I have lived in each major region of this amazing country and have traveled much of the world and never have I seen a community like ours. There may be some that match us but I strongly doubt there are any that surpass Bloomington-Normal.
Personally, I strive to be in constant prayer and this includes how best to take care of each and every patient and family. I may not always succeed in this but I like to think we have a high success rate.
Of particular note, we have a spectacular team. If there were a reality show for such things, I would put our team up against any in the world. The extra mile that they daily travel for patients never ceased to amaze me. I thank god for them all the time.
“I’m a surgeon. It’s what I do. But my approach is the best surgery is no surgery…”
Another often quoted line is that, “I’m a surgeon. It’s what I do. But my approach is the best surgery is no surgery. We want to do all we can medically first. In many cases, surgery will not be necessary. But by maximizing medical care first, it optimizes surgical results if surgery is required.”
One of my greatest blessings was to train at the Mayo Clinic. I often say that, “I might still be there if it didn’t snow in May. And I like snow. I’m Norwegian…”
Many people think of the Mayo Clinic as a place to go to for surgery. The irony is that, at the Mayo Clinic, you are less likely to get operated on than at many other centers for the reasons listed above. And that is my goal. I never want a patient to go to surgery and not feel that all appropriate medical measures have been tried. Fortunately, we have a tremendous community of primary care providers. The majority of referrals are very appropriate in that they have utilized effective medical measures in advance. This is yet another reason I have and continue to feel so blessed to have served this community for these past ( and increasingly rapid) 18 years…
