We enjoy spending time with people discussing their medical history, be it simple or complex, and explaining what it all means. After all the word doctor originates from the Latin word “docere” meaning “to teach” and we intend to do just that. We believe that along with diagnosing and treating, educating is one of the most important jobs of a medical doctor.
Unfortunately, many physicians and other healthcare providers are simply unable to spend the extra time needed with people to discuss the details of their medical problems. Due to the limitations of our current healthcare system, both outpatient and inpatient physicians are forced to see more patients each day which often drastically reduces the amount of time allotted for a medical visit.
This means that people are left feeling confused and frustrated over not understanding exactly what is going on with their health, and the lack of time available to sit down and have meaningful conversations with their healthcare team that doesn’t feel rushed. Medical visits are invaluable opportunities to practice prevention. People rightfully have the expectation that during a medical visit their physician will not only diagnose and treat them, but will also listen to them, explain their diagnoses in detail, and then address and answer any questions or concerns. When this does not occur there is an increased chance that people will be ill-informed and/or ill-equipped to properly manage these medical issues, possibly leading to deteriorating medical problems, unnecessary Emergency Room visits, hospitalizations, missed days from work, and in severe cases disability or premature death.
Perform a review of your medical records (both inpatient and outpatient medical records, physician notes, medications, laboratory and radiology results) to gain a better understanding of your documented medical diagnoses and overall level of health as documented in your medical records.
Speak directly with you to explain the contents of your medical records, medical diagnoses, and the documented plan of care so that you have a full understanding of what is going on with your health and
Most importantly, we spend TIME with you to fully answer any of the pressing questions you have but have not had an opportunity to have answered by your primary healthcare provider.
Dr. Barbara Lewis graduated from George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, DC in 2004 and then completed a Primary Care Internal Medicine residency at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut. She then went on to complete a Geriatric Fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Lewis maintains Board Certification in internal medicine and is currently practicing as a hospitalist (taking care of people who are hospitalized) with several years of experience doing so.
During her time as a hospitalist, Dr. Lewis has taken care of thousands of people, including diagnosing and outlining a treatment plan to aid in their recovery and ultimate hospital discharge.
It was through working as a hospitalist that Dr. Lewis became very much aware of just how many people have limited insight into their medical history. When people are first admitted to the hospital outpatient medical records might not be readily available so the hospital doctor depends heavily on the person being admitted (or their family) to provide information regarding medical problems, previous hospitalizations, surgeries, allergies, medications, and etc. Not having this information can pose a challenge to the healthcare team providing medical care.
While taking care of hospitalized people Dr. Lewis found herself regularly obtaining and reviewing medical records and then discussing the findings with the patient and/or family.
On one memorable occasion after spending a significant amount of time reviewing and discussing outpatient medical records with a patient and her family, the next day, the patient’s spouse brought in some of his medical records and requested that Dr. Lewis review them and explain what it all meant. This was the Aha moment leading to the creation of Physicians Educating People, LLC.
Dr. Lewis is extremely passionate about helping people understand their medical history and she truly enjoys this work.
We look forward to speaking with you to see how we can help you understand your Health Story. Click the link to schedule a consultation now!
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