A little over a year ago, I switched away from a pathetic "medical assembly line" medical association to get a private insurance plan. Frankly, I had the prior plan only a few months and frustrated because I could never find a doctor in their group who could even speak intelligible English or had a degree from any decent medical school. I refer to them as Caribbean KMART doctors and you probably know what I mean.
OK, so on to the good.
It's probably apparent from my sarcastic tone that I'm picky about choosing a physician. I've had much experience in the medical field with education and having designed a lot of high tech medical equipment used in operating rooms. I spend a lot of hours looking for a doctor with the right blend of knowledge, who studied at a good school, many years of practice, and has the right attitude. It is a difficult combination to find, yet I found him. Dr. Flagg is all that and more.
I've been there 3 times in the last year for myself and once for my son, and I was impressed every time. The new office (from Dec 2011) is really nice and they have set it up with some good state-of-the-art patient monitoring equipment.
Although it is of less importance to me about the staff, it is worth commenting that I have found them to be very courteous, efficient, and helpful. There really isn't any one person to single out for comment. They have all been great for me. One particularly impressive occasion is when I called to tell the receptionist about a medical condition that had me just a little bit concerned. Without hesitation, she worked me into a schedule at the end of the day. As it turned out, she made a proper immediate assessment to have me come in since it was a good idea that I have that particular situation reviewed. There is no way this would have happened at my previous provider (rhymes with "Krazy Tempermente"). They would have scheduled me for.... oh... say.... January 2019 and I would be dead by now.
As for Dr. Flagg, the strong points that stand out for me is he doesn't run his practice like a fast food restaurant in the way my wife's former doctor does things. He takes the time necessary to get all the facts, consider the pros & cons of various alternatives, and then make intelligent assessments. I don't feel rushed or pushed out the doctor. He discusses the side effects of potential drugs with detail, and seems to take a proper cautious approach to resolving a medical situation.
IF YOU HATE BLOOD, SKIP THIS PARAGRAPH.
The last time I was in the office, I needed a blood draw. Oh yea, this is everyone's favorite test, right? I've drawn blood a bunch of times in my life, but its a much different feeling when it is being done to me. I'm sure you have had your share of poorly trained medical assistants who think they need to completely crush your upper arm with maximum force of a rubber restrictor in order to spot the vein. In fact, it only takes a slight wrap to do the trick. Then they forget to release the restrictor when drawing: Yup, now I got you feeling sick just thinking about it. Well, I am pleased to say that Doc Flagg did not fall asleep in that medical class. He drew the blood himself and obviously knows precisely the correct technique. You would think that all doctors know how to do this, but I'm sad to say that even some experienced docs don't do this in the proper way that is less stressful for the patient. A+ on this test. Hey, I told you not to read this paragraph if you hate blood, but you did it anyway!
I'm a realist and understand that medicne is complex. No single doctor is an expert at everything. Thus, Marcus Welby is dead and only appeared on TV. Sometimes I might need a specialist or maybe my doc won't solve every problem. However, and a family practice doctor, he's our man.
Bottom line is that I've had a couple of really good docs in my lifetime. One retired, one passed away, so about every 20 years, I've had to switch. I hope I never have to do this search again because I am certain to not easily find a person to fill his shoes. Bradford is a Doctor's Doctor.
by Richard
xxx.xxx.99.190
June 02, 2012