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“If only I had found this place sooner!” “I truly felt like someone finally listened to me!”
Dr. Mark Jacobson
These are phrases commonly expressed as patients exit the doors of Medical Imaging and Therapeutics. There is rarely a day without a happy, smiling face, and hardly a week without a thank you card or gift of treats for the staff. Today, I am inspired to write this message after two patients brought in delicious Puerto Rican food as a thank you to the doctor and one of his technologists. It speaks volumes of a physician when his patients go out of their way to express thanks.
Dr. Jacobson’s motivation to build MIT was prompted after many years of working in large, corporate-style medical practices and hospitals, where not only do the patients feel like they are one of many rushed through a busy and mundane system, but he himself felt like a “number” whose ideas and talents were regularly unappreciated, or simply dismissed. Often in these facilities, the doctors are pushed to increase the number of procedures they can do in a day, rather than spend time communicating with each patient they see. As a result, patients are left in the dark regarding treatment, and may leave the hospital feeling negatively about their visit and even their doctor.
This is unfortunately the case in many corporate practices, which are becoming so large they are overwhelmed by even themselves. Timid toward competition, they believe bigger is better. They become dysfunctional, with a central scheduling location that is separate from the practice, often in another town. Patients get lost in the system because the doctors are usually lost in it as well; the Trickle Down effect.
What is happening to the solo practitioners, the smaller practices? What is happening to quality in medicine? With mergers and acquisitions, and a “bigger is better” mentality, the patients are the ones who suffer most. At MIT, the patient is often amazed a person answers the phone – someone ready to help them immediately. There is no automated system where you are told “press 1 for this and 2 for that” or to leave a message no one may hear. Patients appreciate when the front desk staff know their names after a few visits, and when they actually see the doctor, who shows them a sense of humor and a genuine interest in not only their illnesses but their lifestyles too. In Dr. Jacobson’s experience, oftentimes the missing piece of the puzzle to a diagnosis is hidden within a patient’s story. Listening about what they do at home or at their job gives him clues to help understand their anguish and pain. Family and friends are encouraged to attend consults. Dr. Jacobson asks a lot of questions, and there is a good reason why: he genuinely cares.
At MIT, imaging isn’t just about going in for a scan that might be read by a radiologist in another city, state or even country. As a center for interventional radiology, a critical finding on a scan can often result in a necessary procedure which can also be done at MIT. For example, if you have fluid in your lungs or abdomen seen on Xray, CT or ultrasound, it can be drained using image guidance. If you have a tumor in an organ, it can be biopsied using image guidance. If your MRI shows you have a spine fracture, it can be repaired. If your MRA shows blocked arteries in your legs, you can have your angioplasty done by an expert. The list of procedures is endless!
Interventional Radiologists such as Dr. Jacobson have the training and skills required for numerous healing therapies. His expertise have made him a choice physician to train Resident and Fellow interventional radiologists from the University of Florida. His Fellow physicians enjoy and appreciate the experience and advice they can take with them as they are prepared to practice on their own.
The next time your doctor recommends an imaging study, ask them to refer you to Medical Imaging and Therapeutics. Since opening in Lady Lake five years ago, MIT has become the preferred provider for diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, and has received tens of thousands of referrals from hundreds of doctors confident in MIT’s ability to take optimal care to their patients.
MIT
352-261-5502 | mitflorida.com
facebook.com/mitflorida
The Summit Medical Park
769 Co Rd 466, Lady Lake, FL 32159
