By AUBREY PRINCE
Your health and its related care are really a partnership between you and your doctor. Let’s face it—nobody knows better how you feel than you! And when something just doesn’t seem right, that’s one of the times when a call to your physician can be the beginning of being healthy again.
Many times your primary care physician recognizes the need for more intense scrutiny and refers you to a specialist. Open Access is a new healthcare term meaning that you can bypass the primary care physician and make an appointment directly with certain specialists.
In Mississippi, you have the option of seeing a gastroenterologist, at GI Associates, without a referral from your primary care physician. The ability to recognize a problem and call directly to the doctor who is uniquely qualified to handle treatment:
- Gives you more choice
- Lets you choose someone covered by your insurance
- Offers you more control over healthcare
- Lowers your out of pocket expenses
The level of care in our state is very high with qualified physicians serving in quality facilities. Open Access simply puts more of the ability to decide in your hands, and that’s important for many.
Gastroenterology is an area of medicine that handles many parts of your body, and the physicians at GI Associates are dedicated to working directly with you for healing. From acid reflux and heartburn to colon cancer, if it’s related to your or your children’s GI tract, we want to help you feel better!
Of course, the power to call directly to a specialist doesn’t mean that regular wellness visits are a thing of the past. In fact, it’s quite the opposite! Finding out early about a health issue is still the best way to beat something. That means routine screenings continue to be the main part of staying healthy.
The Affordable Care Act allows for everyone to receive a screening colonoscopy at age 50. This is an important tool in our goal to eradicate colorectal cancers. If it is found early, colon cancer is over 90% curable. For most, a clean result means your next visit will be in 10 years.
Knowing your next screening is a decade away is a wonderful thing, but so is knowing if there is a problem. It can be addressed before it becomes critical. There are so many ways to get information today, but the best is by starting at our website, www.gi.md, to get a baseline of details to consider and easily connect for an appointment.
Teaming up with a doctor of your choice is your right, even when a specialist is needed. The entire team at GI Associates is proud to provide the highest level of care in our new facility on Lakeland Drive. As the anchor of the Mississippi Medical Corridor in Flowood, we are focused on:
- Patience Convenience
- Patient Satisfaction
- Protection from High Medical Costs
Bringing all related GI services under one roof was our goal for both pediatric and adult gastroenterology care. The new building is filled with state-of-the-art equipment for procedures including CT and ultrasound imaging, infusion, on-site pathology, a blood lab, and a pharmacy. If you feel the need to speak with one of our physicians or your general practitioner wants to refer you in, we look forward to seeing you and partnering on your GI health!
All physicians are Board Certified Gastroenterologists at GI Associates. We have three locations in Madison, Vicksburg, and the new facility in Flowood at 2510 Lakeland Drive.
