Here are the top ten (10) reasons why patients visit the doctor as observed by MDC-Atlanta:
1. Headaches and debilitating musculo-skeletal Pain
2. Acute Injury due to trauma
3. Acute infection, i.e. cold, flu, bronchitis, sinusitis, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, urinary tract infection, sexually transmitted infections, etc
4) Abnormal skin lesion, i.e. rash, abnormal growth on skin, etc
5) Acute respiratory failure, i.e. difficulty breathing
6) Acute neurological failure, i.e. abnormal speech pattern, weakness, loss of sensation and/or movement, etc
7) Acute cardiac failure, i.e. heart attack, congestive heart failure, arrythmia, etc
8) Well-check, weight gain,pregnancy, birth control, screening exams, and health maintenance/monitoring of chronic diseases (diabetes, high blood pressure,high cholesterol, cancer, HIV, etc), requiring physical examination, imaging studies, EKG, Labs, colonoscopy, stress test, and other clinical studies.
9) Changes in mental health status, i.e. dementia, delirium, depression, psychosis, neurosis, etc
10) Hypochondria
In our practice at MDC, while we treat some of the above illnesses, we attempt to encourage our patients to seek routine health maintenance to detect disease in early stage and/or to PREVENT some of the above organ-system failure resulting in EXPENSIVE SICK-CARE.
RECOMMENDATION for Preventative Care and Well-Care Maintenance:
1) Ages 21-39, baseline complete medical evaluation, followed by routine doctor visit every 2-3 years or sooner as clinically indicated
2) Ages 40 -60, routine doctor visit once a year, or sooner as clinically indicated, to include National Guidelines for recommended screening health exams
3) Ages above 60, routine doctor visit as clinically indicated.
4) Ages above 75, only as clinically indicated.
Medical Diagnostic Choices-MDC Atlanta
