Question: Help me find a doctor for my mom in Grand Rapids, MI.

sweltering — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:18:50 -0800

Help me find an excellent primary care doctor for my mom in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Snowflakes inside.

My mom is in the hospital right now with a surprise inflammatory lung condition and admitted to me (her daughter all the way on the west coast) that she hasn't been to the doctor in a decade. She has great insurance through her teacher's union, but seems to have dropped off getting check ups after she stopped having kids. She's now pushing sixty and may have an autoimmune disease going at her lungs.

She needs a great primary care doctor who can help unsnarl ten years of avoiding the doctor and whatever has put her in the hospital these past weeks. The hospital has given her a list of names, but I know my mom will follow up better if she has a great practice and a doctor she really relates to. She can be timid and easily embarrassed and needs a good bedside manner. She's also loathe to take time off work -- a doctor who only lets her accomplish one action item at a time is going to seriously hamper all the check ups she needs. Before it's suggested, I've checked out the one concierge medicine program in Grand Rapids I could find, Spectrum Health Concierge Medicine (aka MMPC Concierge Medicine) and they have a long waiting list.

Insurance is not really an issue: her teacher's PPO is awesome.

Additional difficulty level: she prefers affiliation with Spectrum Health. She will not see D.O.'s (I don't know why. I just know I can't change her at this point.) I'm very much open to smaller practices and holistic doctors if they'll give my mom more time and breathing room; they just have to be M.D.'s or N.P.'s by her decree. The usual social media ways of finding a doctor seem much more silent in west Michigan than here on the west coast, so I turn to you, hive mind.

tl;dr Who are the best, kindest, most thorough internal medicine or family practice doctors / practices in Grand Rapids, Michigan for diagnostics, care coordination and continuing care? What hidden gems am I missing when I google? Please give me your recommendations.

By: Green With You

Green With You — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:28:43 -0800

I haven't lived in Grand Rapids in awhile but my mother (age 50) has been with Dr. Scott Duemler for pretty much my entire life so he might be worth checking out.

By: Chrischris

Chrischris — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 18:03:36 -0800

Check your Mefi mail.

By: sweltering

sweltering — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 11:24:52 -0800

Thanks for all the memail, you guys. My mom is doing better and it's great to be able to be of some help from so far away.

Comments on: Help me find a doctor for my mom in Grand Rapids, MI.

Question: Help me find a doctor for my mom in Grand Rapids, MI.

By: Green With You

By: Chrischris

By: sweltering