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Message-ID: <3A355108.10282DDF@cs.cmu.edu>
Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2000 17:11:20 -0500
From: Paul Heckbert <ph+@cs.cmu.edu>
Organization: Computer Science Dept., Carnegie Mellon University
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: "Harry Q. Bovik" <bovik@cs.cmu.edu>
Subject: general practitioners / internal medicine / family practitioners
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I asked cmu.cs.general for general doctor recommendations
a couple of weeks ago, and got the responses below.

Synopsis:
The following three doctors got favorable reviews here and in
Bovik's previous rounds of doctor discussions:

    Margaret Morton
    Michael Finikiotis
    Donna Knupp

All three are participating providers with CMU's Blue Cross policy,
I believe, as you can check here:

 
http://hr.web.cmu.edu/default.asp?n=&sectionID=174&message=&lvl1=1&lvl2=2&lvl3=2&lvl4=84&lvl5=0&lvl6=0

------------

From: Paul Heckbert <ph+@cs.cmu.edu>
Organization: Computer Science Dept., Carnegie Mellon University

I'm looking for a new doctor (general practitioner / internist) for my
regular checkups.

Any recommendations?

Can you say:
  Why you like/dislike them.
  Where they practice, what insurance plans do they participate in.
  What they've done for you.
  How much you've seen them - any major work, or just routine checkups?
      how long?

I'll share the responses with Bovik ( http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~bovik ) unless
you tell me otherwise.  If you like, I can keep private all of your
comments, or make your comments anonymous.

Thanks!
------------

From: Kamal Nigam <knigam@cs.cmu.edu>

I'd recommend my general practitioner, Dr. Michael Finikiotis.  I've
been seeing him for about two years.  He's on the younger side (late
30's perhaps).  When I've seen him for regular check-ups, he's seemed
thorough, communicative, and cheerful.  He's always been willing to
listen to what I have to say and answer any questions.  

When I've called him for semi-urgent problems, he's always been prompt
in returning my call and making space on his schedule to see me when
necessary.  I've never had to deal with him for any serious medical
problems.

I know he takes the Aon Select student health insurance.  When I
switched insurances and he was no longer part of my plan, he made sure
that his staff got signed up with my new company.

There are several other recommendations for him in Bovik; you might
check those out as well.

Here's his contact information:

Dr. Michael Finikiotis 
Craig Medical Associates
5830 Ellsworth Ave.  (above the Dancing Goats coffee place)
(412) 361-4001
------------

From: Brad Myers <brad.myers@cs.cmu.edu>

My wife and I like Dr. Joop Offerman, who is in Pt. Breeze near my
house, and is in the Keystone HMO plan. He has always been appropriately
helpful in letting us use the specialists and medicines that were
appropriate. He has pretty good hours and a nice staff.
------------

From: (anonymous)

> Any recommendations?

West Penn Family Practice

They see my whole family:  my husband, me (40 year old woman), and
my 2.5 year old son.

For routine stuff I see their nurse practitioner, Joanne McCartun.
She's very competent, and when stuff isn't so routine, she gets me
right in to see the doctor.

I've seen a number of doctors in the practice, and they all are good.

Their practice is in Squirrel Hill, and do rounds at West Penn Hospital
in Bloomfield.

I know they take HealthAmerica, and I think they take Keystone.
It is a pain, that if you have HealthAmerica, and they need to draw
a blood sample, they'll send you to West Penn or LabCore office.

>   What they've done for you.

They've done my annual gynecological exams, handled a number of
infections
that required antibiotics, as well as diagnosed some unusual stuff for
me.

>   How much you've seen them - any major work, or just routine checkups?

They've done some diagnostic work (felt lousy, turned out to be mono,
which is unusual in someone my age...)  They've done routine checkups
on my husband.  And they've provided well child care for my son
(checkups, immunizations.)  They handle my son very very well.

Also, a friend recommended this practice to me, because they were able
to succesfully help her with migraine headaches she was having.
------------

From: rochberg@knockdhu.pdl.cs.cmu.edu

I've seen Dr. Margaret Morton twice for routine checkups.  Her office
is in the same mini-mall as Brewster's in Greenfield, and she
participates in Highmark preferred Blue.

I'm very happy with her; she's competent, frank, and pleasant.

                                               -david
------------

From: Robert Frederking <ref+@cs.cmu.edu>
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University

> Any recommendations?

Dr. Margaret Morton

She seems very competent, and is willing to intelligently discuss what's
going wrong and why, what options there are and the pros and cons of
each, freely admits when she doesn't know what's happening, and is also
very friendly and sympathetic.  My only dislike is that if you call her
to find out whether you need to see her, she'll generally only call back
at the end of the day.  Otherwise I'm very happy with the care I've
received.

>  Where they practice, what insurance plans do they participate in.

Greenfield, just the other side of the Greenfield Bridge from Schenley
Park (same complex as the Bruster's Ice Cream store).
They do Keystone HMO; don't know what others.

>  What they've done for you.
>  How much you've seen them - any major work, or just routine checkups?
>      how long?

Mostly routine checkups, and exams/prescriptions when I'm really sick. 
Over 10 years, including some more serious things, some requiring
referrals to specialists (tinitis, irritable bowel syndrome).