Celebrating One Year of Makdim — A Roundtable Discussion

Makdim is proud to celebrate one year of increased health awareness and preventative health measures in the community. 

With campaigns and events spreading health education and making health screenings more accessible, Makdim has made great strides in raising the collective consciousness around preventative health. 

Joining us for this roundtable discussion are: 

Chaim Fleischer, Makdim

Chaskie Rosenberg, Makdim, Parametic Hatzolah BP

Duvid Fleischman, Parametic Hatzolah BP

Motty Fleischer, Parametic Hatzolah BP

Dr. Eli Inzlicht, Premium Health 

PA Raymund Sultan, Premium Health 

Dr. Lazer Leifer, Ezra Medical Center

Mechy Hayum, NP, Perfect Health 

Dr. Sharon Kheradnam, ParCare 

HEALTH AWARENESS

We start by discussing how the general public’s relationship with health has shifted over the past year, due to Makdim’s work in health education and awareness. 

What have the doctors noticed in their practices? 

Dr. Inslicht: Makdim has made people aware of the importance of prevention, rather than just waiting until they get sick. We see people being more proactive about scheduling their physical exams.  

NP Hayum: We are seeing an increase in requests for well-visits. People are asking which screenings are important, especially colonoscopies and mammograms, which were heavily stressed in Makdim’s earlier campaign. 

Chaim Fleischer, Makdim: B”H there’s been a lot of progress, but we haven’t touched the tip of the iceberg yet. Before our initiative, we were under 10% of the national average for preventative colonoscopy screenings. While we’ve made progress, we’re still far behind.

Duvid Fleischman, Hatzolah: It’s not just in the doctors’ offices. Hatzolah members and medical professionals are approached with medical questions daily by friends and family, in shul and at simchas. It’s become the talk of the town. 

Chaskie Rosenberg, Makdim: Makdim’s campaign has increased awareness about making preventative health a priority. Human beings are not invincible. 

ANNUAL WELL-VISITS

Next, we discuss the importance of annual physical exams and what patients should be aware of when it comes to their annual well-visit.

PA Sultan: The annual visit is less about the physical exam and more about the doctor-patient relationship and discussion that ensues. During the visit, the patient can bring up concerns that are on their mind that they may be embarrassed about or wouldn’t have scheduled an appointment for. 

Once there is a solid relationship between the doctor and the patient, the patient will be more likely to follow the doctor’s recommendations for screenings, tests, and vaccines.

People are questioning if there are enough doctors for the entire community. They’re asking where they can go for their well-visits. 

Chaim Fleischer, Makdim: These doctors are ready to welcome patients into their care. Makdim has a list of primary care doctors who are extending hours to accommodate more patients.

CONTINUITY OF CARE

In recent years, we’ve moved away from the doctor-patient relationships of old, where a family doctor accompanied a patient through every stage of life. Nowadays, we visit busy practices with multiple providers. How does that affect the medical care we receive? 

PA Sultan: Continuity of care is one of the most essential aspects of healthcare. With an established relationship, the doctor is familiar with the general health of a patient, their family history, and their lifestyle. That makes it easier for the doctor to detect any abnormalities or concerns early on. 

Chaim Fleischer, Makdim: Our community is not yet aware that the doctors at these medical practices — ParCare, Ezra, Premium, Perfect, and others — are here to build these crucial relationships. They’re here to reinstate the personal doctor-patient relationship. 

NP Hayum: There’s continuity of care as long as you stay in the same practice. Seeing other providers won’t make a difference to your care because the practice has systems in place to keep track of the information to ensure recommendations are followed.

Dr. Leifer: We also have to mention that a lot of it is up to the patient. At Ezra, we often see that people’s time is limited. They aren’t particular about which doctor they see, so long as they are seen as quickly as possible for the reason they came. 

Patients with a condition that requires closer medical care, or those who prioritize a connection with their doctor, should request a specific provider, to ensure they see the same one at every visit. 

PREVENTATIVE CARE

Chaskie Rosenberg, Makdim: Our community still lacks awareness of what constitutes a preventative care visit. Ask most people about the last time they went to a doctor, and they’ll tell you, ‘Oh, I went last week. I slipped, I fell, I had a sore throat.’ That’s not called primary care. 

When a person goes to their primary care doctor for a well-visit, they get a full physical check for preventative reasons.

Dr. Kheradnam: Especially now, during flu season, we’ll ask patients who come in with symptoms about their annual check-ups. They’ll say ‘No, I’m fine.’ Even though you’re fine, you still need an annual checkup. The fact that you don’t feel any symptoms doesn’t mean you don’t have a problem. Early detection is key to effective treatment. 

Chaskie Rosenberg, Makdim: I’ll take it a step further and say this: Even a patient with a medical condition who goes to his specialist for regular checkups, is still not getting primary care. That specialist isn’t going to ask him about getting a colonoscopy or check for issues that aren’t directly related to his specialty. 

The same applies to women who go to their OB for yearly check-ups. The OB is focused solely on women’s health. Both men and women need a primary care physician whom they visit every year.

Dr. Leifer: People in our community understand that they need to take their kids for yearly well-visits. They need forms for school and camp and they need to stay up-to-date with their vaccinations. However, as soon as they grow into teenagers they’re gone. Before you know it, ten years have passed and they haven’t been to the doctor unless they had strep and went to an urgent care for some antibiotics. 

MEDICAL HISTORY

Let’s discuss the importance of medical history. Doctors ask new patients for their complete medical history but patients are often unaware of their history because in many families, talking about medical issues is severely stigmatized. Why is that significant? 

PA Sultan: A person’s medical history is crucial to their health. If they have a family history of a certain issue, they are at higher risk and we recommend screenings for that condition sooner.

Dr. Inslicht: Many families don’t talk about medical issues. I’ll see a patient and I’ll ask if there’s any diabetes in the family. They’ll answer in the negative, but then I’ll say, ‘What do you mean? Your grandfather was my patient, and he was diabetic.’

Motty Fleischer, Hatzolah: When I get a call about a 60-year-old patient who claims he has no medical history, my next question is, ‘Who’s your primary doctor?’ The reason he doesn’t have any medical history is because he doesn’t have a primary doctor.

Chaskie Rosenberg, Makdim: People view the words medical history as referring to a tragic event — heart attack, cancer, etc. They need to know that high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, sugar, and medication are also history. 

PREVENTATIVE SCREENINGS

We asked the doctors what screenings are recommended for men and women at each decade of life. The doctors didn’t want to go into detail about specific tests, because they’re individual to each patient and will be addressed at their annual well-visit. 

NP Hayum: Each person must have a relationship with a provider who can explore their risk factors and know what to be aware of and what to look out for.

Chasky Rosenberg, Makdim: The providers will keep their patients informed based on their risk factors and family history. The recommendations for testing will be different for each individual based on many factors — Are they overweight? Is he a smoker? Is there a history of cancer?

SKIN CANCER

There has been a recent uptick in skin cancer diagnoses across the medical world. What should the public be aware of and what measures can we take to protect ourselves? 

Dr. Inslicht: Unfortunately, we see that people are unaware of the dangers of sun exposure. We now recommend a full-body scan by a dermatologist as a preventative measure. 

Dr. Leifer: I wish people would be more aware of the importance of wearing sunscreen, even in the winter.

NEXT STEPS

In conclusion, what is the most important point you would like readers to take away from this discussion? 

Chaskie Rosenberg, Makdim: Primary care visits are of utmost importance — that is Makdim’s main message. 

Dr. Inslicht: We’d like for people to be more proactive and take preventative steps for better health. 

Duvid Fleischman, Hatzolah: When people don’t have primary care physicians they don’t get checked. Every day, we attend to emergencies that could have been prevented by regular check-ups.

PA Sultan: I applaud Makdim’s efforts to raise awareness and bring about change. We now see many patients who want to take charge of their health. 

Thank you all for this valuable and informative discussion. 

Reach out to Makdim for more information, or recommendations for primary care doctors and help scheduling preventive health screenings.  

Don’t wait: Your well-visit can save your life. 

Visit makdim.org | Call 718.925.2943