Above and Beyond

I worked with Dr. Marvin Im before he was an MDVIP provider. He helped me quite a bit. I left because unfortunately I had a lot of medical expenses due to an injury, and I could not justify more medical expenses. However, after a year and several months of working with another provider, and having a new medical mystery, I joined MDVIP last fall, and it was the best decision I have ever made for my health.

It is expensive to join, however, within days of reconnecting with Dr. Im on the phone, I had my physical, we met and I updated him on my health conditions and new symptoms. We reviewed my supplements. We reviewed all my testing from my previous provider. Dr. Im ordered image testing that my previous provider would not. Within two months of joining, I had been referred to another specialist for my mystery health condition, gotten more image testing, and gotten a new diagnosis. Within a couple weeks of that, after asking to be referred to a specialist for other condition at the Cleveland Clinic, I was referred and seen. In January I had surgery. So from late September-late January, in only 4 months, I made more progress than I made the whole 12+ months I was with another provider.

Dr. Im has validated my concerns and questions about my health. He offers a nice balance between being a family doctor, and being open to new approaches and more progressive medicine. I appreciate being able to connect between appointments, and not having to wait to ask questions until I can see him again. His staff is wonderful and caring, and they have assisted me with various referrals to specialists, eliminating months of waiting to get in to specialists. They do not make me come in for unnecessary appointments and miss work, which I appreciate. But when I do need to see Dr. Im, I can always get in. I was seeing my previous doctor every month, because we never had enough time to make progress. Each time, I had to remind them what we talked about the last time. I always left frustrated and upset. The opposite is true for my interactions and visits with Dr. Im. When I do come in for an appointment, I do not have to miss half a day from work just waiting, as I have with other providers. I also don't need to see him every 3-4 weeks unless I want to, because we are in contact between visits, and this saves me a lot of time and energy. While health is a journey, I always feel calmer and reassured when we interact. I trust Dr. Im implicitly.

I was diagnosed with a new health condition by a specialist, and Dr. Im talked me through the serious options about surgery, never rushing me. He is down-to-earth and has a sense of humor, but he is never patronizing or dismissive about health concerns. He answers all of my questions, and I have a lot of them! This is especially important as many times I have to process information, and I think of important questions after an appointment. He is up-to-date on the latest research, and is open to new approaches.

While I continue to improve my health and get to the bottom of things, Dr. Im has been a continuous source of information and support. In my opinion, this membership paid for itself within the first month. I can only imagine if I had not joined MDVIP the type of frustration and pain that I might continue to be in today. I don't think that I could ever go back to waiting days or even weeks for a non-concierge family doctor to return my calls or electronic platform messages, only to have a nurse or assistant "answer" with a non-answer, and then having to wait 4-6 weeks to get in for an appointment, only to be passed off to a medical assistant, and not even really speak to the doctor. When I interact with Dr. Im, he is always responsive and patient. When I interact with his staff, they are kind, patient, and efficient. They do not treat me like just another number, and I appreciate that they remember me, and I do not have to remind them who I am each time I call.

I am so grateful to Dr. Im and his staff for providing me with excellent medical care, and supporting me on my journey back to good health. MDVIP has truly changed my life. When I was Dr. Im's patient previously, he was a great physician. He always did more patient interaction than other doctors. However, with the additional time that he has now to spend with his patients, and less patient volume, he is an excellent physician. I am so glad that I joined MDVIP to work with Dr. Im again, and I would highly recommend him and his staff. I cannot thank them enough for helping me to finally make progress in my health journey, and I hope to work with them for years to come.