Trust. Simply the Best

I have been a patient of Dr. Stephens for approximately 30 years, so I speak from incredible privilege, alongside an informed understanding of his work.

The following statement is profound: In my lifetime, I know of no other US citizen who has experienced the level of excellence in health care that Dr. Stephens has provided for me (and in the past, for my now adult children) for decades. It would be so very easy to share a mile-long list of Dr. Stephen's attributes in this commentary. Instead, I chose to focus my missive today on one thing – TRUST. Dr. Stephens has engendered trust in me, his patient, in perpetuity. I can't imagine anything more important than trust in a doctor-patient relationship. Examples involving his role as an MDVIP physician abound.

As a female, 68, recently retired and physically active, I enjoy fairly good health.

I frequently travel. No matter where I am, Dr. Stephens is always there for me. Upon occasion I have checked in with him personally or via his excellent staff, before, during, or after a trip abroad. Dr. Stephens always, always has my back. For example, when I called him from Vancouver a couple of years ago, newly infected with COVID, he patiently talked me through how to manage travel with COVID and deal with barriers to healthcare faced by American citizens traveling outside the US.

When I got a raging dose of strep throat while on a family trip in N Carolina, he was 100% responsive and very present; he basically salvaged that trip for me. On a fun note, as a fellow scuba diver, he has been especially supportive of my diving trips out of the country, ensuring that I have the medications I need, a posteriori, to avoid illness. On one occasion, when I damaged my wrist playing Pickleball before a diving trip, through timely referrals, he helped me determine whether I should dive. He is also inordinately kind, taking a bit of time to ask about my grown kids, who he used to treat, and sharing some diving joy.

I could not appreciate Dr. Stephens more. Having him as a trusted physician has meant the world of difference to me.