1. We guarantee each patient the highest level of quality time and
 quantity of time:
- Our patients are never rushed through the office or kept waiting!
- We never schedule patients closer than sixty minutes apart!
- Our patients receive the most comprehensive, up to date endocrine
care!
Dr. Merville C. Marshall, Jr. prefers to give each patient as much
time as is necessary to obtain as much information as he needs,
and to allow the patient to ask as many questions as he or she may
have. This mutual exchange of important information is extremely
beneficial to the patient's physical and emotional well-being.
2. Our policies appropriately reflect Dr. Marshall's credentials,
abilities, and stature
in the medical community.
As a prominent educator and board certified endocrinologist, Dr.
Marshall is acutely aware of the importance of continuing medical
education and the need to keep up to date with new medical concepts,
diagnostic criteria and therapeutic modalities. Dr. Marshall spends
time educating other physicians, and also takes the time to educate
himself. Our policies give Dr. Marshall the freedom to attend national
and regional meetings throughout the year to remain abreast of new
developments. The quantity and quality of the time spent with Dr.
Marshall is enhanced by the fact that he continues to maintain his
reputation as the best endocrinologist in the area!
3. We are not guided by insurance company mandates.
Participating in insurance
plans:
- Forces physicians to see large numbers of patients daily creating
an "in and out" or "mill" type atmosphere
- Severely limits the amount of time allotted to each patient
- Impairs offering quality endocrine care
- Significantly restricts our availability to attend national and
regional scientific meetings
Insurance plans generally base their fee schedules upon Medicare
fees, which have always lagged behind the real cost of delivering
quality medical care. Hence, typical plans pay so little for office
visits that participating physicians are forced to see large numbers
of patients daily to meet expenses. This problem is compounded by
insurance policies that pay physicians more for performing invasive
tests and less for physician visits which focus on healing through
physical diagnosis, deductive reasoning, and patient dialogue. This
particularly affects endocrinology where the critical emphasis should
be listening to and communicating with the patient.
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