Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 3, 2016

9 / 24

good fit for me?” I asked (I think I
might have whined).
Chuckling, he actually looked up
the phone number for me. “Don’t
worry,” he answered. “They’ll ask
you a lot of questions to help you
figure it out.”
Being a natural born procrastina-
tor, I sat on his good advice for a
few more months and, in the mean-
time, asked a girlfriend who works
at Kootenai about the Appointment
Center. (To be honest, I was just
getting a second opinion.) She also
encouraged me to give it a try. So
last month, I finally gave in and
made the call.
After explaining my situation,
Ashley at the Appointment Center
asked me a host of questions—
everything from the standard name
and date of birth to whether I had
health concerns or personal care
preferences. When she asked me
if there was anything else I wanted
to share, I told her that I wanted a
doctor who was a good
listener and a good
detective. I also said
that I wanted someone
who wasn’t too quick
to write a prescription.
At 59, I only take daily
vitamins, and I’d really
like to keep it that way.
She immediately rec-
ommended two doctors
she felt fit my request.
At the last minute, I
also asked if she could recommend
a female physician. Turns out, both
doctors she’d suggested were. Both
were also doctors of osteopathy
(or D.O.). After offering to contact
them on my behalf, she said she’d
get back to me shortly with the first
available appointment.
Thankfully, that gave me a few
minutes to Google osteopathy. I
wasn’t familiar with this particular
medical discipline. With a little
research, it seemed a perfect fit.
Its holistic approach to preventing
disease and treating patients really
appealed to me, and I actually
started to get a bit excited about
going to the doctor. That’s a first.
A few days later, I received my
new patient packet from Kootenai
Clinic containing all the stan-
dard forms and releases that you
normally have to fill out at your first
appointment. I got them weeks
in advance, along with a self-
addressed stamped envelope for
sending them back. A nice surprise.
C O M M O N G R O U N D
When I finally met my new PCP,
Rebecca Bertsch, D.O., she and
her staff made me feel welcome
and relaxed. Something new
to me was her use of a scribe—a
second person in the room during
my exam who took notes about
our conversation.
As she explained it,
“I have a scribe so I
can pay attention to
getting to know you.”
What a terrific idea.
We spent most
of my appointment
time just getting to
know each other,
openly discussing
my overall health
and my personal anti-
prescription philoso-
phy. While Dr. Bertsch understood
it, she gently explained that if we
uncovered something that required
a regular prescription, we’d be
having a frank conversation. I
appreciated her candor. She was
professional without being pushy.
The Appointment Center did a
yeoman’s job of matching me with
a doctor who actually fit my style.
Before we were finished, we also
talked about our mutual love of
mountain biking, gardening, our
grown children and the privilege of
living in northern Idaho. We found
common ground. And I know that—
more than anything—will make me
feel connected and comfortable
with her when I willingly schedule
my next annual checkup.
G E T O N T H E
R I G H T P A T H
The Kootenai Clinic
Appointment Center can help
you find a physician and schedule
an appointment at one of our
Kootenai Clinic locations. To get
started, call (208) 625-6767 or
toll-free (844) 627-9411, or visit
to fill out
an online request.
Rebecca Bertsch, D.O.
KH . ORG 9