Dear Patient,

I am happy and honored to be your OB/GYN physician. This specialty is unique in that it allows me to serve as both a specialist in female reproductive health and as a primary care provider for many patients, particularly during pregnancy. I maintain a practice that is split between hospital and office work. This presents a unique challenge in scheduling and maintaining an efficient practice schedule, but it is a good challenge! As a hospital provider and specialist I must be available for consultations, surgery, hospital care, and deliveries. As an office provider I have scheduled appointments and hours including the non- emergent and the emergent. There is a delicate balance to maintain and this is part of what makes this a dynamic and exciting field of practice.

I continue to happily provide well woman care, but in order to prioritize those in need, we do have a limited number of appointment times available for preventative gynecological care. When calling for appointments, be sure to notify us if you have problems to evaluate, or if you are scheduling a “well woman” appointment. This will allow us to evaluate you promptly if you are having problems.

There are currently varying recommendations for well woman screening exams, and taking these into account, a reasonable middle ground approach to screening gynecological exams for low risk patients with no history of gynecological or breast pre-cancer or cancer and no strong family history of cancer is:

• Pap smear and/or pelvic exam every 1-2 years beginning at age 21
• Pap smears end at age 70 and pelvic exams continue every 2 years in general
• After hysterectomy for benign conditions, no pap only pelvic exams every 2 years
• Breast exams every 1-2 years beginning at age 25
• Mammograms yearly at age 40

Some patients may choose to see me every other year for a gynecological exam and see their primary care provider every other year for well woman care, and this is appropriate. Some patients with high risk conditions such as abnormal pap smears or breast cancer risk factors will need to be seen more frequently, so call our office if you need us to clarify your particular recommendations.

Although we try to accommodate, problems including mood disorders and general medical problems can often be cared for more promptly in a non- surgical practice setting such as a family medicine specialist or internist office if needed.

We do limit new patient intake in order to provide the best and most prompt care possible for our existing patients. Thank you for being our patient and we hope to enjoy a relationship with you for years to come.

Sincerely,
Dr. Groves