DR. NOEL K. FRIZZELL
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LE BONHEUR CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, PEDIATRIC CONSULTANTS
r. Noel K. Frizzell, MD, is quite active outside his medical profession, playing bluegrass music on his banjo or enjoying the outdoors by golfing and biking. Those activities, however, are short breaks from Frizzell’s three decades in medicine. After graduating from medical school at the University of Tennessee, he began his practice in 1981, working for 10 years at the school’s Department of Pediatrics while building the General Pediatric Practice. In 1991, he left to form his current practice, Pediatric Consultants. With such extensive experience, it’s easy for him to reflect on what has changed in his profession. “Pediatrics has changed enormously in the 35 years I’ve been doing it. When I started, it was more acute illness, and a lot of the hospitalizations were more for infections. Some things we really don’t see much of any more; a lot of things I guess we don’t see as much as we did in the early 1980s in terms of infection, and the vaccines have made a huge difference. We see a lot of other problems that have evolved — more medical complexities. Kids with multiple diagnoses of multiple epidemics. The obesity epidemic is new; that wasn’t around in the 1980s.”
MARGARET GORE, MD
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis BMG Integrity Oncology 6286 Briarcrest Ave., Suite 308, Memphis, TN 38120 901-680-5190 Hematologic Malignancies, Hematology-Benign, Bleeding/ Coagulation Disorders
DONALD S. GRAVENOR, MD
Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis Family Cancer Center Foundation 6029 Walnut Grove Rd., Suite 301 Memphis, TN 38120 901-747-9081 Anemia, Leukemia & Lymphoma, Lymphoma, NonHodgkin’s, Multiple Myeloma
EDWARD S. MUIR, MD
Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital Consolidated Medical Practices Memphis 6799 Great Oaks Rd., Suite 150, Memphis, TN 38138 901-259-9794 Leukemia & Lymphoma, Bone Marrow & Stem Cell Transplant
SANDEEP K. RAJAN, MD
Methodist University Hospital - Memphis West Cancer Center 7945 Wolf River Blvd., Memphis, TN 38138 901-683-0055 Leukemia & Lymphoma, Hematology - Benign
INFECTIOUS DISEASE
MICHAEL G. THRELKELD, MD
Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis Methodist University Hospital - Memphis 1068 Cresthaven Rd., Suite 250, Memphis, TN 38119 901-685-3490
With Pediatric Consultants having been purchased by Le Bonheur, Frizzell no longer has to work closely with some of the newer, less savory developments in the medical field. “Most people who know me well know I’m not a fan of the healthcare/ insurance industry. It’s something that’s gotten even worse over the years, having to negotiate with payers. I don’t do that anymore; I work for a big corporation now. My practice was acquired two years ago. One of the benefits is that I don’t have to deal with insurance payers anymore.” One of the biggest changes that Frizzell is looking to study is the emergence of medical complexities. “If I’ve carved out a niche for myself, it’s for kids with medical complexities, and I’m going to be spending more time on that over the next few years. That’s where I’m headed in the next few years, to try and help provide care to some of the more complex pediatric patients. Sometimes kids come out of ICU and they’ve got chronic lung disease and they’ve got oxygen dependence, and they may have had some misadventure from a brain injury. So they’re dealing with a lot of specialists and medication. It’s about taking care of the kids with a variety of medical problems and helping to navigate the healthcare system for those families.” Despite the difficulties involved with pursuing a career in medicine, Frizzell wouldn’t change a thing. “As far as practicing medicine, some people my age say they wouldn’t encourage young people to go into medicine,” he says. “I would do it all over again, no regrets. It’s challenging, but I love what I do.” — Sam Cicci
INTERNAL MEDICINE
CHARLES W. MUNN, MD
JOAN MICHELLE ALLMON, MD
Bartlett Internal Medicine Group 6570 Summer Oaks Cove Bartlett, TN 38134 901-373-7100
JAMES E. BAILEY, MD
Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis 8138 Country Village Drive Cordova, TN 38016 901-260-3100 Preventive Medicine, Diabetes, Hypertension
Collierville Internal Medicine 1500 W. Poplar, Suite 202, Collierville, TN 38017 901-861-9090 Preventive Medicine Regional One Health Outpatient Center 880 Madison Ave., Memphis, TN 38103 901-545-6969 Hypertension, Preventive Medicine
ROBERT BURNS, MD
Saint Francis Hospital - Memphis Geriatrics Group of Memphis 2714 Union Ave., Suite 150 Memphis, TN 38112 901-725-0872 Geriatric Medicine, Dementia
GEORGE CHU, MD
Mid-South Internal Medicine 7550 Wolf River Blvd., Suite 102 Germantown, TN 38138 901-767-5000
WILLIAM C. CUSHMAN, MD VA Medical Center - Memphis Memphis VA Medical Center 1030 Jefferson Ave. Memphis, TN 38104-2127 901-523-8990 Hypertension, Preventive Cardiology
GREGORY K. JENKINS, MD Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis 8138 Country Village Drive Cordova, TN 38016 901-260-3100
H. HOWARD NEASE, MD
CATHERINE R. WOMACK, MD Methodist Healthcare UT Methodist Physicians 57 Germantown Court, Suite 100 Memphis, TN 38018 901-758-7888 Women’s Health, Preventive Medicine, Obesity
INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY
CLARO F. DIAZ, MD
Methodist Healthcare Sutherland Cardiology Clinic 7460 Wolf River Blvd., Germantown, TN 38138 901-763-0200 Peripheral Vascular Disease, Interventional Cardiology, Coronary Artery Disease
MICHAEL A. NELSON, MD
ProActive Heart & Vascular 7751 Wolf River Blvd., Germantown, TN 38138 901-297-4000 Angioplasty, Cardiac Catheterization, Preventive Cardiology, Echocardiography
MATERNAL & FETAL MEDICINE
GIANCARLO MARI, MD
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital 51 N. Dunlap St., Suite 305, Memphis, TN 38103 901-287-6981 Fetal Therapy, Obstetric Ultrasound, Pregnancy - High Risk
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