Tara Cline – Digestive Disorders Success Story
Quick relief for digestive disorders, close to home
Murphy resident Tara Cline says it best: “When you don’t feel well, you want to see a doctor right away.”
Tara Cline works as a researcher, so it
was second nature for her to do some digging
for the best medical care to relieve her
digestive problems. Her research led her to
Sripathi Kethu, MD, at the Methodist Richardson
Center for Digestive Health.
That’s especially true when a digestive disorder (in Cline’s case, an enlarged bile duct due to gallstones) is to blame. You want fast relief close to home.
So look no further than the Methodist Richardson Center for Digestive Health. Here are our top three reasons why:
1.
The latest technology
“When people think of digestive disorders, they think of colonoscopies,
but we do so much more than colonoscopies,” says Cathy Jones, RN,
CGRN, clinical coordinator for the center.
For example, a noninvasive form of imaging called ERCP helped Cline’s
gastroenterologist, Sripathi Kethu, MD, FACP, FACG, FASGE, independently practicing physician on the medical staff at
Methodist Richardson Medical Center, remove the gallstones blocking her
bile duct, and the
TIF procedure offers relief to people with acid reflux.
“Only a few places in the Metroplex offer the TIF procedure,”
Dr. Kethu says. “It’s a combination of minimally invasive
surgery and endoscopy that results in patients having less discomfort,
no visible scarring, and a fast recovery.”
2. A talented team
In addition to Dr. Kethu, the center has two other dedicated gastroenterologists
and multiple colorectal surgeons, all of whom are board-certified and
independently practicing. The department’s nurses are specialized
in gastroenterology and hold additional certifications.
Jones emphasizes that the team works together to make care seamless for patients.
“The people who are here to admit you to the hospital for your procedures
are the same people who are going to be there during your recovery,”
she says. “You get consistent care from beginning to end.”
Cline, who is still seeing Dr. Kethu for other abdominal concerns, knows
that high-level care firsthand and says it exceeded her expectations.
“The staff at Methodist Richardson made me feel comfortable throughout
the entire process about something that could be a very embarrassing issue,” she says.
3.
One convenient location
Located at Methodist Richardson, the Center for Digestive Health is able
to guide patients from consultation and diagnosis through treatment and recovery.
When Cline called Dr. Kethu’s office, she got an appointment with him the very next day, and she had her ERCP procedure within a week.
“I was happy to hear that it was right there at the Campbell campus,” Cline says. “I didn’t have to go anywhere else, which made it really easy.”
The center is also in a prime position to help with other specialties — including pulmonology, pain management, and cardiology — as well as emergency situations.
“We do so many innovative things here, and we see lives saved because of them,” Jones says.
Have you been struggling with acid reflex, upset stomach, constipation, or other digestive problems? We can help. To find a physician at the Center for Digestive Health, call 972-4 DR LINE (972-437-5463) or search the online physician directory.
From the fall 2012 edition of Shine magazine.