Ramanujam Srihari R MD

Dr. Srihari Ramanujam is a highly qualified internal medicine specialist with a G.I. sub-​specialty, trained at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He saved my life, when my routine colonoscopy revealed pre-​cancerous sized polyps. In spite of reminders from my primary care physician and other medically trained relatives, I was procrastinating the process for lame but obvious reasons In an unfortunate coincidence I heard about two friends of friends who died suddenly and prematurely, younger than me (younger than me!) because of insidious colon cancers. Here, by the way, is the proper use of the word, as insidious means a hidden, dark, entrapment — a gradual, unnoticeable process that results in serious harm (not exactly a synonym for evil, it’s an adjective that can modify the word evil). Dr. Ramanujam’s bedside manner is excellent, which is an absolute requirement for gastroenterology, I think I mentioned, for obvious reasons. My «procedure» (what a euphemism) was at the 375 River Parkway location in Glendale, (not to be confused with Columbia St. Mary’s clinic actually named «the Glendale Clinic,» which is in Brown Deer!), where his clinic staff is remarkably tactful, disarming, considerate, polite, and obviously alert, attentive to detail, competent. Unlike too many uneducated medical staff, those younger than me respectfully referred to me as Dr. de Silva, rather than treating me like a child («Mr. Rohan,» how insulting that is!), you so need the little shreds of dignity when you’re in a hospital gown reeling from the humiliating «colon prep» (uggh).
Okay, so why give a man who saved my life four instead of five stars? Well, it’s not exactly his fault, but he works for Columbia St. Mary’s, who, if you can consider corporations to be people, is something of a rapacious money-​grubber, belying the expensive advertising suggesting that patient care is their primary motivator. Way back when I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, the physician ordering the sleep study made herself my primary care physician on the paperwork (without my knowledge). Then, because my insurance pays for sleep studies, every year with her tacit approval the sleep study clinic hits me with phone calls, and letters trying to scare me into getting follow-​up sleep studies. Although my insurance would pay, since there’s a standing physician order, there is no medical reason for annual sleep studies once a CPAP has reduced the sleep apnea threat, it’s an expensive procedure that does not need to be repeated regularly (unlike colonoscopies or eye exams).
Then, before this procedure, I got a dozen (no exaggeration) phone calls from different people representing Columbia St. Mary’s, but since their priority was checking on my insurance status (the wallet biopsy), important medical preparation instructions weren’t prioritized, or missed entirely. If I followed the phoned in instructions for the colon prep (uggh), I would have been behind schedule, but instead I followed the instructions from the pharmacist and on the box itself. Written instructions actually sufficed, but on the phone one of them gave me the wrong clinic address (actually a bit understandable, as I was supposed to go to the clinic in Glendale, not the «Glendale Clinic,» but why would you name the clinics this way?). The worst was a frightening series of calls from their outsourced «preregistration» «Service.» Preregistration, not a word by the way. The day before, when I was already preoccupied with the «colon prep,» (uggh), I got a very suspicious call from a highly inarticulate woman purporting to be working for «preregistration,» (not Columbia St. Mary’s) asking me the sorts of questions one would need for either identity theft or house burglary. You know how you know that the Nigerian Prince e-​mail scam is a scam because the spelling and grammar is so weak? Same reason to suspect this caller. Although I cut that call off halfway, I was still so worried about what information I did give I didn’t sleep at all the night before the procedure, though I wonder how well I would have slept given the «colon prep» (Uggh.). She was asking all sorts of information that the hospital should already have, without any reassuring reason. I think that’s because there is no reassuring reason, they (the institutional «they») just have all sorts of redundant processes to insure patient ability to pay. I was about to use a metaphor (pay out of the nose) that would be inappropriate on two or more levels.
Okay, so if you’re over 50, get a colonoscopy. If you want the best, schedule it with Dr. Ramanujam. Be prepared for the Columbia St. Mary’s shake down before your «procedure,» it’s as bad as the «colon prep,» (uggh), but the the lead-​up to the colonoscopy is the only bad part, the actual procedure in the clinic is not at all unpleasant because of the staff at the clinic.