Stephen D Covington, MD

Never got to meet or talk to Dr. Covington, so this review is not for him, but about those in his office that he has authorized to consult on his behalf. Unlike a restaurant review where you decide to give them another try if you have a bad experience with your meal, this is a one shot deal.
I called in and set up an appointment for a flexible sigmoidscopy office procedure. «No you can’t do that, you have to have a consult first». Doctor Covington was unavailable for an in-​person consult for the next THREE months, but they could have me consult with his Physician Assistant (PA).
Went in for the consult with the PA and she started telling me about the routine for Colonoscopy prep. I said «Hold on, I am here to consult for a flexible sigmoidoscopy!» She laughed and said «those are a waste of time, I’ve done a million of those and the doctor will say the same thing»
Now do you really want someone to perform a well accepted, lower risk, and often recommended-​over-​colonoscopy procedure that thinks this procedure is a waste of time?
This sounded like an up-​sell to me. So I asked if she thought it was such a waste of time, why would she have done a million of them? She countered with some questions about why I was so adamant about the sigmoid procedure instead of the full colonscopy, but then said «well you are the patient and we have to respect your wishes, so how about we prep JUST IN CASE we have to do a full colonscopy if we see something with the sigmoidscope? Now I’m thinking they REALLY want to ram that colonscope in there — just to be sure! So, now I will be looking for a GI that encourages a flexible sigmoidscopy as a first step diagnosis, not a waste of time.
Too bad that I’m on the hook for $ 200.00 for a 15 minute consult even though I did not have the procedure done.

Couldn’t have been blessed with a better doctor. Professional and caring with wonderful bedside manners. His staff is also caring and make you feel like they care.
Dr Covington and Regina his medical assistant are always there for you when needed. I recommend them highly.