5 /5 Justin Cole: I was a patient of Dr. Bessas for ~10 years and am only sadly leaving his care due to a coast to coast move.
I am a physician myself. Although my own health issues and growing dissatisfaction with the profession are leading me to change my own career path, I still hope any poor soul who makes it through this lengthy review will consider me well-qualified to assess Dr. Bessas. Further, Pete was recommended to me by an excellent, compassionate and highly intelligent colleague in Vancouver. This latter fact in isolation attests to the quality of his reputation in the area.
By far and away the most impressive aspect of Dr. Bessas is the genuine care he shows for his patients. At first I thought it might just be me as a form of professional courtesy, etc. but over the years I was able to witness him interact with dozens of patients as they entered or exited his reception area and/or exam rooms. He spoke to each in the same compassionate and kind way he treated me. He would sometimes run a few minutes behind but I knew the reason why was the time he was spending with others.
Insurance companies have altered the way most docs, especially PCPs IMHO, interact with and care for their patients; further they increasingly determine which medical decisions are appropriate based as much upon their own profit-motives as the training and experience of physicians. Even given these constraints, Dr. Bessas takes the time to listen to his patients and finds ways to get necessary testing done.
Despite being an individual with greater than average medical issues for my age, Dr. Bessas never made me feel like he was rushed. Further, he was EXTREMELY well-versed in local specialists. For anyone reading this review who didnt realize how important this is, I would plead with you to trust what I say: so many doctors are now hospital employees and the only referral you are likely to get is to the group of docs in that specialty at that same hospital, no matter their actual quality level. This often is due to significant pressure to do so and I do not mean to disparage directly anyone who practices this way. Having an independent PCP who keeps up as new specialists come and go from the local metro area is exceedingly important. Dr. Bessas receives an A+++ in this regard.
I actually could go on but will stop with one last point. I have now been looking for months for a PCP in my new community (a large city) and have been extremely disappointed. I knew I wouldnt get so lucky as to replace Dr. Bessas with a true equal but even as someone who interacted daily with MDs for ~25 years, I didnt understand just how difficult he would be to replace.
