Beverly Hills Internal Medicine

Beverly Hills Internal Medicine is a comprehensive Primary Care and Consultative Service facility located in the heart of Beverly Hills. From routine visits to in-depth evaluation and diagnosis, the doctors of Beverly Hills Internal Medicine have a broad range of knowledge and expertise. Our doctors are well-respected and well-known in the medical community for providing the highest quality medical care. We offer individualized patient- centric care focused on prevention, diagnosis and health management. An internist is a physician who focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of conditions that affect the adult population—both acute and chronic. These doctors are often who adults see as their primary physicians because they treat a broad range of illnesses that do not require surgical or specialist interventions. They also work to help a patient maintain optimal health in order to prevent the onset of disease. In addition to treating the common cold and flu, internists also treat chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

The specialty of internal medicine covers a wide range of conditions affecting the internal organs of the body - the heart, the lungs, the liver and gastro-intestinal tract, the kidneys and urinary tract, the brain, spinal column, nerves, muscles and joints. Although some diseases specifically affect individual organs, the majority of common diseases - arteriosclerosis, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer may affect many internal organs of the body. The internist must then be trained to recognise and manage a broad range of diseases and, with the aging population, many patients with chronic and multiple disorders. The specialist in Beverly Hills internal medicine - the internist - most commonly practices in hospitals where he may care for the patients during an acute illness or supervise their care in out patient clinics.

In some European countries a significant proportion of internists have an office-based practice with links to local hospitals. Such an internist is not, however, a "family physician" who looks after a much broader range of problems including obstetrics and surgery, and including children as well as adults. University departments responsible for teaching medical students are usually supervised by a professor of internal medicine who maintains the right balance between the different medical subspecialties that makes up the students' training. Such departments also provide training for postgraduate qualification in internal medicine as a specialty, a process which takes five years in most European countries and which requires a qualifying exam in many.

We have the answers you’re seeking, so settle in as we explore this vital physician role.

Even if you’ve heard of internal medicine before, you might not have a clear understanding of the definition. You’re certainly not alone. It’s a relatively vague term, so we asked an expert to help provide a simple answer.

"When people ask me what I do, I say, ‘Internal medicine,’ which is primary care for adults." “When people ask me what I do, I say, ‘Internal medicine,’ which is primary care for adults,” explains Dr. Richard Horowitz, an Internist who owns a private practice in Beverly Hills. The answer doesn’t get much more clear-cut than that, but let’s take a closer look at what exactly the position entails.

Based on the above definition, you can see that internal medicine is a vast field. Internists might treat patients as young as 18 years old and as old as a full century.

The types of cases they see are equally varied. “We see anything from chronic illnesses like heart failure, diabetes, and hypertension to acute problems like sprains and sinus infections,” Dr. Richard says. They perform exams, make diagnoses, prescribe treatments, administer vaccinations, and recommend preventive measures. Internal medicine is a great field for those who appreciate variety. In fact, it’s one of the reasons Dr. Richard ultimately pursued the specialty. “It wasn’t really a default choice,” he clarifies. “It was an all-of-the-above choice for me. I didn’t want to limit myself to just fixing a patient’s heart or their hormones.” "I didn’t want to limit myself to just fixing a patient’s heart or their hormones" The expansive nature of internal medicine means internists are well equipped to handle many different conditions. They also have a better understanding of when a referral is needed, and what type of referral is necessary. “It's not just that a good internist can take care of a whole lot of problems without a specialist,” Dr. Richard notes. “It's that patients are often poorly educated about which specialist they need when they do need one.” This is where an internist’s skills come in — to determine when their patient needs to seek more specialized care.

The practice Dr. Richard runs is a little different than most. The model he follow goes by many names: retainer-based medicine, concierge medicine, direct primary care, and boutique medicine. Regardless of terminology, the idea is that patients pay an annual or monthly fee to cover services. It eliminates insurance company billing. "A typical internist practice nowadays means working for some sort of medical group or large hospital system" But Dr. Richard acknowledges most practitioners don’t follow this model. “A typical internist practice nowadays means working for some sort of medical group or large hospital system and involves mostly seeing patients in an office setting,” he says.

The road to becoming a doctor starts the same way, regardless of specialty. You need to obtain both a four-year bachelor’s degree and a four-year medical degree. In order to gain acceptance to medical school, you need to demonstrate solid academic metrics, experience working with patients in a clinical setting, and a passion for medicine.

Once in school, expect to complete two years of basic science instruction in a classroom setting. You’ll spend the final two years of medical school completing clinical rotations to gain experience working directly with patients. It’s also during medical school that you’ll start the licensure process, which begins with completing the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 near the end of your second year. Most students take the USMLE Step 2 CK and Step 2 CS during their third or fourth year. You’ll need to apply for a postgraduate internal medicine residency position as you draw closer to the end of medical school. This formal training process is required to obtain your medical license and is typically three years for internists. You’ll also complete the third and final USMLE test during residency. Once you’ve accomplished these requirements, you can obtain board certification and begin practicing.

Good doctors need a robust set of both hard and soft skills. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, leadership skills, problem-solving abilities, physical stamina, and communication skills are all important. Dr. Richards notes that the last one is especially crucial for internists. "You need to listen to patients and understand how to gain their trust and tell you what’s bothering them." “You need to listen to patients and understand how to gain their trust and tell you what’s bothering them,” Dr. Richard explains.

A commitment to lifelong learning is also important. Dr. Richard mentions it’s quite possible that a treatment you’re taught in medical school could be replaced by something else later in your career. You’ll need to keep educating yourself to maintain board certification, anyway. For those who plan to operate their own practice, a solid foundation in medicine isn’t enough. “You need some business skills if you’re going to work for yourself,” Dr. Richard notes. It’s worth taking some business courses to make sure you’re prepared. "You need some business skills if you’re going to work for yourself."

Physicians, including internists, are among the highest earners in the US. The BLS reports the median annual salary for internists in 2017 was $198,370. As with any role, salaries vary among internists. Factoring in your experience level, geographic location, and the type of practice you choose will influence your earning potential.

Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness.

What Internal Medicine Means to Me Find out what sets internal medicine physicians apart. This brief video features ACP's official definition of 'internal medicine' and ACP members talking about the breadth and depth of internal medicine as a career. Meet some ACP members and hear what Beverly Hills Internal Medicine means to them. Internists are physicians specializing in internal medicine, a discipline focused on the care of adults emphasizing use of the best medical science available in caring for patients in the context of thoughtful, meaningful doctor-patient relationships as exemplified by the life and work of Sir William Osler, the "father" of internal medicine in the United States.

At least three of their seven or more years of medical school and postgraduate training are dedicated to learning how to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases that affect adults. This basic training qualifies them to practice internal medicine, and you may see these physicians referred to by several terms, including "internists" or "doctors of internal medicine." But don't mistake them with "interns," who are doctors in their first year of residency training. Internists are sometimes referred to as the "doctor's doctor," because they are often called upon to act as consultants to other physicians to help solve puzzling diagnostic problems.

Many internists enter into practice following completion of their basic internal medicine training. These physicians practice “general internal medicine” and are commonly referred to as “general internists.” General internists are equipped to handle the broad and comprehensive spectrum of illnesses that affect adults, and are recognized as experts in diagnosis, in treatment of chronic illness, and in health promotion and disease prevention—they are not limited to one type of medical problem or organ system. General internists are equipped to deal with whatever problem a patient brings—no matter how common or rare, or how simple or complex. They are specially trained to solve puzzling diagnostic problems and can handle severe chronic illnesses and situations where several different illnesses may strike at the same time. General internists may practice in a variety of settings. Their training uniquely qualifies them to practice primary care and follow patients over the duration of their adult lives and establish long and rewarding personal relationships with their patients. Although internists may act as primary care physicians, they are not "general practitioners," or "family physicians," whose training is not solely concentrated on adults and may include pediatrics, obstetrics, and surgery (Learn more about the difference between general internal medicine and family medicine). Some general internists may focus their practice on caring for patients in the hospital setting, and may be referred to as “hospitalists;” the majority of hospitalists in the US are general internists. Still other general internists will combine these facets of care and provide both outpatient and inpatient care for their patients. And other general internists may practice in unique settings such as rehabilitation centers and long-term care facilities, among other clinical settings. Hear from ACP's CEO about why adults should choose an internist.

Some internists choose to take additional training to "subspecialize" in a more focused area of internal medicine. Subspecialty training (often called a "fellowship") usually requires an additional one to three years beyond the basic three year internal medicine residency. Although physicians who have completed additional training in a particular area of internal medicine are frequently referred to by their area of subspecialty focus (for example, those who subspecialize in diseases of the heart are usually called “cardiologists”), all share the same basic internal medicine training and like general internists are also considered “internists.” The training an internist receives to subspecialize in a particular medical area is both broad and deep, and qualifies them to manage very complex medical issues and in many cases perform advanced clinical procedures.