Family Medicine making a comeback in Hartsville

Dr. Martin (right) and Dr. Sponseller. Photo by Samantha Lyles
By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net
Guests at a Lunch and Learn event held at Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center of Hartsville heard about an intriguing development in the practice of family medicine: a resurgence of the old-fashioned notion that one doctor can serve as primary care physician for an entire family, from the cradle to the walking cane.
The guest speakers, Dr. William J. Martin III and Dr. Bryan Sponseller, have joined The Medical Group practice at Carolina Pines, and they discussed the advantages of choosing a doctor who is trained in multiple disciplines and takes the time to learn about a patient’s needs.
“The importance of primary care really comes down to somebody that knows you, that knows your family, and someone who can help guide you,” said Sponseller, adding that a primary care doctor can serve as your advocate when “expectations aren’t being met” or patients have questions that their specialist or other doctor hasn’t answered to their satisfaction.
Sponseller and Martin talked about the need for flexibility in seeing patients, noting that the requirement for hard and fast appointment times with their regular doctor sometimes sends patients to urgent care offices or emergency rooms for treatments they would have preferred to receive from their regular doctor.
“We really like the idea of open access…the idea that we’re there when you need us is really important to us,” said Sponseller. “We want to allow you to be seen when you need to be seen, when it’s convenient for you. If you’re sick and you need to be seen today, you will get seen today. We don’t want you to have to go to a walk-in clinic; we want you to come to us.”
The Medical Group has a staff of four family medicine doctors with what Martin described as “similar thought processes” and similar philosophies for patient treatment, so they are able to pinch hit for each other and provide a consistent standard of care.
They also discussed the return of an old-school medical mainstay: the house call. Martin said that house calls are available on an as-needed basis, and added that these services were a regular part of family medical practice in the rural New Hampshire community where he and Sponseller (they are brothers-in-law) previously practiced. Martin noted that some of their senior citizen patients lived almost off the grid, and the only regular medical care they received was via house calls…which also sometimes involved helping those seniors with chores like grass mowing.
Dr. Sponseller and Dr. Martin are both graduates of Ross University School of Medicine and are certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. Martin formerly served as Medical Director of Hospital Nursery, Cardio-Pulmonary Department, Family Medicine and Hospitalist for The Memorial Hospital in Conway, New Hampshire. Sponseller is the former Medical Director of Primary Care, Pulmonology, Pediatrics, Behavioral Health, and Hospitalist, also with The Memorial Hospital.
To learn more about their practice, visit www.TheMedicalGroup.com or call 843-383-5191.