In 1989, Dr. Ana Maria Apoltan was out in the streets. Literally. In Romania.
Apoltan was an active participant in the popular uprising which, against all odds, managed to topple Romania’s Soviet-backed dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu. The “Revolution of 1989” put an end to more than 40 years of Communist rule in Apoltan’s native country.
The same dogged determination that helped take down a dictator led Apoltan to complete her degree at the School of Medicine in Bucharest, move to this country and complete residencies at Yale University’s New Haven Hospital and Columbia University’s St. Vincent Medical Center.
After an appointment to an assistant clinical professorship and consulting physician’s role at Yale, Apoltan spent the next decade providing treatment to patients in her private practice in Connecticut before moving to Vero Beach and joining the Indian River Medical Center staff.
Apoltan, who still speaks with a bit of an accent, appears laser-focused on her mission as a primary care physician and says she is delighted with what she’s found so far.
“I’m rather new to this area,” Apoltan admits, “but I’ve been very fortunate to see quite a few patients in that time frame and I admire the education they have.”
Most Vero seniors, says Apoltan, are far more involved in their own care than their counterparts of a few years ago. “I see their thirst for knowledge. Most of them do research on their own and want to spend time with their physician to decide on the best treatments.”
Choosing the right tests and treatments is increasingly complicated.
The National Institutes of Health’s Senior Health division, for example, calls for certain regular screening tests to aid in “healthy aging” including tests for breast and cervical cancers, osteoporosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, prostate cancer, high cholesterol and colorectal cancer, but a recent Harvard Medical School study takes exception to the thought that every senior needs every test.
“Screening makes sense when finding and treating a hidden condition will prevent premature death or burdensome symptoms,” Harvard claims, “but it doesn’t make sense when it can’t do either.”
“Asking people who can’t benefit from a cancer screening test to have one is a waste of their time and money,” the Harvard report continues, “not to mention a waste of taxpayer money since these tests are usually covered by Medicare. Screening tests can also cause physical and mental harm. A colonoscopy (for example) can tear the lining of the colon potentially causing a serious infection.”
Since there’s is no consensus on a one-size-fits-all formula for testing, that’s where primary care physicians like Apoltan provide invaluable assistance. They know each individual patient’s health status and history.
Since most people spend much more time with their primary care doctor than any specialist they may be seeing, Apoltan says, that helps create “a bond of trust.” She also points out that, “You choose your primary care physician,” while specialists are usually found through referrals.
If anyone is in a position to recommend or discourage a particular screening test, it’s probably the patient’s primary care doctor.
One key to a healthier aging process that Apoltan is adamant about is keeping accurate and constantly updated lists of all a patient’s medications. As she puts it, “That connects the dots to make sure the nephrologist knows what the cardiologist wants and that the endocrinologist is also onboard.”
Since we live in an age when multiple specialists may be treating a patient at the same time, the primary care doctor acts as the linchpin of the system. Solid communication between specialists and primary care doctors, according to Apoltan, “is absolutely essential.”
If Apoltan has a pet peeve, it’s probably the swelling marketing and advertising campaigns for vitamin supplements aimed at seniors.
“I have researched this extensively,” Apoltan states flatly, “and for most people, it’s absolutely not necessary.”
Research is something Apoltan knows well from her days at Yale and she freely admits that keeping pace with the newest medical developments, papers and studies consumes “all my time” that isn’t spent with patients. Still, it’s also obvious she enjoys the research almost as much as she does her time with her patients.
Dr. Ana Maria Apoltan’s offices are at 1155 35th Lane, Suite 201 in Vero Beach. The phone number is 772-794-3364.
