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For the patients of Dr. Paul Bierman and his partners, a standard of high quality care is closely tied to simple measures of service.

"We try to put ourselves in the patient's place, so that we can be more sensitive to what their needs are – as opposed to what's more expedient for us," said Bierman, one of four physicians at Memphis-based Gastrointestinal Specialists, PC.

What that attitude means for patients is quick turnaround on pathology results, blanket acceptance of insurance plans, and prompt access when they need it.

"Having to wait four to six weeks for an appointment is fine for a screening colonoscopy – but not for someone having bowel pain," Bierman said. "They'll feel like, 'I'm either going to be dead or better by then.'"

Gastroenterology is a busy specialty these days, thanks in large part to a growing national awareness of the life-saving importance of screening colonoscopies. But even so, Bierman continues to see patients who've chosen to delay, often on a gender-distinctive basis.

In particular, he said, many women are still under a misconception that their risk for colon cancer is less than a man's. Also, because irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is more common in women, they're more likely to chalk up any change in bowel function to IBS.

"We still see a lot of delay in diagnosis because the patients will just delay coming in," Bierman said. "Men do it because they're just hard-headed. But women will think themselves out of it and convince themselves there's nothing to worry about."

Though colonoscopy gets the most attention these days, it's just a part of the specialty's range of procedures and diagnostics, involving the gastrointestinal system from the esophagus and stomach to the liver and colon. That broad range played a large part in Bierman's own choice of specialty after he first considered orthopaedic surgery.

"Gastroenterology has such a wide breadth of practice," he said. "It's not like we're looking at just the skin or the eyes. It's a lot to learn – but it's also more manageable than internal medicine."

During his residency, the field attracted Bierman as the "best of both worlds" in terms of its balance between close contact with patients and the rewarding nature of surgery.

"I enjoy taking care of people and getting to understand their problems, but I also enjoy the technical aspect of surgery," he said. "When you're able to, for example, remove a precancerous polyp, you feel like you've really done something."

Bierman's interest in science and medicine had steered him toward the goal of becoming a doctor ever since childhood.

A New York native, he spent his teenage years in Miami and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He then went on to the University of Miami School of Medicine, and completed his fellowship in gastroenterology at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.

Today he is board-certified in his field and is a member of the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the American Gastroenterological Association, the American Medical Association and the Tennessee Medical Association.

Since coming to Memphis about 12 years ago, he has served as clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Tennessee in addition to lecturing widely on such topics as acid reflux disease, obesity, IBS and Crohn's disease.

Over the years, Bierman has been eager to incorporate state-of-the-art techniques and technologies into his practice. Among them, the vitamin-sized PillCam™ Capsule Endoscopy gives him a view through a patient's entire gastrointestinal tract.

Technology has helped, too, in the area of colonoscopy, where the dreaded gallon-size preparatory solution can often be replaced these days by a half-dose or even an easier-to-swallow pill, particularly for younger patients with normal bowel function.

"People still hear the horror stories about how it's so painful and uncomfortable, but that's just not true today," he said. "You're completely asleep during the procedure, and there's really no pain any more."

Board-certified, licensed anesthesiologists perform on-site sedation for the procedures, which take place in the Gastrointestinal Specialists' new office and surgery center facility.

It opened in May on the campus of Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis. There, the physician team prides itself on its staff, many members of which have been with the practice for a decade.

"We hire good staff and we treat them like gold," Bierman said, mentioning pensions and healthcare benefits as well as frequent parties, in-house lunches and other rewards.

In dealing with patients, Bierman has honed the distinctive manners that prove more helpful to the women and men who come to see him.

"With women, oftentimes I'll hold their hand for a second and I'll let them talk a little bit more," he said. "They need to express what they've been preparing to tell me for several days, whereas men are more matter-of-fact. They don't want to tell you as much, so it can be like pulling teeth."

At home, Bierman has the support of wife Kara, his high school sweetheart, a community volunteer and full-time mother of three. Efficiency in his work and scheduling has been key for Bierman in ensuring he has time to spend with daughter Faryn, 15, and sons Logan, 14, and Austin, 9.

"What I try to do is, when I'm at work, I'm totally focused on work, and when I'm at home, I'm totally focused on my family," he said.

On weekdays, that means starting his day before sunrise and getting in a run between about 5:30 and 7 a.m. He generally starts his workdays at the hospital for inpatient care, followed by scheduled procedures at his office. He then sees patients in the afternoon.

Bierman takes advantage of Sunday mornings for a long run in preparation for marathons. He's done two of them — New York and Boston — in recent months.

His downtime is often spent reading, particularly on topics of religion and spirituality, as well as joining his children at lacrosse or soccer practice or for a day of fishing. The Biermans also frequently make the trip down to Florida to visit family members and scuba dive.


May 2007

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