Seeing that a growing number of its clients were coming from Westchester County, a Manhattan-based medical practice last month opened an office in Scarsdale.
In doing so, New York Gastroenterology Associates L.L.P. found that it is now attracting patients from across the border in Fairfield County.
“One-third of our patients, or five out of 15, are from Fairfield,” said Neville Bamji, clinical instructor of medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital and a physician at the new office at 2 Overhill Road near Popham Road.
Two of the practice”™s five gastroenterologists, Bamji and Savreet Sarkaria, work directly in the Scarsdale office. Both are residents of the community and say they try to bring a personal touch to the relationships they have with the people they serve.
Bamji goes so far as to provide his patients with his personal cellphone number so they can reach him anytime. Sarkaria has formed close relationships with her patients, some of whom refer their friends to her.
“We have a lot of patients who already come to us in Manhattan, and in a way we”™re providing a service that will come to them,” said Sarkaria, who has been a gastroenterologist for eight years.
“It reminds me of the whole structure of the family practitioner who has a longstanding relationship with the patients. The office is very cozy and personal and the staff is amazing. It”™s a nice feeling.”
The doctors believe they are adding value to the community as a business that cares about its community.
“We feel like we”™re part of the community since both of us live here,” Bamji said. “We already have a large patient base in Westchester in the Manhattan location, so this feels like a natural expansion of our practice rather than moving to a different area. Other patients who could come to the city for health care will now be able to get health care here. So I can only see it as an uplifting source for other businesses and doctors as we form unique relationships and meet other physicians and even grow our staff.”
For many Westchester and Fairfield residents, the Scarsdale office saves them a trip to Manhattan, especially for those who need a basic assessment rather than a procedure.
“The week before our Scarsdale office opened, I had a patient come to see me before she moved,” Sarkaria said. “She came all the way to Manhattan to see me. If it was only a month or two later she wouldn”™t have to have traveled that far.”
The Scarsdale location is a small, cozy office with cinnamon-colored wallpaper and exam rooms with natural lighting. The medical group offers checkups and consultations and provides immediate feedback on the next steps after each appointment.
After patients receive feedback on their initial checkups, the physicians at the Scarsdale office speak with their pathologists on Manhattan”™s Upper East Side and match the patients with the physicians whom they believe will best serve them in performing three types of digestive examinations: colonoscopies, upper endoscopies or gastrointestinal procedures.
For more information, go to gastroenterologistnewyork.com.
