Personal Choice
Led by Dr. Samir Parikh, Colon and Rectal Surgery Ltd. provides personalized, patient-first care in an atmosphere designed to maximize privacy, comfort, and convenience.
Samir N. Parikh, M.D., FACS, FASCRS, appreciates the unique responsibility that comes with his line of work. People tell him aspects of their health and lifestyle they likely would not feel comfortable discussing with anyone else, even their closest friends or dearest family members.
“You’re talking with people about some of the most intimate aspects of their life, so it requires a certain rapport,” says Dr. Parikh, a double-board-certified surgeon with Colon and Rectal Surgery Ltd., a private practice based in Media. “In some ways, I’m not only a surgeon but also a family doctor and a psychologist. We get to know our patients very well, and they become very loyal because of that. We don’t take that kind of trust lightly.”
Such closeness is understandable given the fact that Dr. Parikh’s particular brand of medical care has the potential to greatly improve a patient’s quality of life—and even save a life. Dr. Parikh’s practice specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases of the colon, rectum, and anus, including colorectal cancer, diverticular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and anorectal issues such as bleeding and pain, among others.
He has a particular interest in colorectal cancer, which the American Cancer Society describes as the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in American adults; it’s also the second most common cause of cancer deaths among men and women combined. Based on current statistics, the disease will have claimed the lives of more than 52,000 Americans by year’s end.
Grim statistics aside, many incidences of colorectal cancer can be prevented through regular screenings and early intervention, according to Dr. Parikh. If a precancerous polyp is detected through colonoscopy, a skilled endoscopist such as himself can remove the polyp before it progresses into invasive cancer. If a cancer is found, Dr. Parikh would not have to refer the patient elsewhere, as he is the surgeon who would be able to perform the surgery.
“We do everything from medical treatment—preventive screenings, making diagnoses, providing medication—all the way to major surgery,” he says. “One of the things I like best about my area of expertise is that you’re not just treating one kind of patient. I have the opportunity to treat all parts of the population, touching all facets of life, from children to the elderly. We do treat a lot of cancer, but we also see a lot of benign disease.”
He suggests patients see tremendous value in the attentive care he and his staff offer, made even more prized by the comforting, welcoming setting in which they provide it. That may explain why Dr. Parikh has earned multiple “Top Doctor” honors from publications such as Main Line Today and Philadelphia magazine.
“What we do is very personalized, and the quality of care we provide here is equal to or better than the quality of care someone would receive in a big health system,” he says. “In certain aspects of the business, we have forgone profit for the benefit of patients, because the patient’s health, comfort, and convenience always come first.”
When patients visit Dr. Parikh’s Media office, for example, they often remark about the “home-like feel,” from the friendly staff to the soothing décor.
“Another example is that we call patients ahead of their appointments and get their medical history, so we essentially fill out their medical history for them,” he says. “When they get here, we show them a printed-out copy [of the medical history] so they can review it. Once they verify that it’s accurate, we say, ‘Great. Now let’s talk about your problem.’ We’ve taken every part of the patient experience and improved it.”
In fact, Dr. Parikh says he and his staff have labored over every detail of the patient’s visit to create a seamless experience.
“When you’re in solo private practice, everything is under your control so you can make it as efficient and effective for the patient as possible,” he adds. “The care we provide is going to be very attentive and very personal. We don’t have an answering machine. We don’t have nurse practitioners or physician assistants. When you come to see me, you see me the entire time.”
Dr. Parikh has been in private practice for nearly 20 years. For much of that time, he worked side by side with Kenneth J. Boyd, M.D., FACS, who retired from the practice in April 2020. Dr. Parikh says the practice is in the process of bringing on a surgeon who can step into Dr. Boyd’s role. He’s in no rush, though; his priority is to bring on the right person, meaning a highly skilled surgeon who shares his bedside manner and patient-first philosophy.
“We’re one practice that handles everything in the treatment of colon and rectal diseases,” he says. “I like the fact that we have the opportunity to get very close with our patients and address their health issues. In some families, we’ve treated not only parents and their children, but sometimes even their grandchildren. That’s pretty unusual compared with other medical specialties.”
About Dr. Parikh
Dr. Parikh, who was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and raised in Long Island, New York, followed his career to the southeast corner of Pennsylvania. He says he and his family enjoy living in the Philadelphia area, but he still considers himself “a New Yorker at heart.”
Dr. Parikh became interested in medicine at an early age. He earned his bachelor’s degree and medical degree through an accelerated six-year program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Albany Medical College. He completed his surgical training at York Hospital in York, Pennsylvania, after which he pursued fellowship training in colon and rectal surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, where he trained under a world-renowned surgeon named Eugene P. Salvati, M.D.
Double board certified in general surgery and colorectal surgery, Dr. Parikh maintains fellowship status with both specialty boards and is a member in good standing of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. He performs most of his surgeries at three hospitals in the Philadelphia suburbs—Chester County Hospital, Crozer-Chester Medical Center, and Riddle Memorial Hospital.
Colon and Rectal Surgery Ltd.
1088 West Baltimore Pike, Suite 2101
Media, PA 19063
(610) 565-3435
Photograph by Jeff Anderson
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, March 2021.
