Caring for Patients of All Ages

Being involved in a patient’s medical care through every stage of life is what Madeline Fisher, MD, enjoys most about being a physician.

For Madeline Fisher, MD, internal medicine and pediatrics physician at CHI Saint Joseph Medical Group – Primary Care in Lexington, a typical day at work includes joyfully caring for patients from all walks of life and tending to a wide variety of needs.

“I enjoy the diversity of patients we are able to see in a day,” Dr. Fisher said. “Everything is different. We’ll have sick visits, adult physicals, adults with chronic medical problems who come every few months, children coming in for well visits, new babies — it’s the variety that keeps things interesting.”

Dr. Fisher said she knew she was destined for the medical field as early as high school, when she would shadow different health care providers in their offices and volunteer at her local hospital. But her love for medicine was definitely confirmed after attending the Professional Education Preparation Program (PEPP) at the University of Kentucky. PEPP gives high school graduates with a keen interest in health care a unique opportunity to observe and work alongside medical professionals.

“I was able to get some hands-on experience in the hospital,” Dr. Fisher said. “When I worked with a Med-Peds (internal medicine-pediatrics) division in the community, I was amazed by how they would go from seeing an eight-month-old baby to an 80-year-old patient in a single day. That’s when I decided medicine was for me.”

Honoring the Patient-Provider Relationship

It’s not uncommon for a Med-Peds physician to provide care throughout a patient’s life or care for multiple generations of the same family, and having these valuable skills enables Dr. Fisher and her colleagues to deliver comprehensive, individualized care to each patient.

“We always try to listen to patients and work together to make joint medical decisions with them; we help them to have a role in their care,” she said. “I also love to watch some newborns that I initially cared for that are now turning a year old. It’s very rewarding to go through that journey with parents and help them through children’s life stages.”

“Physicians are trusted to help with any medical issues,” Dr. Fisher continued. “Whenever someone has to come to the doctor and is sick, that may be a regular day for the doctor since we do it every day, but it’s a significant concern to the patient. We try to keep that in mind and answer questions and explain things well for patients.”

Dr. Fisher is currently accepting new patients of all ages. To make an appointment, call 859.629.7245 or visit CHISaintJosephHealth.org/PrimaryCareLexington.

A version of this article originally appeared in the Fall 2021 print edition of Spirit of Health.