Montgomery Attorney’s Near-Death Experience Inspires New Health Journey
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAKA) — A life-threatening brain bleed earlier this year prompted Montgomery attorney Mike Crow to rethink his approach to health care and embrace a preventive model of medicine focused on identifying problems before they become emergencies.
What began as a persistent headache in February quickly escalated into a medical crisis. Crow said he experienced pressure in the back of his head for more than a week before seeking medical attention.
“I had some pressure in the back of my skull for about seven to 10 days, kept thinking it would go away,” Crow said. “It didn’t, and so I finally go to the ER and get a CAT scan, and they tell me I’ve got a brain bleed, and I need medical attention right now.”
Doctors airlifted Crow to South Alabama, where neurosurgeons performed emergency brain surgery.
During six weeks of recovery at home, he gained a new perspective on life, family and personal health.
“It gave me a lot of time to think about life in general, about my family, and about my health,” Crow said. “I knew I wasn’t getting any younger. I just turned 71, and I knew that I had to take ownership of my own health and be proactive.”
That led him to Plotline Health, a concierge medical practice founded by former emergency room physicians Dr. A.J. Burandt and Dr. Jeremy Rogers.
Unlike traditional medical care, which often focuses on treating illness after symptoms develop, Burandt’s approach emphasizes preventive care through advanced testing, imaging and ongoing monitoring designed to create a detailed picture of a patient’s health.
Crow said the experience has been markedly different from his previous interactions with physicians.
“All the other doctors I’ve ever had, you don’t go see them until there’s a problem, and then when there’s a problem, they try to fix it,” Crow said. “Since I’ve been with Dr. Burandt, it’s different. It’s proactive. He tries to get out ahead of everything.”
Technology has also made that care more accessible. Although Burandt practices in Birmingham, Crow regularly meets with him through telehealth appointments from his Montgomery law office.
Burandt said advances in telemedicine have created opportunities for patients in smaller communities to access specialized care regardless of location.
“There’s no reason that if you live in Tuskegee, Alabama, you can’t have a telehealth conference with a world-renowned endocrinologist in New York City,” Burandt said. “We have the technology, we have the encrypted capability.”
Burandt said one of the biggest differences between his current practice and his years working in emergency medicine is the amount of time he can devote to each patient. Initial appointments at Plotline Health can last up to two hours, allowing physicians to develop a more comprehensive understanding of a patient’s medical history and health goals.
“Not having the pressure of, ‘I’ve got 15 people in the waiting room waiting to see me,’ I don’t have that,” Burandt said. “I’m yours for however long it takes, and it’s much more relationship-driven.”
For more information about Plotline Health click here.
