Services
Internal and Geriatric Medicine Services
Baharvar Medical Clinic provides medical care for adults and older adults in Santa Monica. Services are organized around two closely related specialties: internal medicine and geriatric medicine. Each visit begins with the patient’s specific concern, history, medications, and current health status. Services listed below describe common areas of care, not a guarantee that a particular test or treatment is performed in the office.
Internal Medicine
Internal medicine focuses on preventing, identifying, and managing health conditions in adults. It is appropriate for patients who need routine medical oversight as well as those managing several concerns at the same time.
Preventive and Wellness Visits
Preventive visits review the patient’s health history, current risks, medications, and age-appropriate health needs. The physician may discuss screening, immunization history, lifestyle factors, and follow-up based on the patient’s individual risk profile. Patients should ask the office whether a requested preventive service is available and covered by their health plan.
Evaluation of New Symptoms
New symptoms may require a detailed history, examination, review of medications, and testing or referral. Examples include persistent fatigue, dizziness, changes in breathing, digestive symptoms, swelling, pain, or changes in sleep. The physician determines the appropriate next step based on the full clinical picture.
Chronic Condition Monitoring
Ongoing medical conditions require more than renewing medication. Follow-up may include reviewing symptoms, home readings, medication response, side effects, laboratory results, and whether the current plan remains appropriate. Common adult conditions can include hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol disorders, but patients should confirm care availability for their particular diagnosis.
Medication Review
Medication review helps establish an accurate list of everything the patient takes and identifies questions that may require attention. Patients should bring prescription bottles or a current list that includes medication names, doses, timing, over-the-counter products, and supplements. Do not stop or change a prescribed medication without medical guidance.
Care Coordination and Referrals
Some concerns require input from a specialist, diagnostic facility, hospital, therapist, or community service. When a referral is clinically appropriate, the office can help define the reason for that referral and incorporate relevant outside information into ongoing care. Referral authorization and network rules may depend on the patient’s health plan.
Geriatric Medicine
Geriatric medicine addresses the health of older adults, especially when several conditions, medications, or functional changes interact. The purpose is to understand how medical decisions affect the patient’s daily life, independence, comfort, and safety.
Multiple-Condition Review
An older adult may see several clinicians and receive recommendations for different conditions. A geriatric-focused review examines how those recommendations work together and where priorities or risks may conflict. The plan can then focus on the issues that matter most to the patient.
Falls, Balance, and Mobility Concerns
Falls or changes in walking can have more than one cause. A medical review may consider weakness, dizziness, medication effects, blood pressure changes, vision, pain, and recent illness. The physician can determine whether further evaluation, referral, or safety planning is appropriate.
Memory and Thinking Concerns
Changes in memory, judgment, or attention deserve a medical evaluation because medication effects, sleep problems, mood, infection, and other health issues can sometimes contribute. The evaluation and next steps depend on the patient’s symptoms, history, and clinical findings.
Daily Function and Caregiver Input
Changes in bathing, dressing, meal preparation, medication use, transportation, or household tasks can signal a need for additional support. With the patient’s permission, caregiver observations may help the physician understand what is happening outside the examination room and explain the care plan clearly.
Choosing the Right Type of Appointment
- Choose an adult internal medicine visit for routine adult health needs, a new non-emergency symptom, or follow-up of an ongoing condition.
- Ask about a geriatric medicine visit when aging-related changes, multiple diagnoses, several medications, falls, memory concerns, or caregiver questions make care more complex.
- Tell the office if the visit involves forms, medical clearance, a recent hospitalization, or outside records so staff can explain what is required.
- For urgent or life-threatening symptoms, call 911 or seek emergency care rather than waiting for a routine appointment.
