Mike Mulherin felt great. He was lifting weights, running – a few years shy of 50, his health wasn’t a big concern.
But his long-term primary care physician was a bit more cautious. The doctor reminded Mulherin – several times – that the screening age for colon cancer had been moved up. You should now be checked when you’re 45 years old, he reminded him.
“I put it off for a while,” said Mulherin, a Quality Operation Systems Coordinator at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center. “Because, you know, who wants to do that?” But at his doctor’s urging, both he and his wife, Heather, underwent colonoscopies in December of 2022.
Heather was fine. But Mike groggily awakened to a doctor telling him they’d found a cancerous mass – a tumor the size of an apple – in his colon. He had stage 2A colon cancer – and needed immediate surgery. At the time, he was 48 years old. He had surgery to remove the mass about a week later.
“I had no symptoms,” recalled Mulherin, a 28-year employee of Ford. Now cancer-free, he’s a strong advocate of both primary care physicians and colon cancer screenings. “If my doctor hadn’t felt comfortable enough with me to have that conversation, to explain why it was so important, I probably wouldn’t have gone in for a couple more years.”
Jennifer Cook, a breast cancer survivor from Lima Engine Plant, also is a strong proponent of primary care physicians.
“Oh, I don’t flip-flop on doctors,” says Cook, a former electrician who now works in benefits at the plant. “I stay with them for a long time. They know me – I feel comfortable with them. A primary care doctor knows you, they know your medical history, so you’re going to get better care.”
The follow-up is also important, she adds. “I always tell people, ‘When you go to your doctor, listen to them!’” she adds with a laugh.
A primary care physician also can conduct necessary annual exams and immunizations, track your medications, and help you get specialized care when you need it, notes Blue Cross Blue Shield. If needed, your physician can coordinate your care with other specialists – assuring you get the care you need promptly. They also can assist you with ancillary medical services you may need, like lab tests or additional screenings.
If you don’t have a primary care physician and would like to find one, you can locate an in-network primary care provider for the National PPO Plan by calling BCBSM directly at 1-800-482-5146 or by accessing their website, BCSBM.com.
For all other medical plans, you may contact your health plan directly for assistance locating an in-network primary care provider. For information on how to change your health plan, call the NESC at 1-800-248-4444 or visit myfordbenefits.com to learn more about PPO and HMO options available to you.