Stewart R. North, DO

If you’re seeking a family doctor who is competent, knowledgeable, personable, compassionate and empathetic, STAY AWAY from Dr. Stewart North! This doctor is an embarrassment to all the dedicated and competent professionals in the healthcare industry! Below are the details of my wife’s visit with him today. Here’s the context of my wife’s situation. As a result of a horrible car accident years ago, today my wife has the following health problems: 3 herniated discs resulting in three vertebrae that have fused together in her lower back and a fourth vertebrae that is cracked, degenerative bone disease, fibromyalgia and bursitis as well as nerve damage. We lived in Illinois where I worked for the past 11 years and she was treated by the same pain management specialist, Dr. Ji Li M.D. who managed her pain with 15mg Oxycodone 4 times daily. Additionally, as part of his contractual requirements for my wife as a condition of his treatment was that he prohibited her from working… other than light house cleaning at home. We just moved to Rupert, Idaho and needed to get established with a family doctor and called Cassia Regional Hospital who said Dr. Stewart North was accepting new patients. My wife gave Dr. Stewart North a synopsis of her medical problems and asked for a doctor’s note exempting her from seeking employment due to her health problems (I was laid off and am unemployed and health and welfare needs this note in order for her to qualify for food stamps). He pushed on her lower back as part of his evaluation, which caused her so much pain that she began crying. He then told her that there is nothing physically wrong with her and there is no reason she cannot work. She explained that every 30 to 60 days her back goes out and she is then bedridden for 5 to 10 days and that there is no way any employer would hire her knowing how frequent she would be missing work. She went on to explain that she takes four 15mg oxycodone pills each day and that it is illegal for her to drive under this medication as she would get a DUI if she were ever caught driving under the influence of this powerful opioid. Dr. Stewart North tells her that he has lots of patients who take the same pain medicine and still work, to which my wife asked the question, “So, are you saying that you condone people breaking the law and driving under the influence of opioids?” He would not answer this question but continued to say that lots of people still work even though they take pain medicine. Dr. Stewart North then berates my wife with multiple insensitive, insulting and judgmental statements and questions. He said, “There are times in life when you have to step up and help your family, and this is one of those times, you need to step up and get a job to help your family since your husband lost his job and is unemployed.” She again asked how she would do this, given that in order for her to gain employment, it would mean telling lies to the hiring manager in order to hide the truth about her health problems. Then after telling this lie, in 30-60 days her back will go out and she will miss 5 to 10 days of work and will be fired. What then? Lie to another employer to get another job that she will again lose in another 30-60 days when her back goes out again? He evaded this question to by simply restating his insulting statement that my wife needs to step up and go to work and help her family. Dr. Stewart North, someone for whom I have never met even passed judgment on me. He asked how long it’s been since I was laid off and we moved to Idaho. My wife answered and then he told my wife that I should have a job by now and said he didn’t think I was trying hard enough to find work. My wife was beside herself as she couldn’t believe the accusatory and ignorance of statement. Although very frustrated, my wife maintained her calm demeanor and explained that for the past 11 years I held a very high level position where I reported directly to the President of our company, a company with an annual revenue of 53 million and that there simply aren’t many high level professional jobs in this area. Ultimately, the visit ended with Dr. Stewart North restating his position that there is nothing physically wrong with my wife and that she needs to get a job. He said, “I don’t think this (meaning her becoming his patient) is going to work for either of us, is it?” You think I’m just a kid and don’t know what I’m doing, right?” My wife affirmed and said, “Yes, that is right, and you evidently think that with your 2 minute evaluation that you know more than my Illinois physician, Dr. Ji Li M.D. despite his 35 years medical practice and his very impressive list of medical credentials (medical degree from Beijing, China, 3 years advanced studies in Neurosurgery, Masters degrees in Pharmacology and Physiology in Chicago, IL and completed his Internal Medicine in New York. The take-away from today’s visit is simple: Dr. Stewart North does not want to listen to reason and/or is simply blinded by his own myopic and arrogant thought process and thinks that his beliefs are the only that are correct. Ignorance at its best!