When it comes to making crucial health care decisions, Dr. Michael Basista believes that cross-referencing a patient’s instincts with his own expertise yields the best result.
“I make sure that I’ve explained everything as well as possible,” he says. “I give the patient all the choices that are out there. I listen. I wait to see how they want to do things. If I feel their wishes are medically reasonable and have a great chance at success, that’s the option we go with.”
Basista is the medical director of gastroenterology for ProMedica Health System, and he works primarily with patients suffering from gastrointestinal diseases and conditions including stomach pain, ulcers, acid reflux and Crohn’s disease.
Basista’s interest in gastroenterology piqued when he was shadowing at an area community hospital early in his career.
“I grew up in Cleveland and participated in a combined program between Penn State and Jefferson Medical College to get my M.D.,” he says. “During the summer that I had off, I was lucky enough to observe the local doctors. I thought gastro was most interesting – the ability to perform procedures that investigate the cause that you were you were thinking. Sometimes you could even fix things while you were there.”
The gastroenterology specialist fulfilled his residency with Summa Health Systems. From there, he completed a one-year fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh.
“That was where I got matched up with an impending physician who was into liver disease,” Basista says.
“We were doing about 500 liver transplants a year. You learn a lot about the liver – whether you want to or not.” - Dr. Michael Basista
Batista saw that there was a need for a hepatology specialist in the area and decided he was the right man for the job.
“Because of all the exposure to liver disease, it became a niche for me,” he says. “Hepatitis C was difficult to treat at the time, so no one in the area wanted to work with it. I helped build the niche interest and became the leading treatment provider for many years. When I started, treatment success rates were at 5 percent. We are up to about 98 percent success rate now.”
Interested in a teaching position, he sought out an opportunity at the University of Toledo Medical School, formerly known as Medical College of Ohio, where he spent his first two years holding a faculty position and the rest of his 11-year tenure as an associate professor of medicine and chief of the division of gastroenterology.
Throughout his faculty career, Basista helped establish an experimental practice that merged the faculty physicians with a private community practice. He eventually left MCO and, in 2002, joined Digestive Healthcare Consultants of Northwest Ohio, which was later purchased by ProMedica and became ProMedica Digestive Healthcare.
Come July, Basista will be teaching once again and is excited about the prospect. He will be teaching at ProMedica with some residents as well as gastroenterology fellows. And his passion for health care and wellness doesn’t just stop in the classroom or the office. The interest has rubbed off on some immediate family members as well, including his daughter, Maria.
“She’s a junior in high school and she’s planning to be a physician. I guess I must have shown her that it’s a very enjoyable and satisfying career.” - Dr. Michael Basista
Using Fresh Talent to Meet a Need
Insurance conflicts and a lack of trained personnel create a need for more specialists, particularly in the field of gastroenterology.
“Living in the U.S., health care can be frustrating because of insurance,” he says. “I’m committed to curing a disease, but there are a lot of people out there who cannot come see me. That’s a barrier that shouldn’t be. There’s no reason the rest of the population shouldn’t get the best care."
“It’s general knowledge – in northwest Ohio, there aren’t enough gastrointestinal physicians,” he says. “I find it a nice place to live, but we have trouble attracting people to the area.”
Basista insists that the region is a great place for health care professionals to grow.
“There’s almost an unlimited number of possibilities to build your own practice,” he says. “There’s a huge population of patients. And as a health system, ProMedica is particularly great. Supportive. Not intrusive. They really give you a lot of freedom and let you manage as a physician.”
Open Door Policy
While he was improving treatment for the disease in Toledo, Basista established a free hepatitis treatment center that was open to the public. While that center closed its doors in early 2016, Basista has opened ProMedica’s to those in need of treatment.
“Part of the ProMedica philosophy is that we will take care of anyone who makes their way to our offices.” -Dr. Michael Basista
The Sylvania-based gastroenterologist also expanded the treatment of Hepatitis C throughout Toledo, even if he’s not the one performing the procedures.
“As the success rates have gotten better, treatment has gotten simpler,” he says. “I helped establish a partnership with the Lucas County Health Department, and they’re now able to treat Hepatitis C in a health department setting. I helped to coordinate treatment so they can assist the majority of their own patients – the people who are used to going there already.”
What to Look Out for
Just as he aims to inform upcoming health care professionals about the nuances of the gastrointestinal tract, he looks to promote best health practices among individuals everywhere.
“The majority of people who see a GI professional are around 50 years old – when they need a colon cancer screening done,” Basista says. “About 55 to 75 percent of people are screened, but to be truly effective, it must be done to everybody.”
Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), another form of fatty liver disease that causes cirrhosis, is becoming another area for concern among gastrointestinal specialists.
“With the American population becoming more obese, this is rising in frequency,” Basista says. “As we come close to eliminating Hepatitis C, NASH is the next leading problem not tied with alcohol. The biggest issue is that we don’t have a guaranteed treatment yet.”
Basista has witnessed other rare conditions, including Achalasia, which prevents the esophagus from squeezing food and water into the stomach. However, the most common uncommon disease he encounters is colon cancer.
“The most upsetting is when you find colon cancer in someone quite young,” he says. “Even though it’s fairly regular, you don’t expect it. And as health care professionals, we try to assume everyone is forthright in telling you the truth – they’re not just telling you things to get specific drugs. But you have to be thorough in your approach. You pick your testing based on what’s most probable. You also have to be instinctive. You can imagine a normal 20-year old doesn’t want to get a colonoscopy. If they’re willing to do this, we need to check it out.”
For the average person, maintaining a healthy weight, diet and exercise routine should keep him or her out of harm’s way.
“In general, after routine screenings, the next most important thing is to keep your weight where it belongs,” he says. “When people pay attention to what they eat, how much they eat and how much activity they’re getting, they put it all together and get healthier. People are more involved with apps and calorie monitors now. These can be a big eye opener.”
Dr. Michael Basista is a gastroenterologist in Toledo and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including ProMedica St. Luke's Hospital and ProMedica Toledo Hospital. He received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College and has been in practice for more than 20 years. He is one of 16 doctors at ProMedica St. Luke’s Hospital and one of 12 at ProMedica Toledo Hospital who specialize in gastroenterology.
Stephan Reed is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
About Dr. Michael Basista
Dr. Michael Basista is a gastroenterologist in Toledo and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including ProMedica St. Luke's Hospital and ProMedica Toledo Hospital. He received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College and has been in practice for more than 20 years. He is one of 16 doctors at ProMedica St. Luke's Hospital and one of 12 at ProMedica Toledo Hospital who specialize in Gastroenterology.
