In our last newsletter, we welcomed Dr. Scott Groesch to our practice. He is joining Personal Physicians after 27 years in practice with Maryland Medical Group. Dr. Groesch is an Internal Medicine specialist who focuses on wellness and preventative care. He values long-term partnership and shared decision-making with his patients.

​

Dr. Groesch is a native of Springfield, Illinois and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Illinois. He attended Washington University School of Medicine on a Distinguished Student scholarship and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

 

In addition to his clinical practice, Dr Groesch is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Washington University, a past President of the Barnes-Jewish Medical Staff Association, and currently on the Board of Directors of the Missouri Physicians’ Health Program, which provides wellness support to medical professionals. For clinical excellence in patient care and teaching, he was awarded Barnes-Jewish Hospital's prestigious Neville Grant Award for Clinical Excellence.

 

Dr. Groesch is married to Kathy Aebel-Groesch, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. They reside in Webster Groves. They have three grown children, Alex (married to Anne), Andrew, and Anna as well as their granddaughter, Scarlet, who brings them great joy.

 

In his free time, Dr. Groesch enjoys music, basketball, and travel.

MyChart is a secure website that allows you and your permitted family members to access your personal medical information and communicate with your physician. You can view your clinical information such as appointments, medications, labs and test results, as well as contact your care team through a secure message.

 

Need to sign up? Follow these steps:

 

1. Access the MyChart website: mypatientchart.org 
2. Look for a button to “Sign Up Now”
3. Verify your identity by providing required information, such as your name, date of birth, and email address
4. Create a username and password
5. You can also download the MyChart app on your phone. When doing so, you’ll need to add BJC Healthcare as your organization.

Questions? Please call our office if you need assistance or more information.

If you have a lab appointment, you can bypass the main front desk and just go directly into our lab entrance. The lab entrance is in the lobby through the door marked Outpatient Lab to the right of our office. Our phlebotomist, Nicole, will check you in and provide a fantastic blood draw experience. We hope you will find it to be a pleasant and efficient system.  

 

To keep the lab running efficiently, there are two things you can do to help.

1. Remember to set up a lab appointment if you would like your blood drawn prior to a physical exam or need follow-up blood work as directed by your physician. This way we can have your labs entered in our system before you arrive.  
2. Please remember, if possible, to eCheck-in via your MyChart portal prior to your appointment.   

We want to inform our patients about a recent regulatory change affecting GLP-1 medications, such as semaglutide and tirzepatide, which are commonly used for managing type 2 diabetes and weight loss.

 

As of February 21, 2025, the FDA has officially removed these medications from its drug shortage list. This means that compounding pharmacies are no longer authorized to produce compounded versions of GLP-1 medications, as they are now considered readily available through standard pharmaceutical manufacturers.

 

Patients currently using compounded GLP-1 prescriptions will need to transition to FDA-approved, commercially available products. If you are affected by this change, our office is here to help coordinate your care, provide guidance on insurance coverage, and ensure a smooth transition.

 

Please contact our office with any questions or to schedule an appointment to discuss your options.

As you may have seen in the news, a visitor to the St. Louis Aquarium last week was found to have been infected with measles. Now that it's in the area, we want to provide some additional education.  

 

Who needs a booster?  Two doses of vaccine provide you with 97% protection against measles. Therefore, any adult who has not received 2 doses of MMR vaccine since 1968 should get a booster. If you were born before 1957, you more than likely had measles so would not need a booster. If you are not sure of your status, you can have your blood tested to see if you have adequate immunity. Healthcare workers, particularly those who work with children, should have their blood tested to ensure that they are immune. Please call our office if you would like to have this blood test performed.  

 

What should I do if I am exposed to measles?  If you have an exposure and have not had the MMR vaccine nor have a history of measles illness, please call our office. Getting the vaccine within 72 hours of exposure or receiving immune globulin within 6 days of exposure may help prevent the illness or reduce its severity. Measles does carry the risk of pneumonia, inflammation of the brain, or even death in some cases. 

 

What are the symptoms of measles?  According to the CDC, measles is a highly contagious viral illness which is spread when an infected person talks, coughs, or sneezes. A non-immune person may then contract measles by breathing that air or touching a surface that those droplets landed on and then touching their face. You may not show symptoms of measles until 7-10 days after exposure. Typically, the illness begins with fever, cough, runny nose, and conjunctivitis (pink eye). This is followed by a rash about 2-4 days after fever onset. Infected people are contagious from 4 days before the rash starts through 4 days afterward.

 

If you have not had the MMR vaccine nor have immunity from a previous measles illness and you develop a fever or cold symptoms, please call your doctor right away. Your doctor can help determine if it is measles and offer supportive treatment. Catching it early can also help reduce the spread.