Dr. Doug Dreffer is a New Englander. “I grew up in North Andover, Massachusetts and my wife Lisa is from there as well (we went to high school together). After medical school at Ohio State we wanted to come back near our families. We’ve been back since 1997, since the birth of our daughter Kyla,” said Dr. Dreffer.
Dr. Dreffer’s true passion lies in long-term relationships with patients, even if that means end-of-life or after life planning. “[I like] long-term continuity of relationships. That would be the main reason why I practice family medicine. I recently cared for a woman at her home who was 95 – I had been caring for her for 17 years. I had also been her husband’s physician for many years. She recently passed away. Having known her and her family, we were able to meet her end-of-life wishes, which was incredibly rewarding. I was honored to be a participant in that kind of planning,” said Dr. Dreffer.
Over his twenty years as a Family Medicine Physician, Dr. Dreffer has also practiced inpatient medicine and obstetrics, but won’t be doing that for DMC Primary Care. He said, “I have done a lot of geriatrics, sports medicine and pediatrics at this point in my career. Full spectrum medicine – which I will continue doing as a physician with DMC Primary Care in our Derry office. And, I will be accepting new patients of all ages.”
One of the reasons he chose DMC Primary Care was to do more direct patient care. “I have been involved in education and administration for many years and I wanted to spend my whole day seeing patients instead of just part of each day. I was attracted to DMC Primary Care because of its patient-centered focus, and ability to offer a progressive line of services and programs to its patients, unlike any other practice in New Hampshire,” he said.
Dr. Dreffer has already had many positive experiences with other DMC Primary Care practitioners and leaders. He said, “I helped train Anne Barry and Elisa Mercuro during their residency in Concord and I have met Dr.’s Daniel Waszkowski, John Daley, Jonathan Kilroy, Scott Low, Theodore T. Brooks, Jr. and Christine Hand. That was part of my own assessment of the practice. You want to like the people that you work with; and happy providers give better care. I spent significant time with CEO, Tom Buchanon. They are down-to-earth and they care about their patients. They have an element of fun and vigor – it’s a very appealing energy.”
When he isn’t practicing, you can find him up on top of a mountain or playing other sports. He said, “I like to hike. I’ve done the 48 4,000 footers in New Hampshire. My favorite was a two-day 27 mile traverse done last year with my son Grant. Other favorite hikes include the Bonds, Mount Layfayette and Mount Carrigan. I also enjoy playing indoor soccer and following Boston sports teams.”
Ultimately, if you are looking for a provider who enjoys relationship building, Dr. Dreffer would be a good match! “I think good primary care is more about relationships and less about the stethoscope. To me it’s really more of an art and a personal connection first and a science second.”
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Dr. Dreffer will be starting as a Family Medicine Physician at DMC Primary Care’s Derry office effective October 1st. He will be accepting patients of all ages. Would you like to be his patient? Click below!
