Shiloh's First Board-Certified
Family Physician

 

 

 

Appointments (618) 277-3197
Exchange (618) 277-3214
E-MAIL The Country Doctor
If no reply within 24 hours on a weekday, please call the office.
Please include your name, insurance plan, and telephone number.
 
Welcome to The Country Doctor, Ltd, located off Hartman Lane, in the middle of the rapidly growing community in St. Clair County, Shiloh, Illinois. Shiloh is in the middle of Fairview Heights, O'Fallon, Swansea, and Belleville, Illinois. The Country Doctor is minutes from the Belleville Hospitals, laboratories, radiology centers, and physical therapy centers. At The Country Doctor patients receive care from Dr. David Larry Mitchell, a Family Medicine Physician who lives and works in St. Clair County, Illinois.
 
Regular Flu Shots and H1N1 flu shots should be in stock by 9/15/10, possibly as early as 9/9/10 for regular strength Sanofi Pasteur vaccine for 6 months through adult, including pregnant patients. The 2010 formulation is a combined regular and H1N1 vaccine, meaning most adults will only need one shot. Children may need one or two doses, depending on their vaccination status from 2009. The CDC recommends that anyone ages 6 months through adult receive the flu vaccine.
 
The Sanofi Pasteur regular dose vaccine is safe from 6 months onward and during pregnancy. I will stock a limited selection of high dose flu vaccine for patients who are 65 or older. Flu shots will be given from September through March. Regular flu shots are open to anyone who wants one, who is 6 months or older, and who has no egg allergy. The exception is HMO or Medicare complete patients, who have another doctor's name on their card. Please note that we only stock the preservative free vaccine.
 
Some patients have asked about getting flu shots for "free" or at flu shot pharmacies. Be very careful where you get your flu shots, as many of the "free" or low cost flu shots, may contain mercury and are not preservative free. Some of these same vaccines at pharmacies also are not approved down to age 6 months and no one has the high dose flu vaccines that is for 65 or older until September, 2010. The mercury containing vaccines are not approved during pregnancy or for early pediatrics patients. Progressive states, such as Missouri, require preservative free vaccine for certain patients. The Country Doctor is willing to spend the extra money to purchase Sanofi Pasteur preservative free vaccines for children and adults.
 
 
The CDC recommends the following people get flu shots:
  • Anyone ages 6 months through adult, new 2010 recommendation.
  • Sanofi Pasteur's inactivated trivalent vaccine Fluzone High-Dose for patients 65 and older instead of a standard influenza vaccine.
  • Do Not use Afluria/CSL Biotherapies' brand flu vaccine secondary to the risk of febrile seizures in children age 6 months through 8 years. This may be extended to other age groups.
 
 
Employment opportunity, for either an additional part time medical assistant.
 

Same day and next day appointments usually are available to most established patients, who are part of the accepted insurance plans. Patients usually are seen within minutes of the scheduled appointment time. The care of the patient is the top priority at The Country Doctor, Ltd.

 
The new patient may want to visit the NEW PATIENT FORMS section. Please bring the completed forms to the initial appointment. Paper forms are available to patients without internet access. New patients are patients who have never been seen for an office/hospital visit or who have not been to an office visit in three years. I work six days a week to try to get new patients in the same week that they call.
 
The Country Doctor is Dr. David Mitchell, the primary care physician who founded The Country Doctor, Ltd. and who is the first Board-Certified physician to live and work in Shiloh, Illinois. Dr. David Mitchell is the only independent, solo Family Physician to start a practice from scratch in the Belleville-Shiloh-Swansea-O'Fallon area in the last nine years and is the last remaining solo Family Physician under age 50.
 
The Country Doctor is staying in the area longterm. Why not choose a local doctor who grew up in the area and who is not going to leave the area?
 
Why you should choose The Country Doctor for your care?
  • You see the same doctor at each office and hospital visit, meaning you see a doctor who is familiar with your care.
  • Same day appointments and Saturday morning appointments usually are available to established patients.
  • Dr. Mitchell cares for patients at both Belleville Hospitals. A review of a recent internet posting of Family Practice physicians on staff at the Belleville Hospitals shows that Dr. David Mitchell is the only full time, solo, Family Practice doctor left in Belleville, Swansea, Fairview Heights, Shiloh, and O'Fallon, Illinois who sees inpatients and outpatients at both Belleville Hospitals. Dozens of primary care physicians no longer see their own patients at St. Elizabeth's Hospital,. To see if your doctor will not see you in the hospital click here As a summary, the majority of the doctors in O'Fallon will not see you at either Belleville Hospital.
  • Board Certified by the American Board of Family Physicians (meeting national standards) in 2002 and recertified in 2009, with the ABFM and subsections on the recertification examination of ambulatory family medicine and geriatrics. A recent article showed that American physicians who are board certified maintained a higher quality of care and lower mortality than physicians who are not board certified.
  • Extended hours. The Country Doctor has weekday hours from 8:30-4:00 and Saturday from 8:00-noon. Other times may be available. Lately I have been starting around 8 AM and booking straight through the day. Normally I do not close for lunch. Unlike practices that are only open 4 weekdays, I am open M-F most of the day and Sat in the AM.
  • Email is available. Feel free to e-mail for non same day appointments and nonurgent questions. Emails are answered daily.
  • The Country Doctor is the first St. Clair County practice to publish its common fee schedule. Our fees are based on our best insurance contract. If you would like a fee comparison, a May, 2010 urgent care center with a routine two hour wait on Greenmount Road quoted a new patient a minimum fee of $360 to walk in the door, not including labs and xrays. ER bills routinely are $1,000 for a UTI or a sinus infection.
  • Common Vaccines are in stock.
Currently we have available for in office testing with same day results:
  • Urinalysis, fasting glucose for diabetes, rapid strep, and urine pregnancy (most insurance plans).
  • Diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension maintenance with a Hemoglobin A1C for a 3 month sugar average, urine Creatinine and microalbumin ratio to detect minute kidney damage, general urinalysis, full cholesterol/lipid panels, and BMPs.
  • ALT/AST liver enzyme monitoring is available for patients on cholesterol medications, certain diabetic medications, medications for tinea unguim of the nails, NSAIDS, and other medications.
  • Helciobacter pylori for ulcer bacteria, PT/INR testing for patients on Coumadin or Warfarin, mono, hemoglobin, and hypothyroid screening and testing.
  • IDOT physicals and in office urine drug screens. Random urine drug screens are required for patients on narcotic, benzodiazapine, and Class II/III/IV medications.
  • For complex laboratory and radiology studies, the patient may choose the facility of choice, with the exception that some insurance plans require certain facilities.

We welcome the patients who will choose The Country Doctor for their outpatient and inpatient care, while we continue to provide continuity of care to our current patients in an independent practice setting.

When an established patient calls after hours for an urgent health concern, the patient talks to Dr. David Mitchell. The pager number is for established patients and health care workers. If you have an urgent question or concern, my pager is 782 6004 After calling the pager, you enter your callback number and then press the # sign. If it is important enough to call Dr. Mitchell, then you must be seen in the office within 24 to 48 hours for an evaluation of your medical concern. Rarely do patients call after hours, as I am in the office six days a week.

At the Country Doctor we care for our patients in the office and at the hospitals in Belleville, Illinois. If you are admitted to either Belleville Memorial Hospital or St. Elizabeth's Hospital of Belleville through the ER, please have the ER physicians or nurses notify Dr. David Mitchell of the admission. Dr. David Mitchell is on call for his own patients.

Please feel free to click on the links at the bottom of the page to learn about the practice. Thank you for exploring the website, and we hope that you will find a home for your primary care medical needs at The Country Doctor.
Same day and Next Day Appointments
Usually are Available to established Patients

We have a fax number that is for hospitals and stat labs. Patient paperwork will need to be done in the office at an appointment. There may be a fee for paperwork completion.

We are accepting prebook times/dates for September and October 2010 for flu shots
 
Regular Flu Shots and H1N1 flu shots should be in stock by 9/15/10. The 2010 formulation will be a combined regular and H1N1 vaccine, meaning most adults will only need one shot. Children may need one or two doses, depending on their vaccination status from 2009. The CDC recommends that anyone ages 6 months through adult should receive the flu vaccine. I stock only preservative free vaccines, which are safe from 6 months onward and during pregnancy. I will stock a limited selection of high dose flu vaccine for patients who are 65 or older. Flu shots may be given from September through March, as per the CDC recommendations. Regular flu shots are open to anyone who wants one, who is 6 months or older, and who has no egg allergy.

 

If you would like to adopt a dog or cat, please visit Spencerpets.com or petfinder.com

FLU SHOTS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE BY MID SEPTEMBER AND ARE OPEN TO ANYONE WHO WANTS ONE WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS.

Some patients ask how can I get patients in the same day? Depending on the day of the week, I add on appointments prior to regular hours, during lunch, and after regular hours. I also do not take a weekday off and work on most Saturdays. The typical primary care doctor takes a day off and does not see patients on the weekends. Nationally there is a primary care physician shortage, but most primary care physicians only work a four day office work week. By working additional days and hours, I am able to get patients in reasonably quickly in the office.

Good luck to the primary care physicians who have left the Belleville area since July 1, 2010, including Drs. Salma Mannan-Hillaly, Stephen Jubinski, Alba, Paul Malcharek (Sept), Donna Wagstaff (Sept), and Bryan Warner. Many of these doctors have left secondary to wanting higher salaries from the hospitals and not wanting to work holidays or call. Some of these docs have worked for both local hospitals and have become dissatisfied. The no compete clause means they have to work outside of the area, such as in St. Louis. Most of the leaving primary care doctors were simply replacements for the ones who left in the 2004 exodus. From 2004 to present, one outpatient only O'Fallon group has lost Drs. Donna Wagstaff, Victoria Jansen, Dorrie Treadway, Angelo Della-Pietra, Mark Lawlor, Knapp, and Bryan Warner. The Country Doctor is a stable practice with same doctor seeing patients since 2002.

Home

Hours of Operation

NEW PATIENT FORMS

Accepted Insurance Plans

Physician Biography

Driving Directions/Maps

Office Pictures

Medication Questions

Links & Patient Handouts

EMPLOYMENT

Health Screening Recommendations

Address Directory
*Clicking one time on any link will take you to the referenced web page.

 
 The Country Doctor, Ltd.
2310 Country Road
Shiloh, IL 62221-2570
Voice (618) 277-3197
Exchange (618) 277-3214
E-MAIL The Country Doctor
If no reply within 24 hours, try countrydoctorltd@hotmail.com
Website created by Dr. David Mitchell on his 9500 G3 Macintosh Computer in 2002.
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