Close-Up Talk Radio spotlights Dr. Louis P. Coates of Firewheel Family Practice

Garland, TX – For most people the family doctor is synonymous with doctors. If you’re lucky, your family doctor will be the only doctor you’ll ever know. There’s obviously a lot of fear associated with our health, so a relationship with your family doctor is truly essential. They’re the doctor you trust and that trust is the foundation for quality health care.

Raised in Garland, TX, family doctor Dr. Louis P. Coates of Firewheel Family Practice has become something of an institution in his hometown. An outgoing, friendly physician who performs magic tricks for his patients, Dr. Coates provides full-service, community-based medicine while maintaining a state-of-the-art digital office.

“You get to develop relationships with your patients as a family doctor,” says Dr. Coates. “We talk about things other than medicine: football; politics; the weather; their family; their interests. Once you develop that rapport, you develop trust. You become part of their family.”

Dr. Coates sees his role as the navigator of the ship, while the patient is the captain. He can tell you based on his training and education the most successful route to go, but the decision ultimately rests with the patient. That’s why Dr. Coates is big believer in explaining his patients’ problem or disease in simple terms. If patients understand, they’re more likely to take their medications, follow their diet and exercise plans and show up for follow-up appointments.

“It doesn’t matter how good a doctor you are. If you can’t get the message across to the patient that their health is important, you’re not getting anywhere,” says Dr. Coates. “If you can present information in terms your patients can relate to, usually the message gets across. It’s not just good for me, it’s good for them."