For the past 36 years, Richard Metz has been a physician specializing in internal medicine. As owner of Internal Medicine at 2080 Century Park East (Suite 1609), he and his staff make sure every patient feels at ease.
Tell me a little about what you do in Century City?
I practice internal medicine or primary care with a private health care or concierge model. Transitioning to this model has enabled me to take care of each patient as a whole and unique person taking into account their spiritual and psychological needs as well as their physical issues. I emphasize preventive care and also give all patients on my program my cell phone and home phone numbers as well as email address so that I am available to them at all times. Patients feel very secure with this heightened accessibility to me, especially those patients with chronic complex medical conditions.
What motivated you to get into the role?
I really enjoy the concierge’s model as it allows me the necessary time to not only diagnose and treat patients’ medical conditions, but the extra time with each patient to educate them about their disease and treatment as well as focus on prevention. I found that prior to making the change to this model, I was always rushing to see a larger volume of patients and had little time to really get to know them and their families. It is important to have the time to provide the education for them so we can help them understand and cope with their medical issues and be proactive about their health. Now I can do that with my concierge program and also have time for prevention counseling.
Where did it all begin for you career wise?
I knew in medical school at UCLA after I did my internal medicine rotation that I would choose that speciality. After being involved in helping patients with some acute life-threatening conditions, I also discovered that I enjoyed getting to know them as people and helping with the psychological aspects of their illness and involving their families. I also found that I enjoyed many of the different subspecialities of internal medicine and did not want to limit myself to just one area.
What do you love about Century City? Where is your favorite place to eat/exercise/take a break from the office in the area?
There is a great combination of businesses, retail stores, and entertainment right in Century City. My favorite place is the Westfield Mall with dining places, shops, and the AMC theatres.
If you could add one thing to the area, what would it be and why?
We have wonderful AMC theatres in the mall as well as terrific restaurants, but we are missing more live entertainment, such as plays, musicals, or concerts.
What do you do in your spare time?
I enjoy keeping physically fit myself by working out regularly. I also enjoy other sports, including golf and tennis. I enjoy being out in nature and taking walks or hikes in these serene settings. I also like to go to the movies, theatre, and concerts, and to travel when time permits.
What is one cool thing that you want to do this year?
I would like to take a helicopter ride over the glaciers in Alaska. I think it would be a real thrill to enjoy nature’s beauty from such a new perspective.
Where was your last vacation?
My last major vacation was to Argentina and Brazil. This coincided with a medical conference of The World Federation of Hemophilia. We were fortunate following the meeting to go with a number of other attendees of this meeting to Iguazu Falls, which was one of the most magnificent wonders of nature that I have ever witnessed.
Where do you wish your last vacation was?
I wish my wife and I would travel to Africa on a safari. We have had several dogs at various times in our home as part of our lives. We both love animals very much and thoroughly enjoyed a prior trip to Yellowstone National Park where we were able to see wolves and many other animals at very close range.
