FP Touted as "Best MD" of 2005

Grab a copy of the May Reader's Digest next time you're in the grocery store checkout line. The May edition is the publication's second annual "America's 100 Best" special issue. On page 128 -- in the "America's 100 Best Innovations" section -- is Reader's Digest's choice for "Best MD": FP Richard Paris, M.D., of Hailey, Idaho.

Paris was named AAFP's 2005 Family Physician of the Year last fall. It's an honor he earned by "giving of himself beyond the medicine," says AAFP President Mary Frank, M.D., of Mill Valley, Calif., in the article.

"In an age of superspecialized HMO docs, Richard Paris stands out," begins the brief bio about this devoted FP, who's practiced in the small Wood River Valley community for nearly 25 years. The story says Paris delivers comprehensive medical care to more than 4,000 Custer County residents, reaching many of them by piloting his Cessna 210 light aircraft over the Idaho mountains.

Paris sums up family medicine with this quote: "It's not about a single surgery or a broken leg. It's a lifelong relationship with patients."

Visit "2005 Family Physician of the Year Is an Institution in Central Idaho" to read more about Paris' practice.