Dr. R. Bertram Williams Jr. may be retired, but he remains a passionate patient advocate.

The man who was instrumental in founding New Hanover Regional Medical Center in 1967 is a very interested observer of the national debate over healthcare
system reform.

His perspectives on the subject are influenced by more than 40 years’ experience as a physician in Wilmington.

“Rather than say the whole system is falling apart, what I want to do is find out what is not working satisfactorily, isolate the problem and address the problem,” said Williams, who remains very active at age 89.

“I am anxious for them not to ruin the system. I just haven’t seen anything that the government has done efficiently,” he said. “I don’t want to see an amputation, figuratively speaking, where a band-aid is needed.”

Mixed messages

Like many health-care professionals, Williams is getting what he sees as mixed messages from policy makers.

“We haven’t gotten an answer (about) what Washington is working on, so we don’t know what they’re thinking about right now. That concerns me and a lot of people in the medical profession,” he said.

Williams likens the health care system to a stool with three legs – the patient, hospital care and doctors.

“From so many of my experiences, the weakest link is the patient not knowing when to seek medical care or not what to do and that is going to require a lot of education,” he said.

The patient education component, he said, is vital and needs to be addressed.

“We have as good medical care in the United States as they do anywhere else. It’s there, but so many people don’t know that. They’re not really able to able to evaluate their illness to know when to (seek care).”

The Wilmington native attended the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University, where he received his medical degree. Following military service during World War II and the Korean War, Williams hung out his shingle in his home town in 1951. He retired in 1991 but remains involved in issues affecting the medical community.

It’s an understatement to say Williams has seen a world of change in the health-care field during his career and retirement years.

Williams recalls speaking with a friend in the insurance business about liability coverage shortly after opening his Wilmington practice.

“He said we’ve never had a suit in North Carolina for over $35,000, so you don’t need more than that,” Williams recalled. “When I retired I had coverage for $5 million, plus many more millions (for other liability matters).”

Williams makes note of one fact: “I was never sued or never threatened,” he said.

Tort reform is one issue. Williams acknowledges health care is expensive, but quickly points out that technologies and other advances in treatment have greatly improved the effectiveness of medical care in recent decades. He recognizes government’s role in assisting people who cannot afford care.

But, he cautions, “You have to be very careful about the changes. You’ve got a very good system and the quality of care is excellent. I’m concerned with them changing too many things …” Williams said. “Basically, I’m an optimist and I think everything should be worked out.”

Williams is concerned about issues like compensation from Medicare and Medicaid falling short of expenses that providers like doctors and hospitals must absorb.

“Right now a number of doctors can’t take Medicaid patients. I took anybody that came to my office, regardless of what their financial status was. (But) something is going to have to be given up or sacrificed,” he said.

Williams doesn’t support giving government free rein over the nation’s healthcare system.

“I don’t want to pass all that responsibility on to them. I would prefer to maintain some of it myself and also the individual,” he said. “I think improvements can be made and it’s not that easy to address that. It’s not that simple and you have to step on some toes to do that.”

Williams is confident the level of care at facilities like New Hanover Regional Medical Center will remain high. He wants the public to know they should do their part to support institutions like NHRMC, where he was chief of medical staff for many years and served in many other supervisory positions.

Unlike many hospitals in North Carolina, New Hanover Regional Medical Center receives no taxpayer money to remain in business. It costs more than $1 million a day to keep in operation, he said.

“It’s available to (the public) any time they need it, including those who go in free. I think those of us who use it as an insurance policy should make a contribution to it,” Williams said. “People in the local area don’t realize what they’ve got and what they’ve got doesn’t come free.”

After retirement in 1991, Williams served on the NHRMC board of trustees for six years, including a term as chairman. He founded the New Hanover Regional Medical Center Foundation, which supports programs and services in the hospital system through donations from the business community, private citizens and other organizations.

He stepped away from formal involvement in the hospital and foundation in the late 1990s.

Williams has received numerous awards and honors recognizing his long service to the hospital and community.
He remains on the executive committee of the New Hanover-Pender County Medical Society and is active in a retired physicians organization.

Williams considers himself a “full-time farmer” now, spending much of his time working a plot of land “on the edge of the city.”

But he is far from done with what he considers his life’s work.

“I’m still a very, very interested patient advocate and representative. I’m interested in delivery of medical care to citizens,” he said. “I’m still interested in New Hanover County. I consider it my responsibility that (patients) get the best medical care they can get. I am concerned with what is going to happen to them in the future and what kind of services they will receive.”