Surviving the Test of Time: Dr. Sidney P. Smith ~ 26 Years in Practice
The secret to success according to Dr. Sidney Smith is treating each patient like they were a member of his own family. This dedication to patient advocacy has resulted in Georgia Skin & Cancer Clinic becoming one of the premier dermatologist centers in the Southeast since it opened in 1995. Today they have over 100 team members all treating patients like family.
Photo by D. Paul Graham
No matter what question you have when it comes to dermatology, Dr. Sidney Smith will find the answer. Whether you need help finding the best treatment, or assistance fighting dragons at your insurance company, Smith and his team at the Georgia Skin & Cancer Clinic will do whatever it takes.
Entrepreneurial Inspiration
I really wanted to offer the best care to my patients, so I opened my own practice. It was a dream come true to be able to control the work environment, be able to hire top people and be able to train, educate and promote good people.
If you could change history
Looking back, there really is not anything I would change. Everyone along the way has helped our team become a leading dermatology practice in the region.
Career Highlight
I think the continued highlight of my career is that I can meet very talented and caring folks in the community and give them a chance to reach their full potential. I have met retail assistants and waitresses who have have a “special something.” They care about what they are doing, and they have either come to work for me or have been influenced to go on and get their medical degree. And some of them have come back as nurse practitioners or physician assistants.
Biggest Challenge
My biggest challenge is administration: Trying to adapt to the changing regulations and having to wrestle with insurance companies so that my patients can get what they need. As a physician, I must also be a patient advocate. Everyone in my practice must be emotionally connected and committed to making it happen for each and every patient.
Best advice
There is an old doctor who gave me this advice over 30 years ago. He said: You need the three A’s to be successful. The first ‘A’ is you need to be affable; you have got to be friendly. The second ‘A’ is you have to be available; you’ve got to be in the clinic, you can’t be on the golf course. And the third ‘A’ is you have got to be affordable. He told me if you do those three things, and you take care of the patientsm then they’ll take care of you. This meant when COVID-19 rolled around, we didn’t skip a beat. Everybody put their mask on, and we kept on rolling.
Motto to live by
As long as you keep the patient’s best interest a priority, everything else works out.
Secret to Success
My secret to success is just caring about what happens to each patient. We must make sure that patients get followed up on for things, such as making sure that they are able to afford their medicine. You make sure that you find out how much a medicine is and what the best places and prices are for each patient. You must continually be an advocate for your patient and as long as you’re doing those things, that is the real secret to success.
Dr. Sidney P. Smith
Georgia Skin & Cancer Clinic
Savannah, GA.
georgiaskinandcancer.com
Year established
[1995]
Average number of employees
[115]
Favorite charities:
The Shriners, and we are the only dermatologist practice to support the underserved population of Savannah, Hearts & Hands Clinic, Curtis V. Cooper, St. Mary’s Health Center, and J.C. Lewis Primary Health Care Center.
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