A spot of bother

Because of a little bump that turned out to be NOT the innocent skin tag it looked like, I recently visited the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where they do a nifty, precise skin-cancer procedure called Mohs surgery.
You can imagine my joy about having to haul all the way into Philadelphia, but let me assure you: the people who run the Penn health system TOTALLY roll out the red carpet for us timid suburbanites. I am almost certain they hosted a catered focus-group session and asked, "What would it take for you to come to our hospital?"
From my very first contact, I was impressed. The scheduling guy was polite, intelligent, well-spoken and professional. He connected me to registration without dropping the call. He e-mailed the doctor a question I had, and called me back with the answer sooner than he said he would. 
A few days after I made the appointment I received a nice-looking folder with a graphic of the Perelman Center on the cover. Inside, the first thing I saw was the hospital's statement of ethics, all about care and compassion and respect. There's a personalized booklet explaining the procedure, not the blurry WhiteOut-ed photocopies that pass for patient education at some other facilities.
Of course, driving and parking are big concerns for us suburbanites, so they provide precise driving directions that don't take you through any even remotely questionable areas. Valet parking is available, although I opted for one of the parking garages (they validate your parking).
As soon as I got out of my car and walked toward the elevator, someone was there asking me if I needed directions.
And this was all before I set foot in the gleaming new hospital itself! Once there, I met the head (!) of Dermatologic Surgery, Dr. Christopher Miller, who introduced himself simply as "Chris." You can check him out on the "Men's Health" magazine website; there's a video of him doing the same procedure on a "Men's Health" editor that he's going to be doing on me, and another of him giving anti-skin cancer tips.
He was kind, matter-of-fact, reassuring, efficient and -- how else can I say this? -- human, and the nurses were great. I'm not surprised this practice draws patients from far and wide. All in all: If your doc advises going into the city for something special, DO NOT be deterred by the distance, or the drive, or the minor inconvenience, or the fact that you won't recognize anyone. It is really impressive.
Oh, and keep an eye on any funny skin spots you may notice.