Season 3 Episode 3: Dr. Bill Rogers: A Storied Career in Small-Town Medicine

Sumner Abraham (00:08.43)
Our guest today is Dr. Bill Rogers, a man who’s been answering the call of medicine for over four decades. Based in Amory, Mississippi,

Dr. Rogers is a hospitalist and internist at North Mississippi Medical Center, Gilmore Amory, where he leads our hospital medicine program as medical director. Consistently, Dr. Rogers is recognized for going above and beyond not only that role, but helping avidly support all of the clinicians that work on his team. He’s a University of Mississippi School of Medicine alum. He’s a pillar of his community. And probably most importantly, he’s a grandfather who brings just as much heart and joy to

family as he does his patients. Dr. Rogers, thanks for making the time to join us today on the Reliably Well podcast.

William Rogers (00:54.416)
It’s great to be here.

Joe Johnsey (00:54.719)
Yeah, Bill, let me echo Sumner in my appreciation for you joining us and start off the discussion with asking you, you know, what’s your story and maybe lead you into how did you wind up working with Relias in the way that you do?

William Rogers (01:20.918)
well, I always wanted to be a doctor ever since I was probably five or six years old. Doctors were respected and looked up to and, that, never changed.

went to Gulf Coast Junior College, went to Ole Miss, went to medical school. I went to Ole Miss just because that was where the medical school was. I was that ignorant. I was from South Mississippi, so, and I did not know much about college or the whole college experience. Had a great, great training at university. couldn’t, had some wonderful docs there that,

taught us so much. Came to Amory because I was on a state loan program, so I had to go to small town.

met Dr. Moore and Dr. Ratliff, both of unfortunately who have passed now, but they were awesome. And visited several small towns, but when I went to Amory, was kind of a done deal. I liked it that much. It was perfect for what I was looking for. Was a regular internal medicine doctor in clinic and hospital for over 15 years, almost 20 years.

Dr. Moore had started the hospitalist program at Amory. He kind of did it where he did the clinic in the morning and hospitalist in the afternoon. That’s how it started out, taking care of some of the family docs, hospital patients that they were tied up and didn’t want to deal with when they were really, really sick. And Dr. Moore was an amazing clinician, took care of incredibly sick people in a little small place like Amory.

William Rogers (03:15.638)
So joined the hospital, left the clinic and joined the hospitalist program with Dr. Moore. talked me into it and it was wonderful. I loved the lifestyle where you could be owned and you’re owned, but when you’re off, you’re off and clinic, you’re never really off. Anybody that does clinic knows how difficult that is. are the backbone of the medical community to me. The people who run clinics, that’s a very difficult job.

And then,

Worked for SCP initially, Schumacher. They had the, there’s a little more to it than this, but it’s kind of a long story, but worked with Schumacher. Relias got the contract. Schumacher graciously let me out of the contract and started working for Relias. And it’s been an excellent experience ever since. They’ve been treated, it’s incredibly well by Relias.

And that’s kind of the short version. There’s a longer version.

Joe Johnsey (04:22.848)
You

Sumner Abraham (04:25.292)
Yeah, with the 40 year career, Bill, we could probably have a whole season of podcasts to go through the different iterations of hospital medicine as you’ve seen it evolve over time. You talked a little bit about what kind of drew you to that work with some of the being on and being off, but I’ve gone on record before to say that I don’t think that they make many Bill Rogers anymore.

And what I mean by that is somebody that for decades is committed to a community and to a place of work and both you and your wife kind of committed to the hospital-based work for a while. I’d love to just kind of hear about over the years, I’m sure that there were times where you could have left.

Right? So instead of what drew you to the work of hospital medicine, I guess what has allowed you to stay invested in your local community? Because that is exceedingly rare in our current cultural moment.

William Rogers (05:38.006)
It’s really been, I mean, Amory has really been the perfect place. I guess I got really interested in medicine initially kind of as figuring out what’s wrong with patients and trying to help them. And you come to a small town and the person you helped years ago.

you know, is still coming to see you and you see them at the store, you see them at the gas station and they’re always thanking you and you you get all those, save my life kind of stuff all the time in a small town. But the big thing, I guess my father and my father-in-law both had…

really difficult medical experiences. My father died from congestive heart failure and renal failure. And my father-in-law died from lung cancer and both had pretty difficult medical experiences. And I learned a lot from them about what patients look for. And it’s not so much the smartest guy, although everybody wants somebody that’s really smart, but they want somebody that cares. And

It’s easy to care in a small town. mean, you’re, you’re working with people you go to church with. You’re working with people, like I said, you see at the gas station. and then my wife actually had a pretty big, effect on me, but she, social worker dealt with the human side of medicine. If that makes sense. I mean, it’s, you know, it doesn’t do any good if you prescribe something that somebody can’t afford.

doesn’t do if you, know, I mean, and so, and that’s kind of how it all started, but the more I got into small town medicine and the more I met people, it was more about their stories and why people, I mean, there’s a lot of people who live in Amory who came from up North. They came from the new England, like in just to hear their, and I forgot more now. I really get more interested in people’s stories almost than I do the medicine. still love the medicine.

William Rogers (07:51.286)
trying to figure out why somebody’s sick or trying to help somebody who is ill and not doing well is, mean, it’s a blessing really to be able to do that. But just to go and hear these people’s stories, some of these 90, 100 year old people can tell you some amazing things about their life. And that’s what I really get out of medicine more and it makes it kind of easy to relate to people.

And so it’s kind of hard to pack up and leave and go somewhere else when you’re kind of really happy with the way things are.

Sumner Abraham (08:30.286)
Yeah, don’t, let me add one quick thing, Joe, and then I’ll turn it over to you. But Bill, I’ve never told you this, and I don’t think I’ve told Joe this, but all of our wives play an important role in the work that we do. And sometimes you talk about work afterwards. And there was a time after I got off the phone with you, Bill, we were working through a problem and I hung up and I said,

Sarah, you know the movie The Incredibles? Mr. and Miss Incredible? I was like, that’s who the Rogers are in that community. I just think about that Pixar movie and Bob and Helen Parr serving as these superheroes to kind of save the world. And I often think that Mr. and Miss Rogers, Dr. and Miss Rogers are Dr. and Miss Incredible. So go ahead, Jim.

Joe Johnsey (09:25.799)
Yeah, I just wanted to say how much I appreciate that picture that you painted about how you said it’s easy and maybe that’s the right word for it, but it’s easy to be, you know.

you know, connected and be have that personal interaction with patients and try, try really hard to interact with them at that level, that human side in a small town. But I just love that, that, that visual that I can see of you doing that with, with folks in the way that that impacted their care. I think that’s

That’s really what we’re trying to talk about here is how when we give that piece of ourself in that interaction, how that makes so much of a difference. And I think that’s what we’ve known about you since we’ve been fortunate enough to know you and work with you.

And so I appreciate you sharing it in that way.

William Rogers (10:49.876)
You know, it kind of evolved a little bit over time and I guess as you get older, but, when I was young and I would go to Walmart, I would kind of duck my head and kind of hide in the aisles and try to avoid people. And, as time has gone by, I actually enjoy the interactions with people. mean, it’s with, with, with patients who come up and ask me questions and it doesn’t.

You used to bother me. was like it was my time and you’re on, you know, I’m not working any right now, but as you become ingrained it, don’t know if you mature, you change, you mellow. I’m not really sure what it is, but it’s, it’s actually the, to me, the best side of medicine is, is the relationships that you have with the patients outside of medicine. If that makes any sense at all. Like I love to hear their stories of how their cows are doing or

You know, what’s, what’s, you know, just, just simple things that you don’t even think about, but it’s, I don’t know. I guess as I’ve gotten older, it’s gotten easier and it’s gotten better.

Joe Johnsey (11:55.073)
Arthur Brooks, he talks about the struggles that the generation today is having. I won’t do justice to all of what that intelligent man is trying to say, but a lot of what they deal with is not being able to find a sense of purpose or a sense of being or meaning.

I think what you’re talking about when you’re saying what I’m doing in Walmart in that instance is I’ve found my meaning or my purpose. And my purpose is to connect with those other individuals in that time and in that space on that human level by

by giving them that other piece of me and that gives you something as well. And I think that’s the part of being human beings that we feel and that’s what fills us back up. And all too often, too many of us in this day and age, our connection is with a device and that does not fill us up the same way when, you know,

William Rogers (12:53.162)
You know?

Joe Johnsey (13:16.488)
Mr. And Miss, whomever come back and say, hey, Dr. Rogers, you really helped me and I appreciate that. Or what about this thing that happened to me? What can you tell me? And we’re able to make that connection again and have that human interaction. And that’s what you do so well and are teaching another generation of us clinicians to do.

So thank you.

William Rogers (13:49.718)
Yeah. Patients are, patients are so appreciative. I, you’ll just let them be, I mean, if you’ll give them the time to be appreciative. Um, you know, they, mean, being sick is scary. Having sick levelings is scary and he has important to do the medical side, but I think more important is just to kind of be there and

give them comfort and let them understand that you care and you’re working to try to make them better. And if you can’t make them better, you’ll try to find somebody who can. I mean, even if you can’t, just them knowing that you’re trying means a lot to them. It’s, it’s, it’s, I, I think.

I think it’s more important than the medicine side. And it is the medicine side of it, but it’s kind of the medicine side that at least in training, I can remember when I was in training, I was told, you’re not the patient’s friend, you know, to try to kind of be above that in a way, like don’t be emotional with them, be, you know, be a clinician. And I understand that, but especially in a small town.

When people know you, it’s a little different. Being a friend who can help them medically is, it means a lot to them. It really does. And I don’t know that you get that as much in a big city or a big practice.

Joe Johnsey (15:30.269)
Greg Henry is one of the guys in emergency medicine that kind of founded the specialty and he gave a lecture that impacted me years ago, but he talked about the white coat effect and that, you know…

for folks in AMRE, would be the Bill Rogers effect, but the white coat effect for the doc is they don’t know who you are, but they know the white coat and they look at it and they think that’s healing that’s coming in there. And what you’re talking about, Bill, is they don’t necessarily know what medicine you’re coming to bring them, but they know it’s Bill Rogers that’s coming in there and they got this trust and this confidence in…

Well, he’s coming and there’s something good that’s coming with him. And that’s what Greg was talking about, the white coat that it symbolizes, you know, all of the doctors that came before us and all of the medicine that’s progressed before us. And the patient just says, well, there’s a doctor, you know, that’s, that’s what they, when, somebody falls down sick, is there, uh, if you’ve been on a plane, you know, is there, is there a doctor on the plane they asked for? don’t, they don’t ask for, you know, uh, uh,

a spiritualist or a naturalist or something else, they ask you, is there a doctor on the plane? I think in Amory, they would say it’s Bill Rogers on the plane for us. To ask you personally or professionally,

What’s in who what or who has kind of influenced you the most to to push you as you noted You used to walk into Walmart differently Than you do today. Is there is there somebody that that that kind of changed your Perspective or is there something that that that pushed that perspective differently that you remember?

William Rogers (17:33.426)
And there’s so many, and you really do change over the years. Like I said, I’m a lot of ways different than I used to be, but I would, think seeing my dad go through his medical issues and knowing how bad he felt and he would have to sit in a doctor’s office and wait for 40 minutes when you know,

He may urinate on himself or something like that because just the embarrassment of dehumanization almost sometimes of what you get in medicine. And seeing them go through that and you want to try to make sure that you don’t…

have people go through that if you can. And then I really think my wife and her compassion and dealing with the non-medical side of medicine, so to speak, the humanitarian side of medicine, dealing with a lot of death and dying and suffering and financial issues and…

just increases compassion over a period of time. just become more and more compassionate. And, uh, I think that probably is why I’ve changed as, as I have. And I don’t know. I’m not, it’s not like it’s a huge change as much as it’s more of a perspective. Like I used to look at patients more as an illness and now look at them more as wonderful people who may have a medical issue.

And it’s, it’s not, it’s a, it’s, I don’t know that it’s a huge shift in how you look at people, but it is a shift. And I think it makes a difference. Like when I, when I go see a patient, when I go see a patient now, and especially if I’ve never met them before, I usually don’t even ask them what’s wrong. It depends on how sick they are. I usually go in and ask them, so tell me about yourself, you know, tell me your story and I’ll sit down on the sofa and

Joe Johnsey (19:32.576)
It’s an important shift.

William Rogers (19:53.728)
just let them start and then we can after an introduction of them telling me about being a farmer or being whatever they are and what they do and about their kids then after five or ten minutes of an introduction we can start getting into the medical aspect and

I was almost taught initially that was not the way to do it. But, I found that patients like that actually, I think, I think, I think they appreciate it.

Sumner Abraham (20:26.764)
Yeah, Bill, I had the privilege when I was in training to work with a clinician who had been an infectious disease doc for 38, 39 years as well. And he talked a lot about that he too had changed from, again, he’s not like a different person.

but his perspective had changed and he would always talk about how when he was brought through training, when you presented a patient, this is a 72 year old Caucasian female with a past medical history of blah, know, COPD and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction complicated by whatever. And he was adamant about training us that he wanted you to present the patient

as a 79 year old grandmother and retired special ed teacher. Right? And that even framing whatever you’re about to talk about medically with the patient, it’s this evolution from fixing to healing.

that yeah, we’re gonna try to fix the medical problem to the best of our ability with the tools that we have and the information that we have in the moment. But I think what you’re talking about is healing, right? And I think that the patients, they feel that when they interact with you, right? Like there is a, you’re doing more than fixing their medical problems. I think that there’s a healing in their,

If I could be so forward to say in their soul that you’re providing them with acknowledging their humanity before you start that encounter. I think it’s amazing that you do that.

William Rogers (22:22.582)
It… You know, it sounds… I don’t know.

I I’d do it for me.

You know, I mean, love taking care of the patients. Don’t get me wrong, but it’s medicine is better than it used to be. Medicine is when you, when you treat people like that and they look at you that way, it’s much easier. I mean, I can remember when I was just starting out and clinic and I would wake up in the morning and I would say, no, another day and not dread it, but not look forward to it. But I actually look forward to going to work.

Joe Johnsey (22:48.873)
Amen.

William Rogers (23:03.324)
I mean, it’s, enjoy it. I mean, I enjoy my time off. I’m not saying I’m, you know, but, I enjoy it. It’s, it makes it easier. makes it more pleasant. think the patients appreciate it. you find out things that you wouldn’t have other found out that actually helps them medically. mean,

You know, mean, they’re more frank about their problems and their issues that are, you know, not necessarily related to appeal, but things that you can help. Some people are embarrassed to talk about things. And if you’re kind of not their friend, but if they can relate to you better, they’re more open about things. I, I, you know, I once had, and I think it was Joe Fowles who was a

a hematologist oncologist and Jackson who was one of the best clinicians ever was around. Super guy. But he said, you know, I think it was him, but he said, if you’ll just shut up, the patient will tell you what’s wrong with them. You know, and, and, and he’s right.

Sumner Abraham (24:23.564)
I would love to hear you unpack as you have grown into a more full version of Bill Rogers. I’m going to say that you haven’t changed. I think you’ve just become more of Bill over time is how I’m going to choose to frame it. What do you feel like is the biggest challenge for clinicians today?

Or maybe another way to say it, somebody that’s coming fresh out of training or is in the kind of first quarter, if you’re in the fourth quarter of your career, somebody who’s in the first quarter, the second quarter, what do you feel like is their biggest challenge? And is there any wisdom that you could think about imparting on all of us, but particularly those early clinicians that maybe are facing challenges that are different than what you faced in the first part of your career.

William Rogers (25:15.03)
Well, you know, I hadn’t thought about it that way until you just said that, but,

William Rogers (25:24.436)
And it’s not, medicine can be a rat race, especially when you have clinic and you’re, you know, you’re busy, you’re behind all the time. There’s a, and I think if you can ever.

William Rogers (25:38.964)
Like I can remember when I was younger, I was close to burnout several times. and I, now I don’t, I hadn’t felt like I was going to burn out in 10 years. mean, I hadn’t felt it’s, and I think to slow down and appreciate the patients and slow down and appreciate medicine. know we’re all trying to meet quotas and do this and do that, but you can still meet those quotas. You can still do what you need to do. And it actually.

sometimes is more efficient if you’re, you, if you do kind of slow down and, and, and enjoy what you’re doing, enjoy spending time with the patients don’t, I think it’s, it’s much easier than it used to be. I can remember man struggling to, to get up and go to work and, and that it was just, you know, I enjoyed what I did, but I was just like it, you know, the candle had kind of

was burning at both ends and you were saying, and I don’t get that feeling anymore. I’m still probably as busy as I’ve been, but it doesn’t, I don’t get that same feeling anymore. So I would just, I would tell them to try to get off the rat race. Don’t, you know, don’t, don’t look at it as a quota. Don’t look at it as a, just enjoy what you do. Enjoy the patients you’re with. I mean, there’s a lot of challenges, know, EMR and.

administrations and we’ve been, I’ve been very fortunate in that aspect. And I some people are in situations that are a lot more difficult than mine. mean, working with the reliance has been amazing. I’ve never felt, any kind of undue influence or anything like that. mean, it’s always been very supportive, very physician friendly. so I know there’s some got people that wind up.

maybe in situations that aren’t as easy to work in, but still the work is the work and the patients are the patients. You need to enjoy it if you’re gonna, or you’re gonna be burning out.

Joe Johnsey (27:53.803)
So Bill, with your perspective on medicine as you sit here, what gives you hope and energy for medicine as a career, for the next generation of folks, for you as a clinician working in the field today? What gives you hope for our profession?

William Rogers (28:26.482)
that’s a tough one, I guess.

William Rogers (28:32.266)
You know, with, and I’ve been through the bad side of EMR and I’ve been through, you know, but actually you can be a lot more efficient now than you used to could be. I you can, I spent more time writing notes, writing orders, doing the, side of medicine when I was younger in the…

We are getting more efficient. think and I think as AI comes on it’ll even get it’ll you know, I know some people are kind of scared of a little bit I I’m kind of disappointed. I’m probably going to be getting out of medicine right as AI is really kicking in hard because I think AI could be a tremendous boon if it’s used right and

If you can kind of take away some of the administrative side of medicine, of being a doctor, that if you’re efficient with your time, you could actually spend more time with patients and listening to patients. And so, you know, I do see that as a future, maybe benefit for everybody from office work to hospitals. But the thing that mainly gives me hope about medicine is,

is really the patients and how the patients, if you’re good to patients, I know doctors aren’t on the pedestal they once were, but the patients still, man, they love you if you’re good to them. I mean, you just, you know, it’s really almost embarrassing sometimes how much they appreciate what you’ve done because you’re doing what you like to do, you’re enjoying it, it’s a…

It’s not like I’m going out of my way to do it, but they’re so appreciative of it. it’s, it’s, it’s, I wouldn’t, I’m, if I was starting out today, I would still want to go into medicine, hand over fist. mean, I wouldn’t have any second thoughts. I think it can be a difficult if it’s, if it’s not.

William Rogers (30:43.478)
I think perspective is a lot of it. And if you have the right perspective, it’s a great profession. If you have the wrong perspective, it can be a very stressful profession. And sometimes you may need to change whatever environment you’re in. there are situations that I don’t care what your perspective is. It could be very difficult to assume, but I’ve never seen that side of it. So I can’t really speak to it.

Sumner Abraham (31:11.842)
So Bill, I think we’d be remiss to not ask a little bit about.

There’s a lot of talk about, and every guest this season, we’re gonna talk about wellness, right? And that can be…

a word that kind of makes people roll their eyes sometimes of what are you doing to be well, right? But I do think that it’s important to that maybe wellness is part of that perspective, right? Maybe there’s some things that we do and everybody’s a little bit different that do give us that perspective, help us recharge. I’d love to kind of hear you talk about maybe what does it mean for you to

Be well, how do you recharge? Or maybe another way to think about it is what would some people be surprised after they’ve listened to this stage talk about wisdom and medicine for the last half hour? What would people be surprised to learn and know about you?

William Rogers (32:21.878)
mean to me, to me wellness is all about the spirit. mean, that’s kind of being a doctor. think of wellness being about illness, you know, and that is important. But, I think that, I mean, I have seen just amazing people who have been very ill dying patients, but they were in a sense, well, I mean, they had

They had a good spirit. They didn’t look at themselves as being ill in a way. I mean, they were dealing with cancer or whatever they were dealing with, but they were happy and hopeful and loved their families. I think that, mean, there’s a lot incorporated in wellness. mean, physical health, obviously, and…

I mean, as a doctor, obviously that’s very, very important, but I think it’s spiritual wellness. I think it’s being happy with your faith and family and enjoying life, still enjoying getting up every day. I have never suffered with depression. I would think that would be a horrible way to live. I would think that…

if you weren’t happy with your life, even if you weren’t depressed, that would be a very difficult way to live. I mean, it would just, but as far as what I do, I, you know, going back to college, I started playing, games and it sounds silly. but it’s kind of a way to get away from.

everything but I started playing games back with Dungeons and Dragons in I Think it’s in the early one that early mid to late 70s played at Ole Miss then when computers came out it was Amazing and I’ve been a gamer ever since I was in college. I still I still game a lot today

William Rogers (34:41.354)
My wife usually knows where I am because if I’m not doing something she told me to do, I’m usually on the computer playing something. And it’s just, it’s a way to escape. It’s like reading an escape novel. It’s just, you know, go on the beach and prop up and read a novel. It’s similar to that. You just get away and you’re not thinking about anything. But the best thing is what you mentioned when we got started, is the grandchildren and your children and grandchildren and family and faith. I mean,

Sumner Abraham (34:46.862)
Hahaha.

William Rogers (35:11.754)
That’s where happiness is.

Sumner Abraham (35:20.834)
Well Bill, I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. I hope you never hang up the stethoscope, but at some point I know you will and it will be impossible to replace not only the work that you do, but the way that you do it. And I just…

You were such a gift, not only to our organization, but most importantly to the community where you live. And we’re very grateful that you have trusted us to come alongside you and help where we can. But I just consider it a privilege to work on your behalf and to get to learn from you. And thanks so much for spending some time with us today on the podcast.

William Rogers (36:13.186)
Thank you all, enjoyed it.