Urology: informed patients make better decisions

Men can trust their prostate health to Dr. James Young at Physicians for Accountable Care, Lake County’s prostate specialists.

Dr. James Young fondly remembers his fi rst visit to Eustis shortly after completing his residency at the University of Arkansas Department of Urology in 1982.

The smell of oranges blossoming from the endless rows of groves and the sight of picturesque lakes and rolling hills were enough to capture his heart. Although he had job offers in larger and more exciting cities such as Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, and St. Louis, he knew Lake County would be a wonderful place to practice urology and call home.

Having been raised in Crawfordsville, Ark., a small community of 500 people, Dr. Young felt Eustis offered the same small-town qualities to which he was accustomed: safe living, genuine hospitality, close-knit friends, and a community-minded spirit.

For him, those traits were much more appealing than the bright lights of a big city.

Today, 31 years later, Dr. Young owns and operates two thriving practices, Urology Associates of Lake County in Eustis and The Prostate Center in Lady Lake.

Without question, he can proudly say that he has enjoyed a big career in a small town.

A heart for health care

Patients are no doubt elated Dr. Young opted to practice in Lake County years ago. A board-certified urologist, Dr. Young’s genuine compassion and caring approach have earned him trust, respect, and admiration throughout the years. That is particularly evident when you visit doctor review websites such as Vitals.com or Healthgrades. While one would assume most people would not take the time to review a doctor unless they’re extremely upset, patients rave about their experience with Dr. Young.

“A life-changing experience.”

“He is the best in his specialty.”

“Have recommended Dr. Young to friends and am very confident in doing so.”

“Dr. Young and his staff are very knowledgeable, considerate, efficient, and honest.”

“Changing to Dr. Young was one of the smartest moves I have ever done.”

These are just a few examples of the glowing praise offered to Dr. Young by his patients. Of course, there’s a reason why they have taken the time and effort to write such comments. For starters, Dr. Young is a fi rm believer in patient education.

“My philosophy is, the more informed patients are, the better decisions they’ll be able to make and the happier they are going to be with their ultimate treatments,” he says. “Over the years, I’ve heard many fi rst-time patients, after spending 30 minutes with me, say I told them more than their previous urologist told them over the past 10 years.”

Dr. Young has also written articles on numerous urologyrelated health topics and posted them on his website. This is another avenue to help patients understand their condition and treatment options.

“Let’s suppose a patient comes in to review prostate biopsies done the previous week, and one or more are positive. The patient is going to be devastated and not hear every word I say. I’ll tell them to visit the website and read the articles because that reinforces everything we discuss.”

In addition to patient education, he also takes an extremely conservative approach in the care of all his patients. For instance, when it comes to prostate cancer, he offers the option of active surveillance for 40–45 percent of his patients. Active surveillance means Dr. Young will watch a patient’s cancer closely through regular checkups to see if any symptoms appear or if the tumor is growing. For patients with slow-growing tumors, this is often a much more feasible and safer option than surgery or radiation — both of which have serious side effects.

For comparison, only 8–10 percent of all prostate cancer patients nationwide are given the choice of active surveillance.

“I treat my patients the way I want myself or my family to be treated. I try to put myself in every patient’s shoes. My job is to fi nd out what’s going on and thoroughly explain to each patient what their condition is and how we can treat it. If I have done a good job at teaching, they will pick the correct option.”

Ultimately, Dr. Young’s goal is to keep patients from being admitted to the hospital. Early in his career, Dr. Young knew he would not be performing surgery as an older man who has lost some of his skills. Therefore, he decided in his 30s that he would quit doing surgery at age 50. He has never looked back.

“I look at myself like former major league baseball player Sandy Koufax — I went out at the top of my game.”

This 30-minute in-office procedure involves using lowlevel radiofrequency energy to destroy the obstructing component of the enlarged prostate. It is much less invasive than traditional BPH treatments such as transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), which requires hospitalization and carries risks such as bleeding, infection, loss of bladder control, and, on rare occasions, death.

Urologix, which markets Prostiva-RF Therapy for the manufacturing company Medtronic, sends physicians from around the country to train under Dr. Young. And thanks to the success Dr. Young has experienced using this procedure, Urologix consistently features his practice in all of its marketing materials.

As further evidence of his success, he maintains a happy list, a non-academic way to track the progress of patients who have undergone the Prostiva-RF Therapy treatment. Six months after the procedure, he asks patients two questions: Are you glad you did it and would you refer a family member or friend? Those who answer yes to both find themselves on his “happy list.”

“Ninety-eight percent of my patients have made it to the happy list. That is a remarkable number. The only procedure I can think of that might have a higher success rate is cataract surgery.”

Leader in enlarged prostate treatment

Without question, Dr. Young has established himself as one of the nation’s leading urologists in the treatment of enlarged prostate (BPH). As a matter of fact, he has performed more procedures using Prostiva-RF Therapy than any physician worldwide. Patients have come from far away as South Carolina, Alabama, and Kansas to have this treatment performed by Dr. Young.

“This year, I will perform approximately five percent of all Prostivas in the world,” he says.

Outside the practice

For Dr. Young, life has been equally gratifying outside of medicine. In 2010, he married Kristin Beall Ludecke, a lifelong Lake County resident and former pageant contestant who won the titles of Miss Florida America in 1995 and Miss Florida USA in 2000. However, Kristin is best known in her role as vicepresident of Charlie Johnson Builders, a Mount Dora-based company owned by her parents, Carl and Cheryl Ludecke.

On May 31, the couple welcomed their fi rst child, a beautiful baby girl named Grace Genevieve. Longtime patients of Dr. Young need not fear. While he is now happily married with a daughter, he has no immediate plans to retire from medicine.

“Retirement is not in my vocabulary. My goal has always been to practice for 50 years. Up to now, I’ve practiced for 31 years. I’ve been happy my entire life, but this is the happiest

I’ve ever been. Not only do I have a beautiful family, I also have the honor and privilege of helping patients on a daily basis. I wouldn’t trade places with anybody in the world.”

Even when he receives an occasional 2a.m. phone call from a patient experiencing a medical problem, Dr. Young leaves the comfort of his bed and meets the patient at his office.

“At least I can keep them from visiting the emergency room and ultimately, out of the hospital,” he says. “Patients know that if they have an emergency they can call my cellphone. I make myself accessible 24/7. I truly appreciate that my patients have confidence in me to take care of them.”

Urology Associates of Lake County is located at 801 Northshore Drive in Eustis. For more information, please call 352.357.6786. The Prostate Center is located at 920 Rolling Acres Road, Suite 201, Lady Lake. Please call 352.751.4990 for further information.

Also, be sure to visit his website at www.prostateevaluation.com to read his insightful articles pertaining to various urologyrelated medical topics.