Why Segno?

The name behind the care

The belief that there is a better way to practice primary care is behind the name Segno Primary Care.

Outside of medicine, one of my great loves is music. The piano has always been a source of joy and meaning for me. So when I began thinking about what to call this practice, I found myself naturally drawn to the language of music.

SEGNO is an Italian musical term meaning “sign” or “mark.” In written music, the segno is a symbol that marks a place in the music. The instruction D.S. (dal segno) means “from the sign,” directing the musician to return to the segno and continue from there.

That idea of returning felt remarkably similar to what I wanted this practice to represent.

Medicine has changed enormously during my career. We have extraordinary technology, better treatments, electronic medical records, instant access to information, and increasingly sophisticated ways to understand and manage health. I value those advances and want my patients to benefit from them.

But somewhere along the way, we have also lost some of the simplest and most important parts of being cared for by a doctor:

Knowing your physician.

Having enough time to tell the whole story.

Being able to ask the extra question.

Being able to talk about the other thing that’s been bothering you, too, without being told there isn’t time today or that you’ll need to schedule another appointment. Health doesn’t divide itself neatly into one concern per visit, and I don’t believe good primary care should either.

Having someone who remembers what happened six months ago and understands how it connects to what is happening today.

Having a physician who can look across all of your care, not just one piece of it, and help you understand the bigger picture.

Knowing who to turn to when the healthcare system becomes difficult to navigate.

Segno represents a return to that kind of medicine.

Not a return to the past, and not a rejection of modern medicine. It is a return to something worth preserving within it: the relationship between a patient and the physician who knows them.

And there is something else I love about the musical meaning. When a musician returns to the segno, the music doesn’t end there. You return to something familiar in order to continue forward.

That is what I intend for Segno Primary Care to be:

A return to what matters, and a better way forward.

That is the promise behind Segno: care built around time, trust, and a doctor who knows your story.

A return to personal medicine.