Why Segno?
The belief that there is a better way to practice primary care is also behind the name Segno Primary Care.
Outside of medicine, one of my great loves is music. I’ve played piano for much of my life, and classical music 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 tells the musician to return, to go back to an earlier place in the music.
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.
PS, for all of you who have asked me “How do you pronounce Segno?” I have one answer: However you want to. The “correct” way to pronounce it is ‘SAYN-yoh’ - but as we are in Winston-Salem where Buena Vista is pronounced BYOONA Vista and Pfafftown is pronounced PAFF (not FAFF)-town, I am pronouncing it just the way it looks like it is pronounced, and you can feel free to do the same!
