Rajni R. Patel, M.D.
Tri-State Clinic
124 U.S. Route 460 East
Grundy, Virginia 24614

Phone: (276) 935-6444
FAX: (276) 935-4430

Rajni R. Patel is a board-certified pediatrician in private practice at the Tri-State Clinic in Grundy, Virginia. Tri-State is a multi-specialty clinic that houses physicians in pulmonary medicine, pediatrics, cardiology, internal medicine, and general surgery. Physicians based at the Tri-State Clinic share the services of a medical laboratory of moderate complexity, an x-ray facility, a pharmacy and a respiratory therapy program. With nurse practitioners on staff, Tri-State qualifies as a rural health clinic and receives cost-based reimbursement from Medicaid and Medicare.

Dr. Patel was born May 1, 1943, in Gujarat, India. He attended Baroda Medical College in Baroda, India, earning an MD degree with pediatrics as a specialty in 1973. After passing the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in Medical Sciences (FMGEMS), Dr. Patel undertook an internship in pediatrics at Philadelphia General Hospital in Pennsylvania. He completed his pediatric residency in 1976 at Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, New York. Dr. Patel has been in private practice at Tri-State Clinic since 1976. He is a naturalized citizen of the United States.

Dr. Patel works in an office setting from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon on Saturdays. His practice suite has three exam rooms. Typical procedures conducted in the office include circumcision, casting for non-displaced fractures, suturing of lacerations, wart removal, incision and drainage, and immunizations. The practice offers sports physicals and treats patients who present with sports related injuries. Dr. Patel has access to the Internet and a computer system that can track patients seen by residents.

About 35patients a day seek care from Dr. Patel. He and his associates attract a total of 60 to 65 patients a day. Twenty-five percent of their patients are infants, 50% are children between the ages of one and twelve, and 25% are adolescents. The vast majority of patients (around 80%) are covered by Medicaid, 15% have private insurance, and about 5% are uninsured.

Dr. Patel maintains pediatric admitting privileges at Buchanan General Hospital, an acute care facility located four miles from the Tri-State Clinic. There, he rounds on 3-5 patients per day. The procedures he performs in the office may also be performed in the hospital, along with an occasional spinal tap. Dr. Patel shares call with another local physician. Residents may participate in the call schedule as they wish or as required by their training programs.

Dr. Patel has a special interest in well-baby care. Before vaccines were available through the Department of Health, he maintained supplies and immunized patients who could not afford to pay for vaccinations. Dr. Patel and his wife have two sons, both of whom are physicians..

Residents who rotate with Dr. Patel may choose to stay in local motels ­ Comfort Inn, Justus Motel, or Anchor Inn ­ or with citizens who offer room and board. There are several apartment houses in Grundy and GMEC can attempt to locate a furnished apartment for residents. However, we can offer no guarantees because short-term rentals are difficult to secure in rural areas.

Buchanan General Hospital is a 144-bed acute care facility in Grundy, Virginia. The hospital offers a standard range of services: emergency, inpatient and outpatient care, intensive care, surgery and anesthesia, radiology, imaging, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, laboratory, nutrition, physical therapy, pharmacy, and home health. Specialties represented on the hospital staff include cardiology, internal medicine, emergency medicine, urology, otolaryngology, orthopedics, pulmonary medicine, gynecology, radiology, nuclear medicine, general surgery, pediatrics, pathology, and anesthesiology.

Buchanan County lies completely within the coal-bearing confines of the rugged Appalachian Plateau. The landscape has been carved by a myriad of small streams into complicated networks of forested hills and deep hollows. Though somewhat daunting to first-time visitors, the hills and hollows are home to thousands. The landscape has encouraged the development of many small, close-knit communities among native mountaineers.

Coal dominates the economy ­ Buchanan produces 15 million tons of coal each year, about 40% of Virginia's total tonnage. Other major elements of the economy are retail trade, personal services, and transfer payments (retirement pensions, disability income, and welfare benefits). In 1995, the largest employers were the school board, Island Creek Coal Company, Consolidation Coal, Buchanan General Hospital, and Keen Mountain Correctional Center.

Grundy is an incorporated town with a 1990 population of 1,305. There are several shopping centers, cinema screens, restaurants, groceries, discount stores, specialty boutiques, motels, and other small businesses in town. Breaks Interstate Park is on the Buchanan-Dickenson County border, offering opportunities for hiking, biking, horseback riding, swimming, boating, and fishing. The Rhododendron Room at the Park offers excellent food in a spectacular setting above the grand canyon of the south.