For over a decade, Dedication Health has provided Innovative Concierge Medicine™ to patients throughout Chicago’s North Shore. This feature is part of our Leadership in Concierge Medicine series, with each installment exploring a topic such as the benefits of concierge medicine, the expertise of our physicians and specialists, and the standards we set as the area’s premier concierge medical practice.
Concierge Gastroenterology on Chicago’s North Shore
Persistent digestive symptoms can disrupt meals, sleep, work, and travel. Patients may find themselves changing what they eat, planning around unpredictable bowel habits, or wondering why discomfort keeps returning. Understanding what is happening requires a careful evaluation and a physician who can guide the decisions that follow.
At Dedication Health, concierge gastroenterology brings experienced specialists into a model built around direct communication, thorough appointments, and ongoing care. Our gastroenterologists, Yolandra Johnson, MD, and Jonathan Williams, DO, bring decades of combined experience caring for patients on Chicago’s North Shore. Both combine clinical practice with medical education and a commitment to helping patients understand their health.
Their addition to Dedication Health reflects our continued investment in concierge specialty care. Patients have access to digestive health expertise within a practice that makes time for their concerns and supports care beyond the initial consultation.
Bringing Concierge Care to Gastroenterology
A digestive health concern may involve several appointments, previous test results, medications, and symptoms that have changed over time. A specialist needs enough context to understand what has already been investigated and what still needs attention. Patients also need an opportunity to explain how the problem affects daily life and which concerns matter most to them.
Our concierge gastroenterology service is organized around that work. Longer discussions and more direct physician communication allow patients to describe symptoms fully, review recommendations, and ask questions as care progresses. The approach includes preventive screening, evaluation of new concerns, and ongoing management of digestive conditions.
These are practical advantages for someone trying to make sense of a persistent problem. A physician can discuss the purpose of a proposed test, explain treatment options, and help the patient understand how the next step fits into the overall plan.
Dr. Yolandra Johnson: Gastroenterologist at Dedication Health
Dr. Yolandra Johnson is a board-certified gastroenterologist with decades of private practice experience serving North Shore patients. She earned her medical degree at New York Medical College, completed her internship and internal medicine residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital, and pursued fellowship training in gastroenterology at the University of Chicago. Her background combines extensive clinical experience with a longstanding commitment to individualized care.
Her clinical work includes general gastroenterology, with a particular focus on colorectal cancer screening. She also cares for patients with irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and acid reflux. That experience encompasses both prevention and the ongoing care of conditions that can affect a person’s comfort, routines, and quality of life.
Dr. Johnson serves as a Senior Clinician Educator at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine and teaches gastroenterology fellows and medical residents. In her patient care, she emphasizes creating an environment where people feel comfortable discussing sensitive concerns and asking questions. Her concierge approach gives those conversations room to develop, helping patients understand their condition and participate in decisions about their care.
Dr. Jonathan Williams: Gastroenterologist at Dedication Health
Dr. Jonathan Williams is a board-certified gastroenterologist who earned his medical degree at Midwestern University’s Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency at Loyola University, followed by fellowship training in gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition at Loyola University Medical Center. He has extensive experience providing consultations and performing endoscopic procedures.
His clinical interests include colorectal cancer screening, colon polyps, reflux disease, and inflammatory bowel disease, along with general gastroenterology and liver care. When evaluating symptoms, he considers medical history alongside nutrition, lifestyle, and stress. This fuller assessment helps guide an individualized treatment plan and identify factors that may be contributing to a patient’s difficulties.
As a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine, Dr. Williams brings a strong teaching background to the practice and has received multiple awards for teaching excellence. His approach emphasizes explaining what may be contributing to symptoms and helping patients understand their options. Depending on the condition, care may involve medication, dietary or lifestyle changes, and continued education and follow-up.
A Thorough Evaluation of Digestive Symptoms
Digestive symptoms can overlap across conditions, making a careful assessment especially important. Abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits can occur with irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. IBS is a disorder of gut-brain interaction that can affect bowel function and sensitivity. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are forms of inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, that involve chronic inflammation in the digestive tract. The evaluation and treatment depend on the underlying condition.
Reflux offers another example of why clinical judgment matters. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, physicians often diagnose gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, through symptoms and medical history. Testing may be recommended when symptoms suggest complications, another condition needs to be considered, or treatment has not helped.
Time with a gastroenterologist allows these details to be explored. A discussion may include when symptoms began, how often they occur, previous treatments, medication changes, and relevant family history. Reviewing those details alongside prior results helps the physician determine which evaluations are appropriate and explain what they may clarify.
At Dedication Health, this careful approach is central to our gastroenterology service. Patients should understand why an evaluation is recommended, how its findings may affect treatment, and what follow-up is needed. Clear explanations help patients take an informed role in their care.
Prevention and Colorectal Cancer Screening
Colorectal cancer screening is an important part of both physicians’ clinical work. For adults at average risk who have no symptoms, national guidelines recommend beginning colorectal cancer screening at age 45. Digestive symptoms may require evaluation at any age. Personal and family history, previous findings, and other health considerations help guide the choice of test and the timing of follow-up.
Colonoscopy is one screening option. It allows a physician to examine the colon and remove polyps, some of which could develop into cancer over time. Removing these growths can help prevent colorectal cancer, making appropriate screening a meaningful part of preventive care.
The conversations surrounding screening also deserve attention. Patients need to understand why a particular examination is recommended, how to prepare, and what the results mean. If polyps are found, their characteristics help determine when further surveillance may be appropriate. Concierge gastroenterology provides time to discuss those details and support follow-through with the recommended plan.
Continuity for Ongoing Digestive Conditions
Managing a digestive condition often requires reassessment as symptoms, treatments, and daily circumstances change. A patient may need help determining whether a medication is working, whether side effects are affecting its use, or whether a dietary recommendation is practical. These questions become part of the ongoing physician-patient relationship.
Dr. Johnson and Dr. Williams both emphasize care that supports long-term digestive health and quality of life. Follow-up provides an opportunity to review progress, discuss new concerns, and adjust recommendations when appropriate. Greater familiarity with a patient’s history also helps the physician put changes in context.
The goals are practical and personal. For one patient, progress may mean better control of reflux that has disrupted sleep. For another, it may mean finding a manageable treatment routine for a chronic bowel condition. Understanding what improvement would mean to the individual helps keep care focused on outcomes that matter in daily life.
Connecting Digestive Care With Broader Medical Needs
Digestive health can intersect with medication use, nutrition, and other medical conditions. A recommendation may need to be considered alongside treatments prescribed by another physician. Bringing the relevant information together helps patients understand how different parts of their care fit.
Dedication Health offers primary care and specialty expertise within the same practice, with support for coordinating specialist appointments, diagnostic testing, and prescriptions. This creates opportunities for gastroenterology care to connect with a patient’s broader medical needs. Reviewing recommendations together can help clarify the plan and identify questions that need further attention.
Our concierge nutrition service adds individualized support when nutrition is relevant to a patient’s care. Karen Raden, MS, RD, CCN, our Registered Dietitian and Certified Clinical Nutritionist, considers medical history, eating patterns, and daily routines to develop practical recommendations. This service can complement digestive care by helping patients translate nutrition advice into changes they can sustain.
Advancing Concierge Specialty Care
Dedication Health’s expansion into Concierge Gastroenterology on Chicago’s North Shore reflects the standard we set for concierge specialty care. We bring experienced, board-certified specialists into a setting that supports careful evaluation, clear communication, and lasting physician-patient relationships. Our responsibility is to make that expertise useful to patients throughout their care.
Dr. Johnson and Dr. Williams strengthen this approach through their clinical experience, teaching, and commitment to individualized digestive care. Together, they help us extend Innovative Concierge Medicine™ into a specialty where understanding the patient’s full history and following progress over time can meaningfully shape care.
To learn more about Concierge Gastroenterology on Chicago’s North Shore at Dedication Health, visit dedication-health.com/concierge-gastroenterology or call 847-986-6770.