The Vein Specialists: Our Backstory

Originally posted on Healthy Cells Magazine.

There’s lots of talk about our work environments these days. 

Work from home? Maybe hybrid? Go back to the office full time?

It seems like everyone has an opinion about the future of work. While most of us wonder about the long-term impact of this “new normal,” some professions aren’t even talking about it. 

Like the other health care heroes, the team at The Vein Specialists has been at work all along. The physicians, office manager, and staff have taken advantage of these extraordinary times to bond as a team, forging deeper connections within the group while refining their processes and procedures to serve their patients better. 

With a 24-year career as an emergency room (ER) doctor as her foundation, Dr. Kathryn Bohn decided to learn a new specialty. She completed a fellowship in vascular medicine and left the ER to open The Vein Specialists more than a decade ago. Now her practice focuses on only one thing: treating the vascular conditions known as varicose and spider veins. 

“Sometimes people ask what made me leave emergency medicine after such a long time,” Bohn says. “The obvious answer is that I wanted to get my nights and weekends back – and that’s part of it. But I was also looking for a way to build longer-term relationships with my patients. That’s something an ER doctor can never do.” 

The demand for services offered by The Vein Specialists was tremendous. 

A few years later, Bohn’s husband and fellow emergency doctor Thomas Nielsen decided to leave the crazy hours and unpredictability of the ER behind, too. After finishing his vascular medicine fellowship, he joined Dr. Bohn as the first partner in her new practice.

“When our patients find out that Kathy and I are a couple, we get lots of ‘Oh my gosh, how do you work with your spouse? I could never do that!’” Nielsen says. “The truth is, we’ve always worked together. It would be weird for us if we didn’t!” 

Bohn adds, “We met when I was still in med school, and Tom was doing his residency. We worked together in the ER. When I decided to pursue something new and left the department, we found that we didn’t like not working together!” 

Over the years, The Vein Specialists added another partner, Dr. Richard Castillo; then Dr. Douglas Ward joined the practice. All four are former ER docs, and they’ve known each other for practically their whole careers. 

“I think our practice works so well because while we have similar backgrounds, we all have unique perspectives, so we consult on difficult cases and contribute different ideas,” Castillo says. “Our strengths complement one another.”

Of course, no successful medical practice runs on only the strength of the doctors. The Vein Specialists’ Office Manager, Chrissy Purcell (is she ok with using her last name? Let’s double-check that), also has a background in emergency medicine and worked with all the doctors in that role. Dr. Bohn recruited her to the new practice as soon as it opened. 

“I knew I needed a strong support team if the new practice was going to succeed,” Bohn says. “Since I’d worked with Chrissy before, I knew she had the skills and experience to lead that team, so I hired her right away. She is a huge asset to our practice, and we’re grateful for her and the rest of our staff every day.” 

“Our medical office assistants are amazing,” Purcell says. “They assist with procedures, secure insurance authorizations, and do everything else that happens behind the scenes.” 

The faith and trust that the team at The Vein Specialists have in one another are apparent from a patient’s first visit to the practice and in every interaction that happens later. 

If you’re suffering from the signs and symptoms of varicose or spider veins, trust your care to a practice where the team trusts one another. The Vein Specialists are Kathryn Bohn, MD, Thomas Nielsen, MD, Richard Castillo, MD, and Douglas Ward, MD, and are certified by the American Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine. Learn more or schedule your first appointment at www.ILveins.com, call 309.862.4000 or visit their Bloomington office at 3302 Gerig Drive, Suite 100.