Phone number for Reliant Medical Group: (800) 283-2556

Dr. Joseph DiFranza comes to Reliant Medical Group’s department of Family Practice in Fitchburg with over 30 years of experience in caring for patients. In addition to his work as a primary care physician he is also known around the world for his research on the addictiveness of nicotine and the health dangers of smoking.

Dr. DiFranza believes that proper care is in many ways a negotiation between the doctor and the patient. “As doctors, we want patients to take excellent care of themselves,” he explains. “However, patients run the gamut, from those who want to take great care of themselves to those who don’t seem to have any interest in doing so. So I try to meet patients half-way and encourage them to lead as healthy a lifestyle as possible without harping too much.”

In his practice, Dr. DiFranza likes to use the latest technology available to help patients, including his iPhone. “If I see a skin problem, I can attach something called a Dermascope to my iPhone and get a detailed, close-up photo which I can use to either diagnose myself or send to our Dermatology department for review. I can even add the photo to the patient’s electronic medical record. It’s wonderful to be able to use technology to make care more accurate and efficient.” Dr. DiFranza also enjoys practicing “hands-on” medicine including procedures such as joint injections, mole removals, skin biopsies and other minor procedures in the office.

When he is not busy with patients Dr. DiFranza can often be found in his basement workshop building furniture. He also enjoys taking on carpentry, plumbing, tiling and other home improvement and building tasks. Dr. DiFranza also enjoys learning to speak Italian and has been studying the language since 2010.