Reflecting on 2018 and What’s to Come in 2019
Reflecting on 2018 and What’s to Come in 2019 for Schaumburg’s First Direct Primary Care (DPC) Practice.
It has been four months since we had our grand opening of Schaumburg’s first Direct Primary Care (DPC) practice and I feel very blessed to have a successful first few months. While I am learning so much about the Schaumburg community health care needs and what it takes to run my own private practice, I am extremely grateful for this journey and the people I have met along the way. It may have taken me four months, but I am finally settled in enough to sit down to write my first official blog post.
This post will be the first of many. My goal is to post articles regularly that contain relevant and useful health and wellness information and educate you on topics that I am passionate about; but first, I would like to share more about my grand opening journey and what is to come in 2019 for the practice.
3 things I have learned so far:
1. Direct Primary Care (DPC) services are needed in Schaumburg
Much of my first four months have been spent educating the community on how DPC is different than traditional primary care practices as well as how my approach to medicine varies from traditional allopathic physicians. Our model is new to the Schaumburg area and many people don’t understand yet how direct primary care can save them hundreds of dollars annually for doctors visits. We don’t bill insurance. Our patients pay a low fee for access to comprehensive primary care services. This model solves many of the largest complaints we hear about health care access today. The three biggest complaints I hear are that doctor’s visit costs are climbing with high co-pays and co-insurance responsibilities, insurance is getting more and more complicated, and doctors spend less and less time with their patients. Patients feel like they aren’t being heard. My DPC practice is an answer to all of these complaints.
2. The Schaumburg community is amazing
I have met some amazing new patients, fellow wellness professionals, holistic healthcare providers, and business owners in Schaumburg. All of them have been extremely supportive of my passion to provide high quality health care services to the community and be a haven of wellness. Being a part of such a support community means the world to me. I am proud to be a member of the Schaumburg Business Association, the Health and Wellness Alliance and DPWN of Schaumburg.
3. My practice is aligned with my values and healthcare beliefs
I often call opening IdealAccessMD my dream come true as a physician. In my first few months, I have been presented with many wonderful opportunities. Some of them, I knew immediately were a perfect fit for my practice, such as our brand new Better Sleep and Anxiety Relief Programs, and some of them I had to step back and really put some good thought to whether or not they were a right fit for the clinic despite having the potential to be large revenue generators. My commitment to you is to not to bring any service into the clinic that I wouldn’t do myself and recommend to my closest family and friends. My goal is to provide a safe haven for your health including high quality wellness services and products that will improve your health and well-being.
With that last point in mind, below is where I plan to focus my energy on in 2019:
Spending time and collaborating with my patients
One of the things that sets me apart from other primary care physicians is I don’t have the clinical pressure to see 25-30 patients a day. My goal is to make your health care more collaborative. I want to hear your full story and understand your thoughts on your own care. We will choose a health plan of action that best suits you. Not one that simply comes out of the medical protocol “cookbook” for specific conditions and symptoms. You want to try nutrition and holistic methods prior to medications? Great! You heard of an alternative method for a certain ailment? Fabulous! Let’s research it together and figure out if it is a good fit. I have the background, training and experience to provide sound medical advice, prescribe medication as needed, and make specialist recommendations when appropriate, but I won’t do so without listening to you first and finding what you want to do.
Nutrition and supplementation
Unlike many board-certified medical doctors, I have completed extensive nutritional education and training as a medical doctor. It is my core belief that there is a strong relationship between health and nutrition; unfortunately, doctors are not trained to address this connection. Proper nutrition and supplementation can be the first line of defense and should be the first protocol for prevention.
There are many supplements on the market today and it can be confusing on which ones are good for you as well as which ones you should be taking based on your needs. I am excited to partner with Klaire Labs, a high quality nutritional supplement company, to introduce an line of supplements specific to IdealAccessMD.
Weight Loss
With the launch of Ideal Access MD’s Transform program in early January, I will be collaborating with Michelle Thill, a board-certified integrated functional medicine health coach. So many times, a doctor will tell you that you need to lose weight. Yet, they don’t necessarily tell you how or guide you through the journey. Weight loss is not easy on your own. Our Transform program will transform your mind and body and have you achieve effective and sustainable weight loss. It is a comprehensive 12-week coaching program complete with a full-medical evaluation, weekly meetings, meal plans, supplement recommendations, yoga, meditation and much, much more. Along with the Transform program, we will also be offering a 10-day detox program to provide a nutritional reset for our bodies.
Yoga
I am extremely passionate about integrating yoga as a viable therapeutic treatment for healing and prevention. When I envisioned my private practice space, I always imagined a boutique yoga studio where I could offer small group or private classes. My goal was to break down the barrier to yoga for those who are intimidated by large group classes at a traditional yoga studio. I also wanted to make it simple for those participants to my wellness programs to partake in a meeting and hop into a yoga class before or after without having to go to two locations to do so.
Meditation
I believe that so many of our ailments happen because of stress. Similar to yoga, I believe meditation is also a viable treatment that can aid in healing and prevention. In collaboration with Dr. Sudesh Kannan, aka Dr. K, of Meditation Magic, I will be offering many opportunities to achieve happiness and heal using his simple processes to cultivate joy, peace and energy.
Clean and Safe Skincare
In an effort to provide skin care and beauty products that are safe and free from many common toxins, I have aligned with Beautycounter, because we all deserve better when it comes to our skincare.
Aesthetics
We are proud to have purchased a state of the art Hydrafacial machine as we incorporate aesthetic care into our practice. Hydrafacial is currently the most effective and least invasive face and neck treatment available on the market today. In 2019 the company is set to have 3 million users around the country. We are excited to offer it as an option to our clients.
In conclusion, as we head into 2019 keep a lookout for regular blog updates where we will share health tips and events at our clinic with you! If you are not yet on your subscription list, please visit our website and subscribe today! We plan to host regular wellness events in our office to bring the community together and help create a oasis of wellness in Schaumburg.
Here’s to a healthy and happy 2019!