First blog post. Why today? What's so special about today--after being open for a little over 2.5 years of DPC.
Today, Sept 22nd, marks an important day...my dear friend Brooke is having another birthday. She and I have been best friends longer than I can count. Birthdays are special to many people, but I can honestly say for the two of us, they are one of the most important times of our year. As one of my best friends, for years and years, she has heard me talk incessantly abut topics that most likely bore her :) However, just last week we were chatting about DPC, and I believe, she has been molded into one of the biggest DPC Champions over the past 2.5 years. She not only experiences it, but she gets it, truly gets it. So, you can imagine, she has heard me rant and rave over a few DPC "key items" that I feel like the general public does not understand. I do NOT want anyone missing the AWESOMENESS of DPC if they can benefit from it. Because honestly, there are fewer people that will not benefit, then there are that WILL.
Well, this morning since I am thinking about Brooke and her birthday, it made me realize our convo the other day was VERY important. And it should be shared with the world. I am going to tell you about, Why DPC... and WHY the Healthy Human....
The Healthy Human Direct Primary Care is not just "any old" medical clinic. It is innovative, and we are pioneers for the future of medical care. But, sometimes there are more important things than being "ahead of the times." One of the most important things to me as an individual is keeping my "small town roots" and bringing healthcare to all shapes and sizes, all household income levels, any race or sex, any age, etc ...you get it. :) So, when I tell you that we are the "Mom and Pop Shop" of healthcare, I MEAN IT. We are LOCAL care for LOCAL people...doing what's RIGHT for healthcare on a personal level.
There are so many roadblocks in medicine these days. These barriers to care are what stands between an individual being ILL or HEALTHY. This is something that must be stopped. DPC can stop this. I believe that DPC can give us all a healthcare advantage. It takes teamwork and effort on BOTH parts, but I love cheering patients on as they work toward their goals, every step of the way.
ONE roadblock to care is the incessant need to be referred everywhere and for EVERYTHING. Primary Care has changed over the years. Plain and Simple. It used to be that a small town doc, rural or not, would care for patients needs on multiple levels and over many "specialties." I truly believe Family Practice is the FOUNDATION for medical care and that your FP should be able to treat you over many specialties/medical conditions. Again, that is my belief, and that is why I TRAINED rural, LIVE rural, and want to TREAT RURAL. I love being small town. With this said, I think that this is where the confusion lies for the general public. Just because I love Rural Medicine and was trained to care for a small village, does not mean that every Doctor across America wants to do so or has been trained to do so. This spreads confusion. Patients get different care if they are Omaha or Rural, under care of an Osteopathic vs Allopathic Physician, working with a Physician that works all specialties of care such as ER, OB, etc...see where I am going on how different all Physicians are despite having Family Practice to their name. Patients do not know what level of care they are getting from one FP clinic to another, despite the same FP "shingle" on the door. To decrease limitations in care, from referrals and wait times, changing clinics for care, etc...we do our best to refer only when needed, or other words, when we cannot "get the job done" or recommend a highly trained specialist to take over certain aspects of your care. We then work with the specialists to close the loop on your healthcare needs. The Healthy Human is a ONE STOP shop with almost 90% of your healthcare needs in one building. We have done so well on offering these services that we are growing to "big for our britches" and moving part of our services to downtown Blair into a bigger building. We love "thinking out of the box" and filling gaps in healthcare.
A SECOND roadblock is AFFORDABLE healthcare, and most likely, one of the TOP barriers to care. DPC takes this away. Honestly, I am being very transparent when I say this, I do not believe you will be able to find healthcare much cheaper, if at all, outside of the Healthy Human model. We have made medical care easy to attain, by not only a monetary aspect but also accessibility, in relation to traditional models of care. We started with Members Only, By Appt Only healthcare, and quickly learned that if we are going to serve our mission of helping patients become HEALTHY HUMANS in the most affordable way possible, then we will need to open it up to Non-Members as well. We did not want to exclude patients that did not feel the membership model was for them. We know that all people and/or patients, like different models of care and medical options, as well as having different overall needs in the healthcare setting. Insurance or NOT, health sharing, cash only...you name it, and we WILL HELP YOU here. Make no mistake, if you are an HH monthly member you have added VALUE, increased access over a non-member, lesser fees, etc...But, to each there own. Although some days we "act" like financial advisers as we navigate you down the most affordable healthcare path, we do not carry a degree in this, and what we do carry licensure for is the practice of Medicine, as it is our Full Time job :) We KNOW Cash Pay pricing, we know TRANSPARENCY in the medical system, and we know what the bill will cost at the end of the day if you use "the HH Way." As I said above, I am NOT educated as a financial advisor. However, I am experienced and educated in my role as a ....Doctor (with schooling of 23 yrs, plus all of the added continuing education)....Mother....Head of a Household coupled with my Hubby....and most of all, a HUMAN. I am a very driven, or should I say passionate, human and cannot turn away patients from the HH healthcare model just because they do not desire a membership. I believe everyone has a chance at living their BEST LIFE and becoming a HEALTHY HUMAN, so I will not stand in the way of how you wish to go about it. As long as you WANT to go about changing YOU, we stand behind you in any way, shape or form.
Are you ready for change then? Not only in the healthcare system, but also in your life? In your medical care? If you are ready and want to just kick it in the "hiney" in regards to chronic medical management or navigate preventive care during these CRAZY COVID times, come see us for your healthcare needs and let us help guide you through this confusing medical system that has been created by everyone other than Physicians. We will save you money on your healthcare, timely management of medical conditions, a new look into healthcare treatments/options, and it is all done with a smile from our wonderful HH Team. If you do not believe we will save you money on healthcare or you are unsure if you want a DPC model of care, then you either: 1) have an amazing healthcare plan with a deductible less than $500, 2) have navigated the system inappropriately with lack of guidance, or 3) do not value the level of personal relationship with your healthcare team that offers access to care, cheaper medications, one on on care with your Physician. This is all ok with us, if it is ok with YOU. You choose, that is the benefit of being an American, you have a right to do so.You do you , Boo :)
-Amber Beckenhauer, DO, aka "Doc B"
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