It's finally here...

After a challenging few months, our new clinic is finally here. I've journeyed from basic science to clinical science to private practice cardiology and now to old-fashioned medicine where I can sit down with a patient for as long as I want. The new clinic may not generate the volume of business Big Medicine wants, but it will be more fulfilling for both patient and doctor. There will certainly be ups and downs, as well as an equal number of late nights and early mornings. But, with it being our own business, the stresses are different...seemingly more readily tolerated. Were my dad still alive, I would remind him of our conversation some 10-15 years ago where I told him I thought we are going to go back to the days of effectively taking chickens in payment for our services as doctors, as the direction of modern medicine was driving wedges between the doctor and patient.

Our new clinic, founded with my life partner and amazing Pediatrician, Susan, is named Evexeya Health. Evexeya is related to the Greek word ευεξία (ev̱exía) which means ‘wellness’. So much of medicine today is based around sick care and the high costs associated with fancy new medicines and procedures. A fundamental aspect of our new clinic is that it is based on Direct Care, meaning no insurance is used to pay for services. Unlike concierge medicine, which is often based on adding a fee on top of insurance payments, direct care is based on cash-only practices, allowing us to limit overhead and costs dramatically.

In addition to the importance of not utilizing insurance to pay for services, we believe it is vital to form a personal relationship between the doctor and patient, addressing healthy diet and lifestyle, focusing on disease prevention with a personalized touch, not simply following a checklist proposed by guidelines. [I can't help but remember The code is more what you'd call 'guidelines' than actual rules." -Hector Barbossa, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003).]

In our new clinic, we'll have plenty of time and resources to care for my patients. We will strive to see people within a week of needing an appointment, often being able to get people seen within one or two days of enrollment. Much like most other cardiology clinics, we have traditional echocardiogram capabilities as well as EKG and echo stress testing. We hope to bring in nuclear cardiology stress testing in the next year or two, but that will take a little time. Unlike many other cardiology clinics, we will provide ready access to the doctors with email and text messaging, typically same day for subscribing members. We also will be providing deep discounts on labs, with many labs costing less than $10 each, including the lab draw fee. Furthermore, we will be providing marked discounts on many common medicines, though certainly the latest medicines will remain problematic, much as it is elsewhere.

Come see us at our new clinic in the Eastpark medical center of Madison, Wisconsin. We would love to see you and welcome you to an exciting way to experience medical care!