Why Change to Personalized Medical Care? Over twenty years ago Dr. Neighbors began her medical career with a specialty in pediatrics and with further training became board certified in family medicine so that she could meet the needs of families from newborns to grandparents. Unfortunately over the years, a variety of external forces began to negatively affect the time Dr. Neighbors had available to be with patients. Many of these problems can be traced back to error in Government policy that in time led to various unintended consequences that diluted the value of physicians. To overcome the distractions of ever growing external demands for her time, Dr. Neighbors explored alternatives that would allow her to return to providing more time with patients and an opportunity to provide the quality service she was trained for. The answer was to offer patients a more direct way of receiving services under the umbrella of her a Prevention and Wellness program. This approach provides the opportunity to spend the necessary time to listen, examine, make good medical decisions, and teach without the limitations of 5-7 minute appointments. As a Board-Certified family practice physician Dr. Neighbors is one of a rising number of doctors who have switched from high-volume practices to a more personalized medical care model that charges patients an annual fee in return for quality service. Dr. Neighbors switch to an Enhanced Preventative Care and Wellness approach came after a decade of grueling 80 to 100 hour work weeks that left her wondering how she could keep it up. "I could not maintain the quality of work needed and sustain that workload," said Neighbors. "My passion has always been preventative healthcare. If I was going to do the best job, I needed time to address all of a patient's problems, to be a coach and a mentor, and to afford real access for urgent patient needs." When Dr. Neighbors is occasionally out-of-town she still takes calls 24/7 and manages care with the assistance of local physicians as needed. Patients that get sick out-of-town still have the convenience of phone access to Dr. Neighbors for assistance in coordinating medical needs. "I give my patients access to me after hours by cell phone, text messages, and email. Generally, patients don't abuse it. If something is going wrong, I would rather know about it sooner than later," she said. In Huntsville, Alabama, many view the opportunity to provide personal care as a positive since it provides their doctor time to listen, make the best medical decisions and teach them what they need to know rather than 5-7 minute appointments where healthcare needs get kicked down the road. By providing adequate appointment time and care, this new type of personal care doctor helps keep their patients maintain the best quality of life, stay out of the hospital and avoid unnecessary procedures. Tell Me More about Concierge Physicians in Huntsville, Alabama. Exit |