A Return to Affordable, Quick and Easy Family Medicine

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This post was sponsored by Ark Family Health, and written by Dr. Johnson.

Ark Family Health – A New Kind of Medical Clinic

Angie knows that the last appointment at her doctor’s office is 4pm.  It’s 4:30pm and her daughter Emma has a fever and a sore throat.  In fact they both do.  Should she take her to the ER or urgent care, or wait to try to get in to be seen in the morning? How much is this going to cost? How long is it going to take? What will she do with the other kids? Will she be able to trust a doctor she doesn’t know?

Have you ever felt like this?

Ark Family Health North Phoenix Moms Blog

Until recently, Dr. Farnsworth and I were on the other side of these problems, wishing we could help but not knowing how.  So we started looking for solutions and found a new way to provide healthcare that is accessible, affordable, and personal.

This new kind of medical clinic isn’t a new idea, it’s really a return to how doctors used to work.  They would spend the time the patient needed and they were available when patients needed them. This relationship was lost as the modern healthcare system developed.  What few people know is that they can now get that kind of personalized care again and can save money doing it.

Here’s How Ark Family Health Works:

We started with the question: “What do families need?”  We asked them, and based our model on what we learned.

  1. It Must be affordable – $10/month for kids, and as little as $50/month for each parent covers all office visits, all office tests, all office procedures AND members get wholesale medications, labs and imaging.
  2. 24/7 Access – Kids, moms, and dads do not wait for convenient times to get sick. When they do, wouldn’t it be nice if they could see their own doctor? One study showed that 65% of ER visits could have been handled by the patient’s primary care.  Finally, your doctor can be available again.
  3. No waiting – My wife can attest bringing 3 kids to the doctor’s office and waiting in the waiting room for an hour with sick kids is not fun.  At Ark Family Health, we only have a waiting room for family members to wait while the patient is being seen.  Most of the time, our patients don’t sit down before being brought back.  For minor problems, you can be in and out in 10 minutes.  
  4. More time with the doctor – You should be able to go to a doctor who listens and answers all your questions.  Our average office visit is 30 minutes and we can spend up to an hour with any patient that needs it.  
  5. No surprise costs – A few years ago my family received a bill for $600 for a test that we didn’t even know was ordered and we knew we didn’t need. It was $600 we didn’t have at the time.  Most of what we do in our office is covered by your monthly membership and all other costs for medicine, labs or imaging are discussed with the risks and benefits.

Ark Family Health North Phoenix Moms Blog

To finish Angie’s story and the question about what to do about her and her child both feeling ill … She called me and I saw them both within 15 minutes of the phone call.  The rapid strep test took 5 minutes. We dispensed the antibiotics from our clinic so she got to take the bottle with her and skip the trip to the pharmacy.  The whole process took 20 minutes. We didn’t bill her insurance for anything. The visit was free. The strep tests were free.  The antibiotics cost her $1.16.

We’re excited to share this information with you.  We would love for you to give us a call and come in and talk to us about how we might be able to help you take care of your family.  Please visit our website and our Facebook page for more information (and to find out about a giveaway we are currently doing for an Apple Watch). 

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