Most of us can remember visiting the doctor’s office and taking as much time as needed with the doctor to really talk though health concerns. No rush and the doctor wasn’t typing in the corner as you talked.
Fast forward to today and you can’t say that anymore…Except now, maybe you can.
Welcome to Integra Direct Primary Care, an internal medicine practice where Dr. Belinda Castor knows her patients and their health concerns because she works directly for them and not a large health system or insurance company. She is YOUR doctor, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, and when you’re sick, you only see her. Your appointment with Dr. Castor is no shorter than 30 minutes, and your annual physical is for up to an hour.
Direct Primary Care, or DPC, is a health-care delivery model where patients pay a monthly membership fee directly to their doctor. Insurance is no longer part of the equation, and costs are reduced significantly. Dr. Castor moved toward this type of practice because she sees patients paying too much in overhead costs when middlemen are involved.
Dr. Castor is guided by the following principles:
Respect – Treat everyone with dignity, valuing their individuality, embracing their diversity, opinions, and experiences.
Integrity – Adhere to the highest standards, acting ethically and responsibly in everything we do, while holding ourselves and others accountable. Bring authenticity, respect, honesty, and humility into every encounter with our members, families, and co-workers.
Healing – Listening with compassion, empathy, and sensitivity, incorporating the power of touch and prayer, while building a caring relationship, alleviating suffering, at the same time incorporating one’s goals and expectations as part of the decision-making process to ensure the well being of the whole person.
Excellence – Bring experience and best practices, professionalism, innovation, and commitment to continuous improvement, while delivering the highest quality of care that is relational, empowering, collaborative, transparent and affordable.
None of this is new. This is what health-care delivery used to be and should be. Now, it’s back!
