Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie Barth.
Hi Marie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I began working at Hickory Medical in April of 2021 after spending five years as a nurse practitioner at the Mary Rutan Hospital Urbana Clinic. In October 2021, the practice owners decided they were ready to take another path. My husband and I were allowed to purchase the practice at the beginning of January 2022.
I took what I consider a typical route to becoming a Nurse Practitioner. After graduating from Wright State University with a Bachelor’s in Nursing, I spent the first four years of my nursing career at The Ohio State University, doing a one-year internship in the Operating Room before transitioning to a charge nurse on the floor at the James Cancer Hospital.
I was then recruited to Green Hills Community, a local independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing care facility in West Liberty, Ohio, where I was the Clinical Care Coordinator, supervising 75 clinical staff directly caring for the residents of Green Hills. During my four and a half years at Green Hills, I returned to Wright State University, where I studied to become a Nurse Practitioner.
After graduating from the program, I began my new career as a Certified Nurse Practitioner at the Mary Rutan Hospital Urbana Clinic in 2016. Two years later, I joined Cedarville University as an adjunct faculty, overseeing master’s students in the Nurse Practitioners program. I still maintain this position while operating Hickory Medical.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As with all business ventures, there have been hiccups and challenges, but purchasing an already existing primary care office with a solid foundation and patient panel removes some of the fear. Our first unknown was how the patients of the practice would respond. Patients can feel unsettled when their provider of many years changes.
When patients are comfortable with their primary care provider, it takes time to earn the trust and confidence of a new provider. I try to take time with each patient to get to know them well and find out what’s important to them and their health. Our most current struggle deals with growth strategies. The Direct Primary Care model is a relatively new concept in this area, being the first of its kind within 40+ miles when it first opened.
The struggle for growth stems mainly from its unfamiliarity in the marketplace. Spending money upfront to save money (even when it can be hundreds or thousands of dollars) can be a hard sell. But, growth should happen as individuals and business owners learn what this model (specifically Hickory Medical due to our price-point) can do to help curb the ever-rising medical costs they face.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At Hickory Medical Direct Primary Care, we focus on the patient-provider relationship, which has largely been strained by our current system. Most people would agree that our current insurance-dependent health service system is broken. Costs are unpredictable and, for many people, unaffordable even with insurance.
Each year we pay a little more and get a little less. Hickory Medical DPC was introduced to the Bellefontaine area for this very reason. Hickory Medical exists because the current healthcare system is broken, forcing primary care providers to spend more and more time appeasing insurance companies and government bureaucracies instead of allowing them to work directly with their patients to provide the highest quality of care, achieving the best outcomes for their patients. Hickory Medical is Healthcare Simplified.
We offer primary care for people outside the constraints of the insurance system. Membership at Hickory Medical DPC is $40 per month for an adult and $21 a month for a child (under the age of 18 with an adult membership), and each office visit is $20. We cover everything from acute care (sore throats, urinary tract infections, rashes, etc.) to chronic condition management (diabetes, migraines, high blood pressure, etc.). And most routine bloodwork is covered in the membership at no additional cost.
Our price point makes us an affordable option for individuals, and families, in addition to business owners looking to offer healthcare solutions to their employees at a reasonable cost. Coupling our services with a medical cost-sharing plan can provide a comprehensive healthcare solution that incentivizes personal ownership of one’s healthcare.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I think there is an almost unending number of things we have learned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. First, we see the importance of preventative care in dealing with sickness. Simple things like eating healthy, exercising, maintaining a healthy weight, taking specific vitamins where our diet or lifestyle may be deficient, washing our hands, and wearing masks in certain situations can help reduce the risk of developing severe diseases.
Secondly, we learned that healthcare has a time and place for phone and video visits. During a pandemic, it may be best practice to reduce traffic in the office for the safety of other patients and the medical staff. However, it is best to have face-to-face visits with patients when safe and reasonable. Listening to a patient’s lungs, looking in their ears, or even reading their body language is extremely difficult, if not impossible, without face-to-face interaction. We have had to learn to be flexible.
Pricing:
- $40 Monthly Membership Fee for Adults
- $21 Monthly Membership Fee for Children with an Adult Membership
- $20 Scheduling Fee
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hickorydpc.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hickorydpc/
Image Credits
Tylor Burt
