The new face of family medicine

W e all know the drill when we go to the doctor: Check in with the receptionist at the front desk, separated from you by a sliding glass window. Fill out a long form on a clipboard in your lap with a pen that sometimes works. Wait.

And wait some more.

Finally get called to the back. Change into a hospital gown. 

Wait. Tell the doctor your symptoms and what you’ve researched on the internet, then have your opinions dismissed. Get a prescription or a referral to a specialist. Call the specialist and be told you must wait two months for an appointment.

Get a big bill in the mail.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

For the past 10 years, HealthExpress Urgent Care and Primary Care has been transforming visits to the ER and to your primary care doctor. And it’s evident the moment you pull into the parking lot. Located in retail shopping centers, HealthExpress facilities are easy to get to. And when you walk in the door, the waiting room is large and bright with no sliding glass window separating you from the staff.

“Our vision is to create a more open and friendly experience,” explains Abe Ali, MD, a partner in the popular physician-owned, multiple-location medical practice. “We welcome you much like you would be greeted in a spa. And there’s no paperwork to fill out. You can register online in advance or scan the QR code in our lobby.”

Affordability

Don’t let the word “spa” fool you. The cornerstone of HealthExpress is affordability.

“A visit to our office averages $150, compared to ten times that at a traditional emergency room,” Dr. Ali adds. “And there is no hospital administration fee.”

HealthExpress is not a “minute clinic.” It’s a fully staffed, full-service private practice. Benefits include:

• MDs, not just nurse practitioners and PAs
• On-site X-rays
• Orthopedic/sports medicine backgrounds
• Same-day labs
• No appointment needed
• Ease of prescriptions
• Electronic medical records
• Your own patient portal
• Referral appointments made on your behalf
• Charismatic physician owners born and raised in Northeast Ohio

“If you need a specialist—like cardiology, oncology or neurology—we are blessed to live in a region with some of the best medical care facilities in the world,” Dr. Ali says. “But if you need a primary care doctor or a visit to the ER, that’s where we shine.”

Mutual Respect

Many patients visit their local HealthExpress for typical emergency room reasons—treatment of sprains and fractures, sore throats, fevers, laceration repairs, incisions and drainages, headaches, nausea, allergic reactions, respiratory tract infections, pediatrics, geriatrics and more. But families also go for wellness visits, like annual physicals and quick sports physicals for kids.

Regardless of the reason, you are treated with respect.

“Patients have far more access to information these days,” Dr. Ali says. “Patients who come through our doors have already researched their symptoms, and they often self-diagnose correctly. They know their own bodies, and we need to listen. We never dismiss a patient’s opinions or their questions. We never say, ‘I’m the doctor and I know better than you do.’ Those kinds of doctors just don’t work here.”

As a result of this mutual respect, HealthExpress physicians develop a strong rapport with patients. “It’s all about trust,” Dr. Ali says. “People feel vulnerable in a doctor’s office, and they need to be comfortable telling us about sensitive subject matters like mental health issues or addiction they may be dealing with. That’s why our practice is a no-judgment zone.”

Respect also extends to personal privacy. The staff rarely asks patients to put on a hospital gown unless it is absolutely necessary, and when it is, a chaperone is always present.

Reviving the Private Family Practice

Because medical specialists can earn more money than general practitioners, fewer medical school students are going into family care, and for Dr. Ali, that’s a problem. “Nationwide, family doctors are abandoning the field,” he explains. “They have to work harder for lower compensation, and the paperwork is overwhelming. But family care is essential to overall good health—for families and for entire communities. Our goal is to revive the family care private practice, to make it simple, easy and affordable without sacrificing quality of care.”



But that’s not all Dr. Ali is concerned about. Another issue is invisible ownership. “Private equity firms are buying up family care practices,” he adds. “And that makes it all about profit. Bureaucracy increases, costs increase, and quality of service declines. But we’re a privately-owned family medicine practice owned by board-certified physicians who grew up here. I’m from Strongsville. I still live there, and I love it.”

HealthExpress Urgent Care and Primary Care has eight locations with more on the way: 

Mayfield Heights, 6092 Mayfield Rd., 440-462-4677; Shaker Heights, 20300 Chagrin Blvd., 216-400-6212; Avon Lake, 445 Avon Belden Rd., 440-368-8818; Cleveland, 3762 Pearl Rd., 216-777-2155; North Ridgeville, 34160 Center Ridge Rd., 440-363-6788; Parma, 1400 W. Pleasant Valley Rd., 440-882-6595; Middleburg Heights, 6848 Pearl Rd., 216-345-2002; and Hartville, 864 W. Maple St., 330-877-6613.