Dr. Robert Habig and Dr. Mary Pat Forkin, board-certified family physicians, and Dr. Elaine Habig, board-certified internal/adult medicine physician, have been providing health care for families in Carmel and surrounding communities for many years. They are among the founders of American Health Network (AHN), a group of physicians delivering high-quality, low-cost health care as independent practices.
In 2016, AHN was bought and managed by Optum (UnitedHealthcare). At the time the three doctors were discouraged with what health care had become. They began considering how great it would be if doctors could work for patients, rather than corporations.
“We thought, ‘What if doctors could spend as much time as needed with patients, be available 24 hours a day, promise same-day or next-day visits, have a no-wait policy in the waiting room, be free from insurance and billing, and offer care not just in Carmel, but wherever a patient travels, coordinating care with specialists?’” says Dr. Elaine Habig. “And what if we made it an annual membership with unlimited visits and care?”
In 2016 the trio launched a Direct Primary Care practice, now known as Westfield Premier Physicians (WPP).
“We are dedicated to delivering health care as we had been trained – a direct relationship between physician and patient without the government and insurance companies in the exam room,” says Forkin.
Because Habig and Forkin want their core values and ethics to be carried on for many years, they welcome dedicated primary care physicians to their practice, like Dr. Mazhar (Mo) Khan, who is board certified in family medicine and a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
“Primary care is basically the same thing as concierge medicine, but at a more affordable price point that makes it accessible to so many more people,” says Khan. “That’s essentially what FreedomDoc at Westfield Premier is.”
According to Khan, the average family doctor has between 2,500 and 3,000 people on their panels. This volume of patients often does not optimize one-on-one time between patient and doctor, which is why wait times often stretch out for weeks. This is precisely why people have lost favor with the traditional health care system and feel a disconnection with their primary doctors.
“People feel rushed and discarded, and often like doctors are trying to shove pills down their throats,” says Khan, who notes that at FreedomDoc, they take a more holistic approach to care by addressing changes in behaviors and lifestyles.
In recent years there has been a cultural shift, and many people want to learn to eat better, cook right and do more to promote a healthy lifestyle, rather than simply requesting a prescription medication.
“People have a thirst for knowledge, and that’s what a doctor is supposed to do – share knowledge – as real treatment begins with patient education,” says Khan. “How many people have heart failure but don’t know what that is? How many people have diabetes and think it’s because they’ve eaten too many jelly doughnuts? How many people are morbidly obese and have been told all their life that they eat too many calories?”
At FreedomDoc at Westfield Premier, doctors ideally take care of between 300 and 400 patients, which ensures that at a minimum, patients get a 30-minute appointment. If they need more time, however, that’s no problem.
“Having more patients at the cost of not being able to provide the best quality care doesn’t sit well with me,” says Khan, who vows that he’ll never go back to working in a hospital-based practice that values quantity over quality. “It’s so important to build relationships with patients. Getting to know their backgrounds is not only helpful when it comes to treatment, but that personal touch also makes people feel more comfortable.”
With a Direct Primary Care doc, patients can contact their doctor through a secure portal, even during off hours.
“Say you just start a new medication and feel a weird sensation in your stomach,” Khan says. “I’d rather you call and ask the doctor who prescribed it than wait until morning or have to see the nurse practitioner. We pride ourselves on having that intimate connection with our patients.”
Many people get frustrated getting bounced around from doctor to doctor, perhaps seeing physicians’ assistants and nurse practitioners rather than their primary care doc. When this happens, continuity of care is lost, and so is trust.
“People trust us with their most valuable asset – their health,” says Khan. “We’re the answer to all the people who are frustrated with the existing medical system, insurance, deductibles and all that jazz.”
Traditional systems often might not enable doctors to take the time to look at the person as a whole. They might not consider age, socioeconomic status, culture, religion and other variables when managing care. For example, Khan has some Hispanic patients who have their own cultural and religious dispositions that affect their care. Khan takes all of that into account.
“I have the time to get to know them and see what will work for them,” says Khan. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all. I truly feel like if everybody had access to this type of care, we could get people out of hospitals and give them a good quality of life.”
For more information, call 317-763-2131 or visit wpp.freedomdoc.care.
