What is Direct Primary Care, and is it for you? Indian Land’s newest provider explains
LIGHT Family Wellness is Indian Land's newest Direct Primary Care provider
March 16, 2021, | Wilson
When family medicine physician Dr. Crystal A. Maxwell opened her practice LIGHT Family Wellness in January, she did it to fix what she saw was a broken medical system.
After 10 years of practicing at a community health clinic, Maxwell found that she was seeing patients back to back, and felt like she never had the time to get to the root of her patient’s issues. “This is not what I thought medicine should be like for people,” said Maxwell.
The lack of one-on-one time spent with her patients fueled Maxwell to shift from practicing medicine the traditional way.
Maxwell wanted to provide personalized, affordable care for patients with no hidden fees. After attending conferences and consulting with other doctors, Maxwell realized that the Direct Primary Care model, which is a growing trend in the medical field, would allow her to be the physician she had originally set out to be.
The Direct Primary Care model is a model where patients pay their physician or practice directly in the form of monthly or annual payments for a defined set of primary care services.
Direct Primary Care V.S. Traditional Primary Care
Two big things:
Cost: Patients don’t have to worry about not understanding costs. They pay a flat monthly membership fee in exchange for access to a broad range of primary care and medical administrative services. “Whether you have insurance or not, direct primary care is still affordable,” explained Maxwell. “Patients don’t have to worry about a co-pay.”
Maxwell went on to explain that she likes to keep it simple so that patients understand how much their care will cost upfront. “It is very frustrating to get those bills after you have gone through something traumatic. I’m hoping that now that my patients have access to me whenever they need me, they are not waiting two to three months to get the care they need and that we can prevent those preventable diseases.”
Accessibility: Dr. Maxwell has a smaller amount of patients which allows her to be more accessible. With most primary care practices, each physician will carry about 2,000 to 3,000 patients, while direct primary care practices will carry between 500 and 600 patients. “When you need me, I’m there,” explained Dr. Maxwell. “All of my patients have my cell phone number. They can call me or text me when they need me.”
Services and Expertise:
In addition to Direct Primary Care, LIGHT Family Wellness offers expertise on women’s health, diabetes and hypertension, and wellness planning. Services include:
Chronic disease prevention
Lifestyle coaching & counseling
Annual physical exams
Chronic disease management
Low-cost lab & medications
Memberships and Costs:
Membership costs depending on age and range from $70/month to $90/month. Discounts are provided to families. There is also a one-time enrollment fee of $100/individual or $150/family.
LIGHT Family Wellness also offers memberships for small businesses with 5-55 employees at $65/month. There is a one-time enrollment fee of $200.
Memberships Include:
Unlimited visits
30-60 minute sessions
Discounted labs
No surprise billing
LIGHT Family Wellness
LIGHT Family Wellness is located next to the EmergencyMD in Bridgemill Commons off Hwy 521. LIGHT stands for “Living in God’s Holy Temple”. The name was chosen to reflect that your body is a temple and you need to take care of it.
Dr. Crystal A. Maxwell attended the University of Tennessee and is a board-certified physician. She served as the Chief Medical Officer of a 7-site community health center in SC from 2012 until last year. In 2015, Maxwell was selected as Provider of the Year by South Carolina Primary Health Care Association. She also provides health education and coaching services as the Healthcare Ministry Coordinator of her church.
Maxwell and her husband moved to Indian Land in 2013 and share a 9-year-old daughter.
LIGHT Family Wellness
2021 Bridgemill Dr. Suite 102
Fort Mill, SC 29707
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