Dr. Messalina Jordan, DO, BA Family Care
Practice Location: Collinsville, AL
Written content: Breanne Brazeale
Videography: Don Redman
Dr Frannie Koe, MD, MPH is not only the owner and CEO of AgroshareMD, she is also a family care physician with two clinics, including her Direct Primary Care clinic in Collinsville, AL. Through the three interviews below with a former nurse practitioner and her current clinic medical assistant and office manager, respectively, you can get to know more about Dr. Koe, Valley Care DPC, and whether DPC is right for you.
The first video, linked above, features Dana Siniard, NP. Dana has since moved to Mississippi to be closer to family, but she worked first as a student and then as a nurse practitioner with Dr. Koe at Valley Care DPC for several years. Dana was a nurse for 20 years before earning her NP. When Dr. Koe asked her what her favorite part of working in a DPC practice was, Ms. Siniard shared it was the ability to provide affordable care to those who normally wouldn’t be able to access it. She also loves the fact patients can spend more time with her than they could in a traditional practice, as she enjoys getting to know her patients and talking to people from all different backgrounds.
Being able to spend 30 minutes to an hour with each patient is also one of Dr Koe’s main reasons for opening her DPC clinic. Dr Koe emphasizes that DPC isn’t just a solution for people who lack insurance or who have financial concerns. She feels getting to know her patients on a deeper level is integral to providing them with the best care possible, and the biggest benefit of DPC is that she can spend more time with each patient. Dr Koe wants to reiterate that it isn’t the doctor’s fault that they can’t spend as much time with their patients in a traditional clinical practice. The challenges lie with our current medical system and the fact that insurance billing issues create such demands on physicians’ time.
Dana also wants potential patients to know that they can often perform minor surgeries and procedures such as stitches at the clinic. This saves patients time and money, and Valley Care DPC often works with other organizations to secure low cost or discounted health services for under-insured patients when more serious health issues arrive. Ms. Siniard also loves when people with unmanaged diabetes or blood pressure actively make lifestyle changes and they see a marked improvement in their health and quality of life after they use the tools that Dr Koe gives them.
Besides all the benefits of DPC, Dr. Koe and Dana Siniard, NP, also discuss the limitations. Through her Wills Valley Medicine clinic, Dr Koe offers home visits for those who need them, but cannot for DPC patients because of the cost. Also, while Dr Koe tries to be available for all of her patients, she wants to clarify that Direct Primary Care is not the same as being a concierge doctor or on call 24 hours a day. If she cannot respond personally to every text, she encourages patients to call the clinic and speak with Teresa, her medical assistant.
As one of four DPC practitioners in Northeast Alabama, Dr. Koe feels it’s important to understand what makes each DPC clinic different. She hopes that with a deeper understanding of what each doctor and their practice offer, patients can make informed decisions about which practitioner would be the best fit for them and their lifestyle. For Dr. Koe, what sets her practice apart is her focus on prevention. Dr. Koe incorporates education about nutrition and delves deep into their lifestyle to treat her patients as a whole person. She feels that many health concerns can be avoided by eating well, addressing stress, and staying active.
Dr Koe shares that she’s had negative experiences as a patient and doesn’t want that for the people who come to see her. She doesn’t want patients to feel like they are being talked down to, which is why she provides and promotes education so that everyone can be a partner in their own health. Dr Koe also strives to build a relationship with every patient regardless of addiction or other any other hurdles. She encourages an open and honest relationship because she feels strongly that the more she knows about her patients’ health issues and personal addictions, challenges, etc., the higher quality and more personal care she can provide.
Another way that sets Valley Care DPC apart is the fact that Dr. Koe sometimes suggests natural remedies or alternative healing modalities for mild health concerns. She stresses she is not an herbalist; her background is medical. However, she feels comfortable offering science-backed and thoroughly researched safe alternatives in appropriate situations.
Dr. Koe hopes that both patients and practitioners alike can learn more about Direct Primary Care as a healthcare model for the future. She wants patients to take part actively in their own health and to know that every single person is worthy of a vibrant and fulfilling life. She also wants doctors to avoid getting burnt out, to enjoy what they do, and to take fantastic care of their patients and themselves. Dr. Koe reiterates her clinics would not be what they are today without the help of her incredible team.
Teresa Wright, Medical Assistant
https://youtu.be/DImgFS6ZBvE?si=CDIxRYR0mFkdckHr
The second video, linked above, features Dr. Koe and Teresa Wright. Teresa Wright is Dr. Koe’s medical assistant at Valley Care DPC. Teresa has experience working in both of Dr. Koe’s clinics (Wills Valley Family Medicine and Valley Care DPC).
Because the DPC clinic is structured differently, Ms. Wright has more responsibilities and has learned more skills than she feels she would have in a traditional clinic or practice. At Valley Care DPC, Teresa handles patient billing, answers the phones and communicates with patients, administers shots and draws blood, sets up patient rooms, counts out medication, and assists Dr. Koe in many other ways. Dr. Koe adds that one of her main goals is for all of her staff to be highly skilled and well rounded, both so that her patients can receive the highest quality care possible and so that her staff can have successful careers as valued employees wherever they choose.
Teresa also feels that working in a DPC clinic is exciting. Every day is different because they see such a wide variety of patients, and she enjoys that she never knows what to expect next. She also feels that they can get to know the DPC patients on a more personal level and greets everyone by name when they come in for a visit. She and Dr. Koe hope to make doctor’s visits feel less intimidating and more comfortable for everyone.
Claudia Moreno, Office Manager and AgroshareMD CFO
https://youtu.be/xRPHfl2OgLE?si=JaO6uv8uRlO9VgdM
In the video linked above, Dr. Koe chats with her Office Manager and CFO of AgroshareMD, Claudia Moreno. Ms. Moreno knows the ins and outs of both practices as she has been an employee of Dr. Koe’s since 2008 when she began as a part time filing clerk. Claudia has been her Office Manager since 2012.
Dr Koe opened her DPC clinic in July 2017, almost seven years ago, and Claudia manages both Wills Valley Family Medicine and Valley Care DPC. When asked what she thinks the best benefits of DPC are for the patients, Claudia responded that the lack of copays means patients can take better care of their health because worries about finances won’t keep them out of the clinic. She also shared that patients usually take their medicines with more regularity because pills are more affordable through DPC.
Patients come from all over AL, including Fairhope, Decatur, Blountsville, and Tuscaloosa. Despite the wide geographic range of patients, Claudia shares that the DPC clinic is much more streamlined and easier to manage than the insurance-based Wills Valley Family Medicine clinic.
Dr. Koe shares that the hardest part of running any type of medical clinic is hiring and maintaining a good staff, but that over the years they have created an incredible all-female staff who are more like family than coworkers. Dr. Koe prefers to hire people who come to her first in a student capacity, because it allows her to observe their work ethic and how their personality will mesh with those of her current employees. She also discusses with Claudia that the biggest healthcare expense is her employees. The time and the supplies are not as expensive, but in a traditional medical practice, you must charge for the cost of employing the billers and insurance coders, clinicians and medical assistants, and more. In her DPC practice, because it is based on a monthly fee which patients pay themselves, she can streamline her costs and pass those savings on to her patients. Dr. Koe loves that besides being able to communicate more with her patients and focus on preventative medicine, DPC also allows her more freedom to pursue her passions, including spending time on her farm in Collinsville and increasing her community involvement through endeavors like AgroshareMD.
To learn more about DPC or to become a patient of Valley Care DPC, please visit: https://valleycaredpc.com/