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Lewiston doctor introduces WNY to new model of care

Posted at 6:39 PM, Nov 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-20 18:40:06-05

Purely Pediatrics looks more like a home than a typical doctor's office. And it uses a new approach to medicine that Dr. Susan Wiepert hopes will allow everyone access to high-quality care for an affordable price.

The office follows the direct primary care model. Dr. Wiepert says it's growing in popularity across the country, but Purely Pediatrics is the only one of its kind here in WNY.

"We get to not only educate, but learn about the families and what they're dealing with when they're not here," Dr. Wiepert said. "Which we try to do in the traditional medical model, but you just don't always have the time."

Instead of relying on insurance reimbursement, the office charges families a membership fee of $39 per month, per child. Purely Pediatrics caps the price per family at $117 per month, even for families with more than three children.

"The membership fee covers everything I can do under this roof," explained Dr. Wiepert. "It includes well and sick visits. It includes procedures such as staples, sutures, foreign body removals."

The membership structure allows Dr. Wiepert more time with each patient and more direct care. But, she still recommends having some type of health insurance to cover procedures outside of her office, including hospital visits.

"Every patient has an hour long appointment," explained Jones. "Telemedicine. So families can text, call, email. There are so many different options out there to really have them accessible to us."

The fixed, flat-rate fee structure means Purely Pediatrics doesn't need to serve a certain number of patients each day to fund its operations.

"We're doing so much more than just the in and out," Jones said. "We're able to really get to know the families, talk to them and go more in depth with their history."