Wellness and Preventive Medicine Comes to MedHelp

Why Wellness and Preventive Medicine at MedHelp?

Wellness and prevention have always been a part of the MedHelp vision. While urgent care is certainly a key way MedHelp serves patients in Birmingham, it isn’t all we do here. From the time we opened our first clinic over forty years ago, Dr. Michael Vaughn has sought to bring quality, convenient, and comprehensive healthcare to the community.

The providers at MedHelp not only serve as urgent care doctors, but they also provide relationship-based primary care to patients. In the past several years, we’ve continued to expand our service offerings to better meet the healthcare needs of our community.

Dr. Ashley Tamucci says, “MedHelp has really expanded what it offers to patients: a patient can really get a large part of their healthcare needs met within our clinics through our diverse service offerings.”

“During the pandemic, MedHelp CEO Dr. Jordan Vaughn also earned a reputation as a doctor who is willing to do what it takes to treat patients, even if it means following a non-traditional treatment route or being willing to consider outside-the-box ideas. His goal has always been to help patients get well,” Tamucci continues.

In adding Wellness and Preventive Medicine to our service offerings at MedHelp, we’re also looking to continue the work that Dr. James McMinn began through the McMinn Clinic. When Dr. McMinn retired, MedHelp became the custodian of his records. Former McMinn patients have the option of continuing their care through the providers at MedHelp or choosing to move their records and find another provider.

Amy Wedlund, former Practice Administrator at the McMinn Clinic, has joined the MedHelp team to continue serving Dr. McMinn’s patients. “I already know the patients and I’m very familiar with their needs. My goal is to help patients have a smooth, seamless transition to their new provider here at MedHelp,” she explains. Our providers are going to continue to focus on prevention, wellness, and getting to the root cause of your symptoms.

How is this service different from primary care?

Primary care and preventive medicine may seem very similar – especially with the approach to primary care that we take at MedHelp – but there are still several differences.

Strategy

Dr. Tamucci says, “Your primary care doctor is going to look at things like your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol and work with you to get them to a healthy place. But your primary care doctor may not be able to help you with things that are difficult to measure like energy, sleep, sex drive, or anxiety – especially if all of your typical labs look normal. Yet these things can have a tremendous impact on your quality of life.”

Our strategy for Wellness and Preventive Medicine patients will be driven by targeting the root cause of a patient’s symptoms. We’ll use lab work to aid our diagnostic process, but these labs aren’t always the same that you get at your typical wellness visit. While treatment may include the use of traditional medications, it won’t always be the first thing your provider goes to. Treatment plans may also include the use of hormones, supplements, and holistic lifestyle changes such as nutrition or sleep hygiene.

Structure

In a traditional primary care appointment, insurance plans often limit the amount of time a doctor can spend with their patients. For Wellness and Preventive Medicine patients, we ensure that every patient has the time they deserve with their provider. To facilitate this, all Wellness and Preventive Medicine visits are cash pay only. We will, however, bill your insurance for labs wherever possible.

Amy Wedlund, manager of MedHelp Women’s and Wellness, can provide more information about the cost of your visit.

Location

Primary care patients at MedHelp are able to see their primary care doctor within our five main clinics. They’re able to schedule appointments, but they share a waiting room and clinic space with urgent care patients. This helps us to provide outstanding service to all of our urgent care and primary care patients.

Wellness and Preventive Medicine patients are seen at MedHelp Women’s and Wellness, which is located next door to our Lakeshore urgent care clinic in Homewood. This clinic has its own entrance, a quiet and comfortable waiting room, and separate exam rooms.

What kind of impact can this type of care have on patients?

Dr. Tamucci says, “In my work as a gynecologist, I was able to see firsthand the tremendous impact bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) can have on patients. When I was still at Brookwood, I had the privilege of serving a lot of Dr. McMinn’s patients, and I loved to support the work he was doing while meeting their gynecological needs."

“But I also have a personal connection. My husband had some rheumatological issues that just would not go away. We tried everything: medication, specialists, physical therapy, injections, and more. But the more research I did, the more I was convinced that he needed to try a more functional medicine approach to this.”

“He met with Jennifer Carter, who will be helping with nutrition in our clinic, and she recommended some specific dietary changes to address his symptoms. He implemented them the very next day, and within six weeks, he was feeling so much better. Since that time, he’s been able to come off his medication and is thriving,” Dr. Tamucci continues.

Amy Wedlund has also seen countless lives impacted in her ten years at Dr. McMinn’s clinic. She says, “I even had my own issues with gut health that Dr. McMinn was able to help me with, and my husband has also been impacted by this type of care.”

Wellness and Preventive Medicine can be truly transformative for patients who are looking to feel better and get to the root cause of their troubling symptoms.

Who can benefit from Wellness and Preventive Medicine?

Both men and women can benefit from this type of healthcare. It can especially be helpful for patients who are experiencing fatigue, anxiety, low libido, hair loss, or weight gain. But patients must be willing to try something new.

Dr. Tamucci explains, “You’re not going to just come in and get a magic pill that’s going to make you feel better. While traditional pharmaceuticals may be part of your treatment plan, you can also expect that you’ll be treated with a combination of diet, lifestyle changes, sleep and stress management, hormones, and supplements.”

“Traditional healthcare will treat your symptoms. While this helps many patients feel better, we’re looking to get to the root cause of your symptoms so that you can be truly well. This will truly require patients to partner with their provider."

Dr. Tamucci believes that the COVID-19 pandemic was truly a wake-up call. “If we don’t get healthier as a society, we’re all doomed. Insurance isn’t going to make you healthier. Patients are going to have to advocate and participate in their health. By offering Wellness and Preventive Medicine at MedHelp, we’re hoping to be the partner patients need to get truly healthy.”

To learn more about Wellness and Preventive Medicine at MedHelp or to schedule an appointment, call or email Amy Wedlund. She’s happy to answer your questions and help you determine if this is a good fit for you.