In a time where health insurance has so many questions, one medical practice looks to have an answer.
Tri-Cities Health is moving locations from Johnson City to Elizabethton and will be located at 2208 West Elk Ave. in Elizabethton with their opening set for April 4.
Unlike most doctor offices, Rob McMurtrey with Tri Cities Health said their business does not accept health insurance.
“We decided not to accept insurance in order to cut out the middle man,” McMurtrey said. “With today’s rising healthcare costs, most co-pays are $45 – $50 then insurance is billed for an additional $50 to $150. The complete cost for a primary care visit at our office is always $50.
“Processing insurance takes time and money,” he added. “Additionally, insurance policies dictate the care a patient can receive or not receive in many cases. By making our prices transparent, patients can be in control of their own health more affordable. There are never any surprises. Most of our patients have insurance but choose to use us because they find us far more affordable than clinics that accept insurance.”
Medical services offered at the office include:
• Primary care for conditions – hypertension, hypothyroidism, diabetes and high cholesterol.
• IV vitamin infusions for fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, seasonal allergies, chronic fatigue, and migraines.
• Bio-identical hormone replacement and treatment of sexual dysfunction for men and women.
• Sports medicine care – sports physicals, trigger point injections and nerve blocks.
• DOT physicals, drug testing, and complete weight loss services.
“The basis of our type of clinic goes back to the “Golden Rule” – do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” McMurtrey said. “This adage applies toward many aspects of health care.”
When discussing the difference of Tri Cities Health, McMurtrey added the office does not prescribe or treat patients with any medications or procedures “that we would use for ourselves our family members.”
“Our personal health goals have always been to use as few prescription medications as possible,” he added. “We incorporate the same goals for our patients. If we have a patient of several medications and they are interested in reducing them, we help them reach this goal is a safe, natural manner.”
Having the ability to accept individuals without going through hurdles allows Tri Cities Health to have a more personable relationship with patients, McMurtey said.
“We feel that a patient and their health care provider should have an established relationship,” he said. “We know our patients on a first name basis, and we remember their health goals from one visit to the next. Continuous care by one provider is far superior to being passed around to another provider at each visit.”
Tri Cities Health is a family-operated business. Rob’s wife, Dr. Kimberly McMurtrey DNP, FNP-C, earned her doctorate at the University of Alabama and is a full-time assistant professor at the University of South Alabama in their Family Nurse Practitioner program. Dr. Kim is also a full-time student at Tulane pursuing a post-doctorate degree in Culinary Medicine.
“Dr. McMurtrey is an avid organic gardener and firmly believes in the quote from Hippocrates ‘Let thy food be thy medicine and let thy medicine be thy food,’” Rob said. “She feels that we are blessed here in East Tennessee with many healthy fruits, herbs, and medicinal plants that can help us achieve good health.”
Rob services as the office manager and clinical administrator while Christy Poiroux earned an Associate Degree in Nursing at Bishop State in Alabama and serves as the receptionist and nursing assistant.
Visit tricitieshealth.net or Tri Cities Health on Facebook for more information.