Inspiring Conversations with Kym Moyer of Magnolia Family Medicine

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kym Moyer.

Hi Kym, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
What makes my story unique is that I opened my medical practice without waiting rooms, co-pays/per-visit charges, and every patient has my cell phone number in case they have an urgent issue after-hours or just a quick question during the day.

I can do these things because I have removed middlemen from my medical practice. I have no large corporate overhead and I also do not bill health insurance. This boils the relationship down to the patient and doctor only.

Because of this, there is a drastic reduction in cost for the patient, transparent pricing, and an improvement in their healthcare experience. My practice functions on a monthly membership fee from my patients. It is $85/month for an adult and $35/month for a child. Under this membership, I am able to offer patients more affordable, more convenient, and hassle-free healthcare.

Straight out of residency, I turned down local job offers with hospital groups and big sign-on bonuses. And in January of 2020, I opened my family practice in a “one-room office” that included a medical exam table, my desk, and clinic supplies for testing and treatments.

I was the only staff member for the first 2 years. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to purchase a new and larger medical home allowing space to grow as we continue to take on new patients. The practice has grown from 1 patient to hundreds. Since we are not involved with insurance reimbursement, we are 100% focused on patient care!

Please check out my website for an informational video!

Dr. Moyer is a board-certified Family Medicine Physician. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee, then attended four years of medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tampa Bay, FL. In residency, she served as Chief Resident for her family medicine program at Manatee Memorial Hospital.

During residency, Dr. Moyer developed a passion to provide not only high-quality care, but healthcare that was convenient, affordable, and price transparent for her patients. She returned to her roots in Tennessee and started Magnolia Family Medicine, a direct primary care practice. In her free time, Dr. Moyer enjoys spending time with her husband and children doing anything outdoors.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Our community has been very responsive to this direct primary care model. But still, there are people that confuse good health insurance with good healthcare as the two unfortunately are not as related as they seem. So the community educational component is ongoing.

I like to use a car insurance analogy- we use car insurance for catastrophic car accidents and we pay out of pocket for our routine maintenance like tire rotations and oil changes. Primary care is the routine maintenance of our bodies. It’s our sick visits, annual physicals, blood work, and chronic disease management.

When my patients pay out of pocket for their primary care and only utilize insurance for catastrophic things like surgery, ER visits, or hospitalizations they end up saving a huge amount on healthcare expenses.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am a Family Physician (I see newborns and up) and Magnolia Family Medicine is a direct primary care practice. I answered this question in the first paragraph I wrote and there is a great video on my website!

www.magnoliafm.com

We practice modern medicine the old-fashioned way!

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I have learned that its the doctor-patient relationship that fosters good communication and good healthcare as the result.

Having open communication with my patients via text and call throughout the pandemic gave our practice the unique advantage of being able to continue offering the care they needed when they needed it.

Pricing:

• $85/month Adults
• $35/month Children
• House calls $100 each

Contact Info:

• Website: www.magnoliafm.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MagnoliaFamMed/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@kymmoyer1

Image Credits
BLK Fox Media, Small Town Startup, and Rick Murray Photography