GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A West Michigan native is opening a healthcare facility that looks to make primary access cheaper by skipping out on health insurance.
The owners of Christian Healthcare Centers say it's the first of its kind in the area. It’s based on a medical service model called direct primary care. It cuts insurance companies out of the process and provides primary care directly to patients at a monthly rate.
“We try to create a healthcare delivery model that first and foremost puts quality as defined by patients and defined by Christ as the mission for how and why we deliver healthcare.” Said Dr. Jeffery Woo, Christian Healthcare Services.
They believe the cost of medical care should be more like a phone bill instead of a mortgage. Direct primary care is a monthly payment arrangement between patients and doctors. Christian Healthcare Centers says cutting out insurance companies allows them to keep their prices low.
Prices start at $80 a month for individuals, $180 for a family of 4, and seniors and college students get a discount.
Christian Healthcare Centers CEO Mark Blocher says while they won't try to hide the fact that they're a Christian-based business, they want to open their services to everyone.
“What defines us as Christian is who we are in terms of our staff our board our administrators,” says Mark Blocher, CEO Christian Healthcare Centers. “But that doesn’t define who are patients are. So a lot of them will be Christians.”
So anyone is welcome, regardless of their faith or lack thereof.
The facility says they have all the licenses and certifications that the state of Michigan requires. All their physicians are licensed and board certified. It has an x-ray machine lab for blood work and can dispense certain medications.
And the new direct primary clinic will start seeing patients July 5th and hope to open up three more locations in Grand Rapids next year. The first Christian Healthcare Center will be at 3322 E Beltline Ave NE.
