Personal Family Physicians

It's no mistake that Dr. Michael Jennings named his medical office Personal Family Physicians. Michael is putting the personal touch back into health care with his new paradigm. His office, 4525 Wasatch Blvd. Suite 310, opened in December to provide personalized health care primarily for those who are self-employed, uninsured or have a high deductible insurance plan.

Personal Family Physicians isn't part of an insurance provider network. Michael says this allows him to spend more time with each patient. Before, his time was monopolized with filling out paperwork or chasing down approval from the insurance company. Having it his way allows him to give the care each patient needs and deserves.

"When I left the traditional preferred provider network I was really disenchanted with the way the system has evolved over time," Michael says. "The insurance companies dictated patient care with setting rules on how much they will pay and how many visits they will cover."

At Personal Family Physicians, the approach to care is based on what the patient wants and needs.

"If a patient needs a test done, I don't have to ask permission to do a test that clearly needs to be done and the patient isn't limited to a certain number of visits," Michael says.

Patients can actually have unlimited visits for a one-time yearly fee and have access to care 24 hours a day seven days a week. They don't have to worry about a co-pay, additional fees or a deductible to reach. The yearly fee covers all visits, lab work and 25 physical therapy sessions. The staff at Personal Family Physicians will provide a payment plan to suit your budget.

Michael limits his practice to 500 patients to ensure his practice remains personalized.

"Doctors have to maintain at least 2,500 patients to make up for decreasing amount the insurance company pays or the cuts in Medicare reimbursements," he says.

The limited number of patients per physician is why you won't find Personal Family Physician's waiting room filled to overflowing. And appointments are given adequate time.

"People complain about having a long wait to then only have five to 10 minutes with the doctor. They hardly have enough time to ask questions, much less get them answered," Michael says.

Another benefit of this practice is that nobody is "uninsurable." It's a very common condition with the rising cost of insurance and with the downturn of the economy for employers to drop insurance benefits. Individuals with pre-existing conditions or with conditions deemed as uninsurable, need not worry about being turned away. There are no risk factors or pre-requisites to receive care.

"There are a huge number of people crossing their fingers hoping nothing bad happens to them," Michael says. "So many of them have health conditions that should be addressed now before they become a problem or haunt them in the future."

For those that can get insurance, Michael recommends getting a high deductible catastrophic medical insurance plan to cover the worst case scenario to avoid bankruptcy. People with medical coverage can also select a higher deductible plan and utilize his services so that a smaller amount of their premium is taken from each paycheck. He also encourages those who have access to a health savings account to put that tax-free money aside which can be applied to his yearly fee and other medical incidentals.

Personal Family Physician is currently accepting patients. For more information about yearly fees or services visit www.pfpslc.com or call 801-712-8400.