Episode 81: The Future of Family Medicine
Dual board-certified physician in family and integrative medicine, Dr. Jill Valerius has a valuable story to share on this continuation of our mini-series of successful practices. Her journey reflects a narrative familiar to many: beginning in a conventional medical setting, trying to cater to thousands, only to grapple with mounting frustration as her practice began to drift from her core purpose in medicine.
Dr. Valerius abandoned traditional family practice delivery models and transitioned to a membership-based approach.
This move not only streamlined her patient list but also deeply enriched her patient relationships, elevating the overall quality of care. Our hosts, Dr. Salyer and Dr. Valerius, tackle the pressing questions that might be on the minds of physicians contemplating a similar leap. With candidness, Dr. Valerius chronicles her journey, emphasizing its transformative effects on patient interactions, care standards, and her personal sense of satisfaction.
This episode is testament to the adaptability of healthcare providers and many ways that holistic family medicine can be delivered.
About Jill K Valerius, MD, ABoIM, IFMCP, ATC:
Dr. Valerius is dual Board Certified in Family and Integrative Medicine, as well as additional certification in Functional Medicine. She started her medical career as a Certified Athletic Trainer. She has been practicing in the Mat-Su Valley since 2003. Now Health is a membership-based practice focusing on personalized care. Dr. Valerius is passionate about the fact that the future of health care needs to focus on educating and empowering individuals in lifestyle choices to create health rather than diagnosing “disease or ailments” and prescribing medications. Outside of work, Dr. Valerius enjoys a variety of outdoor pursuits, cooking, reading, and is committed to lifelong learning.
In This Episode We're Talking About:
- Functional Medicine is a lens, not a type of practice
- Family Medicine is a great speciality, we just need to evolve
- The future of medicine is changing our delivery model
Quotes:
- “Conventional medicine is a patchwork. We treat symptoms, we pacify things, we make numbers look better. We don’t necessarily make people’s health better.” (7:41 | Dr. Valerius)
- “We can change this. We can change the system. And honestly, we are so good in this country. When we need acute medical care, we are so good. But when it comes to everything else, we rank so poorly. And we have money in this country that other countries don’t have, but we don’t have foundational health that poor countries have.” (14:38 | Dr. Valerius)
- “It’s an exciting future of evolved family practice that you’re saying I am going to talk about things that are not going to be typical and you’re allowing, kind of curiosity and open mindedness to come together as you partner with patients.” (39:32 | Dr. Salyer)
Links for this Episode:
Connect with Dr. Jill K Valerius:
Website: www.nowhealthpalmer.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nowhealthpalmer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillvalerius/
Connect with Dr. Lara Salyer:
Website: https://drlarasalyer.com
Catalyst Kit: https://rightbrainrescue.com/p/catalyst_kit
Instagram: @drlarasalyer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drlarasalyer
Linked-In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlarasalyer/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DrLaraSalyer
TikTok: @Creativity.Doctor
Thank You For Listening!
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About The Catalyst Host, Dr. Lara Salyer:
I worked as a family physician for 15 years until burnout changed the trajectory of my career. I realized I wanted to start a holistic functional medicine practice in my rural hometown and made it happen. In addition to practicing functional medicine, I now mentor practitioners who are looking to change their paths in healthcare by using what I refer to as the “Catalyst Roadmap”. I share each step of this framework with listeners so that they may apply it to their careers, relationships, personal goals, and projects.
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