Daily Inspiration: Meet Dr. Ashley Froese

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Ashley Froese.

Hi Dr. Ashley, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started Prime Direct Health as a way to give patients better care and more access to their primary care doctor. The clinic runs off of the Direct Primary Care model which means that patients pay a monthly membership fee to have access to the clinic and doctor versus using insurance to pay for care. This allows the patient and doctor to have extended, relaxed visits without the rushed feeling you get at a traditional practice.

The clinic opened up in September of 2020 and has since had steady growth, celebrating 200 active patients this month. Once we hit 500-600 patients, we will be ‘full’. The cap on the number of patients allows me to still provide good care without sacrificing quality.

Most patient visits last as long as 45 minutes in the office. The entire time is spent with the doctor and there is no limit to the number of problems a patient wants to discuss. There is also no limit on office visits and there is no extra cost for visits. Spending this much time with patients allows the me to establish a true relationship with each patient. This relationship is critical to avoiding errors in care.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As with most new businesses, it can be difficult finding your groove. When Prime Direct Health opened, nobody knew that it existed. So, the roughest part has, by far, been marketing. Once people know about the clinic, the next hurdle is selling them on the fact that this model of healthcare is as good as it seems and worth not using insurance for. We have actually doubled in size just over the last four months. All of this growth has been through word-of-mouth, real Google reviews, and patients spending 20-30 minutes with me to see that I am here to really take care of patients rather than make a quick dollar.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a board-certified family medicine physician. I went to Oregon State University and graduated with a degree in Nutrition Science. Next, I went to osteopathic medical school at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee. Then I completed my family medicine residency at The University of Alabama. By default, family medicine physicians see all types of problems and all ages. We consider ourselves the front door of healthcare. I enjoy this diversity, but my favorite types of problems to see are sports medicine-related. I enjoy honing in on musculoskeletal problems that cause pain and fixing those problems. Whether that be through manipulation, targeting stretching and exercises, or injections with steroid medications or platelet-rich plasma. This love of sports medicine has its roots through my love of CrossFit and taking care of several members of the gym I go to.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking?
I would say that opening up your own practice as a medical practitioner is incredibly risky because we tend to have a lot of debt from schooling/training and won’t make a lot of money while we are getting a practice up and running. So yes, I would say I take risks, but probably not major ones. It’s hard for a doctor to take “major” risks because the stakes can be too high when dealing with patient care.

Pricing:

• Kids 0-18 membership $25/month
• Ages 19-44 membership $60/month
• Ages 45-64 membership $80/month
• Ages 65+ membership $100/month
• Initial Consultations (without medical advice) FREE

Contact Info:

• Email: afroese@primedirecthealth.com
• Website: www.primedirecthealth.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primedirecthealthaz/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/primedirecthealthAZ