Page 17 - MARCH2024

March 2024
By William nieman
The Place
A relatively new healthcare facility in Bristol is located on the West side of 3A, North of the Newfound River spillway, across from the South end of the Millstream Park. It is Mac- Medical DPC (Direct Primary Care). Danielle MacDonald, APRN, is its founder and pro- vider.
A patient passing through the first-floor entryway is wel- comed to a pleasant space. To call it a “Waiting Room” would be a misnomer, as one of the goals of Danielle’s practice is to eliminate waiting for diagnosis or treatment. This “Welcom- ing Room” provides two com- fortably upholstered chairs, not the institutional seating of most health facilities. Two chairs are sufficient as the number of patients is limited to allow for personalized care, which in- cludes flexible visiting appoint- ment times. A large window is brightly lit in this room, where a patient is greeted. It is deco- rated with paintings and provi- sioned with amenities such as snacks and beverages.
Danielle’s daughter, Kylee MacDonald, has appointed other spaces in this facility ex- pressively. Each of the two exam rooms has a theme. One is the “beach room”. In addition to the usual computer screens and exam table, it is decorated with starfish. A large painting illus- trates a boat, much like an Irish fisherman’s currach, pulled up on a surf-enlivened coastline. The other exam room presents a picture of a farm scene that fea- tures a farm wagon filled with the fruits of a recent harvest. Other uses of spaces include Danielle’s office, as well as the office manager, Heidi Thibo- deau’s office, which features an array of tech paraphernalia used in her intake, record keep- ing and communication work. Finally, the center includes a handicap-accessible bathroom and a lab room. In general, the facility presents a welcoming
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and carefully planned environ- ment for patient comfort and care.
The Person
Danielle MacDonald’s fam- ily (Mom Joyce, Dad Clem, and two siblings) moved to Bristol, New Hampshire when she was two years old. Danielle attended Bristol’s public schools and was in the last graduating class of the “old” Memorial High School before the Regional High was completed with a campus on Route 104. Dad worked as an independent logger, often on the road. Mom raised the family but, in time, would be employed at Hannaford. Dan- ielle, a serious student and well- known ski champion, would earn income working as a wait- ress at Gilly’s Restaurant. She graduated from Plymouth State with a Bachelor of Science de- gree, majoring in Biology and Chemistry. She aspired to a ca- reer as a doctor of medicine, but life’s circumstances, which included the birth of the first of her five children, amended that aspiration. Not relinquishing her dream, Danielle attended NHTI and earned a degree in nursing. Later, she would earn a Master’s Degree from Rivier College (now University), en- abling her to become a nurse practitioner. After almost three decades of clinical work at re- gional
hospitals, Danielle decided to open and operate MacMedical in Bristol. Her career experi- ences and personal history not only keep her current with the healthcare treatments she prac- tices but also sensitize her to the need for a healthcare supple- ment that is affordable, timely, and more personalized than the corporate model.
Treatment, Time, and Treasure
MacMedical DPC provides a healthcare supplement. Dan- ielle recommends that everyone should have health insurance to cover those medical services beyond the scope of treatments
Danielle MacDonald
penses is a complex issue, but taking advantage of MacMedi- cal’s modest one-time initial fee of $25. and a monthly “mem- bership” fee (For example, $50 a month for ages 18-39 and up to $80 a month for those over 65). MAYBE a profitable SUPPLEMENT to one’s health insurance. Without health in- surance, medical expenses can be astronomical. (An “elec- tive” joint replacement will cost $50,000 to $75,000; a non-elec- tive organ replacement can cost $800,000 to $1,000,000.) Even with insurance (private, Med- icaid, ObamaCare, Medicare, etc.), procedures that duplicate what is available at MacMedical are paid for out of pocket until the insured meets the deduct- ible. (Which can be as high as $5000 in network with Medi- care.) After that, there is usually a significant copay for each pro- cedure.
Each person’s health needs and resources are different. Likewise, there are many ways to cover one’s healthcare ex- penses. This article does not in- tend to present a comprehensive elaboration or analysis of that menu but simply to introduce the availability of a healthcare supplement. This writer has the insight only to speak for himself. In addition to Medicare, I am fortunate to have a supplemen- tal co-insurance that addresses the issues of deductibles and co- pays. Those not as fortunate as me, such as those under 65 who are not insured or have only private healthcare insurance, as well as those over 65 who have only Medicare, are often taken aback by the out-of-pocket ex- penses for procedures. These can be done and fully paid for by Direct Primary Care prac- tice membership. This article has introduced such a practice available in Bristol. For some, this practice may be the answer to out-of-pocket health care ex- penses. For many, DPC is worth exploring.
www.macmedicaldpc.com
she offers. However, the services she does provide include, but are not limited to, physicals, treating minor acute circum- stances such as cleaning and dressing wounds, consultation for mental health issues such as anxiety and addiction, drawing blood and collecting urine for lab analysis, pain relief, med- ication changes (writing pre- scriptions), monitoring chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, draining abscesses, removing skin tags as well as addressing many other skin conditions. Danielle will make timely referrals when a medical circumstance requires an additional and/or special- ized treatment or procedure.
The title of this article in- cludes “Wealthcare.” Wealth,
in this writer’s mind, includes not only capital assets and in- come. For me, it embraces time, quality time, time for recreation, family, creative thought and ac- tivity, and many other things that add to the “richness” of life. One of Danielle MacDon- ald’s goals is to make her service “timely” in two respects. First, by making it readily available, therefore eliminating extended waiting, and second, by allow- ing flexibility for the duration of each treatment visit to make it fit your schedule. As indicated earlier, Danielle achieves this goal by limiting the size of her practice.
Most of us are more accus- tomed to thinking of wealth as “money.” In this regard, choos- ing how to control medical ex-