03/16/2024
Thank you CH2 for sharing my story!
IN A NEW OFFICE AT BLUFFTON CENTRE, LOTUS HEALTH IS CREATING A SPACE FOR HEALING.
Article by Barry Kaufman
Photography by M.Kat
Dr. Kamal Patel knew from an early age that healthcare was his calling. But as he built his career in medicine, he realized that his childhood dream of helping patients lead healthier lives was often at odds with the financial realities of modern healthcare.
“For a lot of physicians, including myself, it’s been a volume-driven entity, especially in primary care. We see a lot of patients and manage quite a few lives,” Dr. Patel said. In his previous practice, he found himself with nearly 2,000 patients in his panel. “It’s not something I felt was sustainable. That’s not why I got into primary care. I wanted to be an advocate for patients and be there for them on acute basis and in long term.”
Knowing that he wanted to provide more for his patients than the traditional model would allow, Dr. Patel began exploring the growing field of concierge medicine. By limiting his number of patients, he found he could give each of those patients the attention and care they truly needed to thrive.
“I’d had a few friends and colleagues pursue concierge medicine, and they all spoke positively about it. I did a little bit of soul searching and decided this was the right thing to do,” Dr. Patel said.
And so it was that on November 1, 2022, Dr. Patel’s life-long dream of providing honest and attentive care to his patients came true and Lotus Health was born. Members of his new practice get the full benefit of Dr. Patel’s expertise, experience, and attention, whether it’s long-term management of chronic conditions, same-day visits for acute problems or just regular check-ups for preventive care, patients at Lotus Health get the kind of hands-on medicine we all deserve.
“The limited membership allows us to comfortably handle a smaller population of patients. My typical visit with a patient can now last up to an hour, where before it was 15 minutes and I was usually running 30 minutes behind,” he said. “Now time isn’t an enemy, it’s an ally. We can really dive into each individual and customize their care plan based on where we as a team need it to be.”
With time now on his side, Dr. Patel not only could see his patients for longer, he started to see the business of medicine in an entirely new light. “It’s really helped me realize how much of a divide there is between what we can do and what medicine is under an insurance-based model. It’s really not health care, it’s sick care,” he said. “The concierge model handles sick care, but the focus is really on well care, which is where we all want it to be.”
With the support of loyal membership, his practice will now grow into a brand-new location on Bluffton Parkway. Just as the concierge model has allowed Dr. Patel to redefine the care he can offer, this new location will be his way of changing what a doctor’s office can offer.
Rather than the austerity and imposing spaces of a traditional office, the new Lotus Health will be a calming space, with areas set aside for wellness and an overall vibe that leans more toward a high-end spa than a medical practice.
“We really wanted to modernize the feeling of being in a doctor’s office,” Dr. Patel said.
“They’ve found that simply walking into a typical doctor’s office can raise one’s blood pressure. I don’t want that negative connotation. I want it to feel like you’re walking into a spa or your favorite restaurant.”
With Lotus Health, Dr. Kamal Patel is rewriting the rulebook of medicine – one where the patient comes first, the patient’s time is valued, and the patient’s health is the highest priority, with wellbeing at the center of it all.
To learn more, visit lotushealthmd.com.
