Free Market Physician-Joplin

12/18/2025

12/16/2025

The SUPER SIMPLE Health Plan for 2026***
1. Become a member (which can manage up to 90% of your medical needs)
2. Secure a high deductible health plan for an unexpected major medical expense (Check out health share plans)
Want to discuss further how that would work for you? Phone calls are FREE! : )

12/16/2025

Let your employees text their doctor! KSS Cleaning is one of MORE than 100 businesses in southwest Missouri that trust Free Market Physician to take care of their employees as well as themselves.

(Joplin/Neosho) www.freemarketphysician.com
(Cassville) www.freemarketphysiciancassville.com

12/15/2025

www.freemarketphysician.com

12/12/2025

What does "Meds and Labs at cost REALLY mean?"
Well, we really don't love blasting prices on the internet, but we also can't hold back from sharing the SIGNIFICANT savings you get as a member.

No we are not just for people without insurance. Members with insurance use us instead of their insurance because it's cheaper (Plus they get VIP service).

This comparison shows the retail prices (per on GoodRx.com and posted prices from a
competitive national lab company, LabCorp) and what you would pay today through Free Market Physician.

12/09/2025

Should we instruct patients to adjust their blood pressure medications on their own?

Our physician have been discussing practices that could decrease the burden of patients having to take time off of work and other other obligations for clinic visits. The goal is to maximize patient convenience while keeping them safe and well-treated.

We have identified some clinical practices to aid this end that are supported by research. One of these is self-diagnosis of UTIs. The data shows that most adult patients are able to correctly identify when they have a UTI. They don't need to come in to provide a urine sample as the diagnosis is quite reliable based on their symptoms. So usually when an adult patient contacts us reporting UTI symptoms, we can simply prescribe an antibiotic.

In our physician journal club this week we reviewed a study on having patients track their blood pressures at home and then follow home instructions from their physician to increase blood pressure medications based on their measurements. In the study they increased their blood pressure medication without returning to the clinic for further discussion with their physician. The approach is appealing because home blood pressures can be more accurate than those at the clinic. Many patients have higher blood pressures at the clinic because they are nervous to be here.

The study was performed in Spain and showed that blood pressure control was slightly better for patients who had home instructions compared to those had to return to the clinic for further instructions from their physician. However, the study also showed that low blood pressures, faints, and hospitalizations from medication issues were higher in the home-decision group.

We reflected that in our practice, we can communicate with ourpatients by phone, text, and email. We don't need to drag patients into the clinic for simple instructions. We concluded that with our easy communication, it is better to have direct communication about treatment changes than relying on pre-written algorithms. Treatment instruction without direct conversation can lead to confusion, dosing errors, and patient harm. Our communication does not have to happen with a clinic visit. It could happen with a phone call.

We do need to ensure that our patients have working blood pressure cuffs and know how to correctly check their blood pressure. (This could be done by practicing use of them in our office visits.) So we concluded- good on you, Spain! But we will continue to directly communicate with our patients for treatment changes.

12/09/2025

We had such a wholesome time gathering our families together for a delicious dinner, desserts, games, and singing Christmas songs together. We enjoy getting to see our work family grow up together. And here’s a fun fact for you: Miyuki’s son and Jamie’s daughter got married and now have the cutest little Free Market Physician Family baby!!! Yep, that’s right- Miyuki, our COO and Jamie Dr. Bentz’s nurse have a shared grandbaby! Dr. Sheppard’s daughter is holding this sweet little gift in the picture.

12/02/2025

What’s your top 3 favorite?
….or is it missing from these

11/27/2025

We are so thankful for YOU and wish you a blessed Thanksgiving. -
Sincerely, Dr. A, Merissa, Miyuki, and entire team across southwest Missouri 🤎🦃

11/25/2025

❗❗LAST CALL for meds needed before Monday, Dec 1!!!

If you are not a member yet, did you know members get medications AT COST? We do not profit on medications. It's just another perk to make it more convenient for you to get what you need at a reasonable price. Depending on the price of your medications, you could offset your membership with the savings you receive. Most common meds are under $5. Why would we want to profit from your need for a medication?