Aura is a new clinic serving the south Puget sound community. In this first post I would like to briefly share with you our background just prior to starting this clinic and our vision for Aura.
TT is a nurse practitioner and I am a physician assistant. Both my wife and I are providers with hospital and clinic based clinical experience. Working for larger companies for several years we decide to start this company to get back to enjoying medicine. Many health care organizations today tend to be bloated with large administrations making policies and rules for the clinicians to follow. Most revenue is generated by volume as it is needed to cover the steep administrative cost. Patient connection and quality can get lost when the model of practice is to order more tests and put patients on more medications. These are medications patients can’t remember to take, don’t know their names or why they are taking them and cannot afford their monthly cost. A large portion of this care model is given to addressing metabolic diseases that are associated with a modern lifestyle. In our opinion this is sick care, not healthcare. As one can imagine, non-clinicians directing clinicians to see more patients every day so the providers can add more medications making themselves busier to cover administrative costs is maddening. A person seen in 15 minutes for 3 different problems and placed on 4 four different medications often leaves the clinic confused. This is also done under a set of policies that limits our ability to run this rat race efficiently. Eventually it leads to a burned-out provider. You’ve seen that provider. You know the one who didn’t look up from the keyboard during visit, didn’t do an exam or perhaps only said 2 or 3 words before rushing out of the room to the next patient.
We wanted the ability to direct policies that are patient centered with less administrative paperwork for us and our patients. We knew if we could set our own pace and rules, our passion to help people achieve health and well-being would be re-ignited. We could practice medicine of our terms. Terms that include more patient interface time so we could really listen and connect to those we serve. Put simply, less administrative overhead and red tape equals more time with the patient. More time usually means better quality. Better quality often means a patient will trust and follow recommendations. Following recommendations allows a patient to achieve a desired result.
At first glance weight loss and aesthetics may not seem a likely pair. But we want help our patient’s feel and look their best, and thus hopefully improving the quality of their life and possibly extending lifespan.
Obesity is fast becoming the major health crisis in the United States. Statistics showed between 1 out of every 3-4 adults is clinically obese. It is strongly associated with most of the most common disease states seen in primary care such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, knee and hip arthritis. In addition, there are many other health problems related to obesity too numerous to mention here.
Using a 3-stage program, we start with meal replacements to simplify the weight loss process. Initially there no need for the math (or guessing) of calorie counting. During your time with us we delve into behavior, nutrition and exercise counseling to give you the tools to achieve a healthier lifestyle and maintain the weight you have lost with Aura through hard work, effort and medical science. Many times, the secondary medical problems resolve or are put into remission- poof! Image that, appropriate eating and lifestyle habits can be the body’s own medicine. This amazing machine can partially or sometimes fully heal itself of common metabolic diseases the plague society. This can even add years to your life.
Although we aim to keep you feeling and looking your personal best, the truth is father time wins in the end. However, we can keep him at bay for years. At some point all of us look in the mirror and see facial lines or wrinkles that were not there before or at least not as defined. It’s not vain to care about one’s appearance if it provides a sense of confidence. This is where are aesthetics services come into play. Relieving wrinkles, restoring some degree of facial fullness, and improving the elastic tone of the facial skin can be a great confidence booster. It can also relieve some of the concern and anxiety often associated with aging. It can even spur a healthier lifestyle.
Our inner health and appearance are connected. Optimizing both within the confines of one’s particular genetics can improve quality of life more than wealth or material possessions. We have one and only one thing from the time of your first breath until the last-our body. Not your job, your house, your things, your money or even anyone in your life can make that claim. Why then do so many people devote little time to self-care? There are many reasons. But among them modern life is poorly constructed to allow adequate time or focus on this most important “vehicle of life”. Our passion is to change that fact for as many people as we can reach. Our mission is to help you achieve an optimal state of being or as close as possible, for as long as possible.
In future blogs I will discuss how to better define “healthy lifestyle” and “optimal state” as well as more details on topics on medical weight loss, nutrition, and exercise. In additional I may wander off to a variety of related topics, if you can stand my ramblings.
TT and I look forward to being of service to our community
Dan Hahn, PA-C
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