Brendan Phelps finds what he is looking for at Exemplar Care

Putting the ‘Care’ Back in Health Care

The traditional model of receiving primary health care left Brendan Phelps frustrated.

He felt his providers spent too little time with him and that care was being dictated by myriad forces outside of the exam room. When he learned that a new kind of care was coming to the Des Moines metro area – delivered by his friend Dr. Jon Van Der Veer – he decided to check it out.

What he found in Exemplar Care was exactly what he had been looking for.

“They put the ‘care’ back in health care,” Phelps says. “He wants me to tell him what is going on with me and what is going on in my life. We have conversations that a relevant, we aren’t just checking a box off on a computer. It’s a day and night experience when compared with traditional health care.”

Phelps is a Direct Primary Care member. As such, he pays a low monthly fee for around-the-clock access to his provider, discounted medications, negotiated cash prices on a number of services outside the scope of the clinic, and 24/7 access to Exemplar Care Urgent Care for acute injuries and illnesses.

The convenience of accessing care has been important to Phelps.

“In my lifestyle, things move fairly quick,” he says. “The ability to have a provider that is accessible in a number of different ways and can work around my schedule is worth its weight in gold.”

Phelps adds that Exemplar Care offers a very personable provider patient relationship.

“It almost feels like going back in time to an old small-town doctor,” Phelps says. “They take the time to really get to know you. When you see your provider, you feel like a person. You feel like they understand you and that the person you are seeing cares. That’s what health care should be. And that’s what it is at Exemplar Care.”

“We’re all on the same team,” he continues. “When my provider tells me something, it is explained without jargon in a way I can understand. I don’t have to try to decipher a wink and a nod. Everything is put into context for me and my lifestyle and my family. We are lucky to have real health care like this available to us.”

Back to Blog