I had just sat down to dinner with my family when I received a frantic call from one of my patients’ moms as she drove her toddler to the hospital after an arm injury.
From our conversation, I suspected a nursemaid’s elbow (a common elbow dislocation) and suggested we meet in the restaurant parking lot, where I confirmed the diagnosis, quickly treated it, and returned to my dinner. I was able to help my little friend and her relieved mama avoid a long ER visit and head home with her arm as good as new. Situations like these are satisfying for me as a pediatrician, but life has not always been like this.
My former role in pediatric urgent care meant 12-hour shifts without breaks and pressure to see more than four patients per hour. I often drove home with my head spinning, wondering how I could provide quality care in just ten to 12 minutes per child. The pace left little room for thought, connection, or trust—let alone time to explore integrative approaches. It was physically and emotionally exhausting.
After years of this—and a pandemic—I felt burned out and disillusioned. I wanted to build meaningful relationships and offer excellent care, but I felt constrained by insurance and corporate healthcare systems whose priorities didn’t align with mine or my patients’. Simultaneously, I saw growing distrust in the healthcare system.
Then I discovered the direct primary care (DPC) model. By removing insurance barriers and offering care through membership, DPC allows patients direct access to their physician. This simple model creates space for deeper relationships and more personalized care. As more families seek a trusted pediatrician and more physicians seek balance and time with patients, DPC is filling that gap. In a world moving toward algorithms and AI, DPC provides a way to maintain the human side of healthcare.
SparrowPediatricsGroup.com | @sparrowpediatrics