Meet Elvira Jasarevic | Doctor & Children’s Book Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elvira Jasarevic and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elvira, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

Physician are not taught/trained to think about business. The expectation is usually to go out and work for the hospital or an established healthcare facility. So going out on my own was definitely a risk.

Deep down I knew that if I wanted to fix the Doctor-Patient relationship I had to show people a different side of us and do something different. I wanted the freedom to spend time with patients, to see them when they need us, and to speak to them directly. It is a side of medicine where copays and surprise costs were taken out of the equation because at the end of the day people get mad at their Doctor for their bill, not their insurance or corporations that set the prices. I wanted to take the business out of medicine while running a business. So with the encouragement of my husband and my gut feeling I opened a direct primary care model of medicine.

What should our readers know about your business?

Crescent Direct Primary Care is a model of medicine that is budget friendly. It’s Primary Care meant to serve the people and the Physician. It cuts out unnecessary costs by running as a micro-practice. The best way to describe it is when you see people who have Doctor-friends and are able to be taken care of right away or are texting their Doctor friend for advice. Well it’s that but for all of us. I have a small practice where the patient has access to me with my direct cell phone and can text me or send a message through the portal directly to me. I can see my patients the same day or next day. For those that have emergencies I try to work them in or get to them at least via telehealth the same day! That’s what your Doctor-friend does.

I am most proud of the fact that I can spend an hour with my patient, no one can tell me to limit my patient encounters to 15-min visits. I can sit there, listen to the full history, unrushed with my full attention.

I am able to do this because I function on a monthly fee, usually same or less than a cell phone bill. I have patients who get great care for their $60-95/month. Those that have no insurance can feel comfortable that their chronic disease will still be managed and I can spend time helping them find discounts on medication and labs. Again, all the prices are upfront with no surprise bills.

As someone who used her insurance for a sick visit my cost was over a $1,000, and after insurance I was paying close to $400. After I calculated what it would cost to see someone like me for my age including the labs and Ultrasound and the monthly fee my cost would have been $295! I was shocked to learn that even with insurance you can save money using Direct Primary Care!

Getting here was not easy. This business strategy requires a lot of work, networking, and finding imaging, labs who would work to give you great prices for your patients. Not only that but the startup cost can be high as a Physician needs to be equipped to function. I had to really decide if my heart was in it knowing that the startup cost was so high.

I’ve learned so much going down this path. Not only do I have to be a patient advocate, as I always was, but now I have to learn to adovate for lower costs. Everyone knows healthcare is expensive but if we work together, choose and support the right practices it doesn’t have to be! Due to high competition in healthcare, monopolization of hospitals & offices it can be hard for independent Doctors to survive. So if you can afford it and you have a choice, please choose small business Doctors to be your Doctors.

I want the world to know that the United States can do better taking care of people, taking care of Physicians so prevent burn out, give us time with patients, and ensure fair pay can at least alleviate the burden of cost that leads to poor health and quality of life. So choose Direct Primary Care model for your care and I think we will see a shift in the trust of the Physicians. We really are out here just trying to not just “do no harm” but also do our best, adovate for you and give you the time and attention you deserve.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

I’ve had friends come to visit and I am usually excited because it means we get to splurge and do fun things.

I drive all over DFW area to give them a different taste.

Breakfast is usually at our house since we love cooking.
If we are pressed for time it’s Dan’s bagels for crispy NY style bagels!
If we are heading to see the stockyards my coffee stop is Summer Moon coffee.
If we are on the Dallas side I would be at the Dallas Arboretum with my girlfriends taking some cute group photos.
I love the outdoors so hiking at Eagle Mountain Park is always on the list or horseback riding in Trophy Club as long as we are not hitting triple digit weather.
If you want great dessert then trying Bigdash ice cream pastries, a Middle Easter dessert is a must!
My friends and I love Middle Eastern food so Kebabs to Go or Turkish food at Flying Carpet Turkish Cafe in Fort Worth are our top picks!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I wouldn’t have had the courage to start my business without my husband. When I ran from the idea due to fear of failure he would remind me of the grueling undergrad, medical school with little sleep, long hours of studying, 8 hour exams, step 1,2, 3, boards and residency to put into perspective that I can do anything. His support has meant the world to me and having his support is what gave me the wings to do this.

I started this business while pregnant and it has seen me through delivery and at my most tired while caring for my newborn. I can’t express how hard that was. It goes to show that if you have the right village around you anything is possible. So shoutout to my mother who came to my aid so that my dreams can turn into a reality.

Website: www.crescentdpc.com

Instagram: @crescentdpc

Image Credits
photographer: Inera Isovic