Meet Richard Young | Family Physician

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

Hi Richard, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I am perpetually disgusted at the exorbitant cost of healthcare in the U.S.

I am a Board-Certified Family Physician with 30 years experience. I’ve created a new independent primary care service that is more affordable and more accessible than the clinics and urgent care centers controlled by the insurance companies and large hospital systems. I am available even on evenings and weekends and I charge as little as 1/3 of these other clinics. Many of my patients have high-deductible health insurance plans or even no insurance. I have saved my patients thousands of dollars with my fairer pricing and helping them avoid unnecessary trips to ERs and urgent care centers.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a family physician teacher and researcher in my day job at the JPS Health Network in Fort Worth, which was recently rated the number 1 hospital in America for community service and quality by the Lown Institute and Washington Monthly. I am a health services researcher, which means I have published articles in the peer-reviewed medical literature on insurance costs, future costs, physician workforce, physician payment, and similar topics. Through this research, I have developed a deep understanding of the forces that drive cost in the U.S. healthcare system. This led me to take a chance and develop a novel primary care documentation, coding, and billing system called SENTIRE, LLC. I am now piloting this approach in a private clinic separate from my day job.

My practice is geared towards patients who have high-deductible plans or even no health insurance. It requires courage on their part to be willing to break free from the costly forces of insurance companies and standard billing practices. My biggest lesson/challenge is that I know my services are 1/3 or less of other primary care options with greater access, but most people have no idea how much medical services cost. Therefore, I can never explain my model in a 10-second pitch.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love the history of Fort Worth. I would show them the full Cowboys and Culture experience. A visit to the Stockyards area is a must, followed by visits to our outstanding downtown and museums. Of course, there would be lots of great steaks, burgers, and Tex-Mex, with tours of great breweries and distilleries in between the meals.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Deidra Kindred, RN for taking the time and effort to understand the innovative aspects of my service and helping me spread the word.

My wife Pam for her support in taking the financial risks I did.

Website: www.DrRichardAYoung.com

Linkedin: Richard Young, MD

Twitter: @USHealthScare

Other: Blog called American HealthScare at www.healthscareonline.com

Image Credits
I took all the pictures, except for the formal shot, which was shot by Illfusion, Inc.