A Note from Dr. Starkman, Founder & Lead Physician
When I graduated from medical training, I knew I did not want to practice in a conventional salaried family medicine setting. My priorities were to spend the necessary amount of time with patients to address root causes of illness and to have the practice freedom to offer the proper treatments. This was not possible in these often hospital-based practices, where the doctor only has 7-minute visits with each patient and are therefore forced to follow generic treatment algorithms, often limiting them to prescribing medications or referring to specialists in their hospital network.
Treating a variety of conditions in the Family Medicine setting and helping people to get better using Osteopathy and other natural methods is highly rewarding. But I had to find a way to practice this way and make a living!
Upon graduation I began my medical practice while working part-time for other like-minded, holistic doctors, like George Elvove, MD. Eventually I took over his practice, but being in an insurance-based practice required me to constantly see patients to bill insurance for office visits. This model was very obsolete for patient wellness, when sometimes an email or phone call was all that was needed. The long hours of work and fighting with insurance companies for payment was not sustainable either. Transitioning to a Direct Primary Care model was the solution for freedom from insurance-based practice constraints, improving patient care, and healthier lifestyles.
On December 1st, 2017, I transitioned to the membership-based model we now enjoy. Patients were notified prior to the change and given the option of joining Osteopathic Healing Arts as members or choosing another primary care physician to meet their needs through their insurance plans. Northshore Osteopathic Healthcare, as it was named at the time, came to an end, and a new chapter began. I was finally glad to have started an efficient practice, without the giant elephant in the room getting in the way! Staff stress levels dropped as well, and patient satisfaction has significantly improved. All these years later, there are no regrets!
My DPC patient panel soon became full, and in March 2021, I hired a second practitioner to help care for more people. Therese E. Adams is a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner and has been a wonderful fit for our clinic. She has a background in Holistic Medicine, and, under my tutelage, she has been expanding her knowledge of Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy as well as her skills in Osteopathy and Acupuncture. With Therese on board, several new services are now offered, including IV therapy.
Mrs. Ivona Bousheh became our third practitioner. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Chamberlain College of Nursing, in Addison, Illinois. Ivona’s practice interests include mental health, family medicine, integrative medicine, and working with the underserved.
Mrs. Adams, Ms. Bousheh and I enjoy taking the time to get to know our members. Direct Primary Care enables us to meet patients’ needs quickly and efficiently. We strive to treat each person as a whole and to focus on finding the health in the individual, rather than the disease.
