Concierge medicine helps Houston family on vacation
A lot of families are heading out on spring break trips, and parents may wonder what to do if their child gets injured away from home. A local mom is sharing how concierge medicine made a huge difference when her son suffered an out-of-state injury.
Her son, Aydin, was having the time of his life snowboarding in New Mexico, until he suffered a big fall.
"When it first happened, it felt like it was going to be a fracture. It was right next to where his growth plate is on his wrist, so it was scary. There was no real urgent care there, just one that was about thirty minutes away. We rushed there, and they wouldn't take us in," says Aydin's mother, Dr. Fabia Younus.
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She goes on to explain that it was overwhelming not knowing what to do or if Aydin would need surgery. They questioned if they should race back to Houston. That's when the first grader was actually the one who came up with a plan!
"My son asked why I didn't just text his doctor and find out what we can do. I knew she wasn't in town, but she still responded. She asked us to get a prescription for an X-ray. We called the E.R. but they said it was full and we'd be there all night," explains Fabia Younus.
They followed Dr. Aida Khanum's advice and got quick care for Aydin. While most patients don't have access to their doctor's cell phone number, Dr. Khanum with Pediatric Pod Concierge Pediatrics in Bellaire makes herself readily available to her patients, even when "she" is on vacation. This mother of three has an interesting practice, taking her tender loving care to a higher level.
"I think it's like taking medicine back to what we were doing in the past! So, the focus really is in creating a small sort of family feel at the practice. It focuses on providing a personalized care so I can really get to know my patients," says Dr. Khanum.
Dr. Khanum has been named a top doc in Houston every year the past decade. Her practice includes more than typical yearly check-ups. She gets to know her families by spending plenty of time with them.
"You come in and you talk to me for as long as you need to get all your questions answered. Most of my families will come in with a long list of questions. So, it's fun, we get to talk about a lot of things, sometimes health-related, sometimes other things," says Dr. Khanum.
Fabia can't believe how convenient it was for her family while traveling. It made a world of difference during their trip because they were going to have to wait another day for results. Instead, she sent a photo of the X-ray to Dr. Khanum, who got her a quick answer in minutes.
"She sent it over to a pediatric orthopedic surgeon in Houston and within ten minutes, it was like - don't worry about it, it's a sprain, get a wrist brace, and you'll be fine," says Fabia. What a relief, they could continue with their vacation!
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Fabia is relieved she chose this method of care for her son. She says he really enjoys it and, as a busy, working mom, it helps her too. She’s not only a dentist, but also a dual specialist in Periodontics and Orthodontics. With her high-profile job, she doesn't have time to wait hours for an appointment, because that affects her own patients. She ended up switching to Dr. Khanum after a negative experience at other pediatric offices. She either couldn't get him in the same day, or the wait was overwhelming.
"It's so helpful now because I can just text Dr. Khanum to let her know what's going on. A lot of times, we can even get on a video call with her," says Fabia.
As for affordability, Dr. Khanum says her patients enjoy what she considers a type of monthly membership.
"Having good health insurance doesn't necessarily mean you're getting good health care, and so our focus is really on good health care. So yes, families will pay a monthly membership. The membership pays for the personalized, the premium access, the convenience, and it's very affordable. It's like the cost of a cup of coffee a day. Most of our families do have insurance and so we're one of those practices that refuses nobody! You can have insurance, no insurance, you can have Medicaid, whatever you want, you can join, but all the expensive things like vaccines, bloodwork, prescriptions, labs, X-rays, and radiology are covered by your insurance," states Dr. Khanum.
For more information: https://pediatricpod.com