Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica Max.
Hi Veronica, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
UltraPersonal Healthcare started in summer 2019, right after I gave birth to my 3rd child. It’s my 3rd business, so in a way – I guess you could say I have six children. 🙂 UltraPersonal Healthcare is the culmination of a vision I spent years thinking about. I know how painful (literally and figuratively) healthcare can be. The long wait times. Short visits. A revolving door of providers who ask you to fill out the same paperwork over and over again. Feeling like a number. Never feeling heard. A philosophy of patching leaks rather than making the hull stronger. Cold, sterile exam rooms. Heightened anxiety, fear, worry. UltraPersonal Healthcare is my solution to that. Because we don’t take insurance, we’re able to keep our patient load small (a few hundred people rather than a few thousand). And because we have a direct relationship with our patients, we’re able to keep our fees low ($125/mo/adult and $50/mo/child covers all wellness exams, sick visits, and most in-office procedures).
This sets the foundation for a far superior customer experience. We’re on a first-name basis with our patients. We know the names of their children (we often care for them too), where they go to school, and what they like to do for fun. We have a lounge but not a “waiting room” because there is never any waiting. Appointments are relaxed and never rushed. You get as much time as you need, and we answer every question you have. You can directly message us when sick and get an almost immediate response. Same-day and next-day appointments are the norm, rather than the exception. We call to explain lab results whether they are normal or not. We never fear-monger or shame you, we provide education on the risks and benefits of any procedure or treatment. In short, we care about you. More info on how I started and got to where I am today here – https://www.elationhealth.com/the-practice/the-nurse-practitioner-whos-fighting-for-access-to-primary-care/.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I laughed when reading this question. It has been far from a smooth road. I feel like the entrepreneurship is just an endless stream of puzzles to be solved. 🙂 Two obstacles really stand out – 1. Barriers to nurse practitioner practice in Texas. As a nurse practitioner in Texas, I am required to have a relationship with a physician who is available to discuss complex patients and review a percentage of my charts. It can be difficult to find a physician to do this, and if you do find one – it can be very expensive – to the tune of thousands of dollars per month. This is a huge fee for a startup practice ESPECIALLY when you consider that nurse practitioners only get reimbursed 85% of what physicians are paid (by insurance companies). This obstacle prevents many nurse practitioners from starting practices in their communities, even though Texas is THE most medically underserved state in the US. Many counties in Texas do not even have a single physician. Nurse practitioners could fill this gap if these regulatory barriers were lifted. This has been proven in other states who lifted these barriers. To date, there are approximately 23 states who have granted nurse practitioners full practice authority and eliminated these antiquated regulations.
Despite this obstacle, there are many brave nurse practitioners who have found a way to work within these regulations and start their own practices. I say they are brave for this reason – these nurse practitioner’s business owners have been targeted by the TMA and other physician groups. They have been harassed. They have been the target of frivolous and completely false allegations. To be completely honest, I was initially afraid to take this interview as any publicity puts a target on my back. However, I am tired of hiding. I am sick of silencing myself. I will no longer be silent or play small. Nursing is a female-dominated profession that has a solution to the healthcare crisis many Texans face. How long, as women, will we continue to allow ourselves to be silenced? How many patients will we allow to die unnecessarily from lack of access to affordable healthcare? I refuse to continue to stand by silently. That is why I am using my voice today. 2. Being a mom and entrepreneur.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Thought this may be a good place to talk about being a mom and entrepreneur, which has been one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever faced – feeling that constant pull between my family and business. This left me feeling harried, run down, and a shell of a human on/off throughout my entrepreneurial journey. Through personal work like therapy, I eventually realized that I based my value on my productivity, successes, and output rather than the beautiful humans I was growing at home (the work that doesn’t really get recognized by our society). I learned this behavior as a child, believing that I could get my parents to love me if only I did well in school and athletics. Finally, I have learned that I am worthy and loveable just as I am. I have learned that how to love myself, how to take care of myself, and how doing so helps everyone around me – including my kids, my patients, and my employees.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I absolutely LOVE Austin. I visited in 2006, saw hordes of people running on Lady Bird Lake during rush hour, and knew it was the place for me. I moved here the next year (2007) after graduating college. Hands down, the best thing about Austin are the people. They’re welcoming, friendly, open-minded. They understand that life shouldn’t be a constant grind but that it’s important to play and have fun as well. My least favorite thing about Austin is the traffic. I’m sure people from LA or NYC will laugh reading this, but hey…
Pricing:
- Adults – $125/month
- Kids – $50/month
- 15% off for families
- Discounts available for businesses
Contact Info:
- Email: veronica@ultrapersonal.healthcare
- Website: https://ultrapersonal.healthcare/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ultrapersonal.healthcare/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ultrapersonal.healthcare
Image Credits
JESSICA ROCKOWITZ PHOTOGRAPHY
