|
Femwell Group Health, Inc. was created with one idea
in mind-- to building a patient-oriented health care company owned by
doctors and designed to exclusively provide health services to women.
Pictured at the Femwell offices are (left to right) Femwell chief
operations officer Francisco J. Leon, administrative assistant Ximena
Cordero, marketing director Hortensia Ullivarri, finance director
Joanne Muņiz and staff accountant
"Femwell started in 1996 and in its early stages
it was made up of a group of doctors with similar concerns," said
chief operations officer Francisco J. Leon. "Basically, they
wanted a unified voice to deal with managed care issues and to build a
centralized diagnostic center where they could offer diagnostic
services in a more timely and efficient manner. There was a need in
the community for such a product and they wanted to fill that
void."
Not surprisingly, Femwell has been extremely popular
with not only its member partners -- there are 32 physician offices
affiliated with Femwell -- but also its patients.
"Because we have so many excellent physicians
associated with us, we can more effectively and efficiently assign
personnel, we've achieved an economy of scale," said Hortensia
Ullivarri, director of marketing and public relations. "We assign
people according to the need and their own ability, and consequently
better serve women's needs."
This allows the patient to have a great deal of
options available to suit their own personal needs. They can choose,
among others, a Femwell office that accepts their insurance provider,
the location they prefer to utilize and whether they want a male or
female OB-GYN.
This also means that as patients age and their needs
change, they can stay in the Femwell system, always with a physician
familiar and appropriate for their needs.
Femwell's central diagnostic center helps make
preventative medicine more accessible, both logistically and
financially.
Logistically, all the tests are done in one place,
thus eliminating confusing directions and travel to out-of-the-way
clinics or hospitals. Consequently, it's
much more convenient for patients.
Femwell makes preventative medicine financially attractive because in-house
testing lowers patient costs, which in turn encourages the more liberal
prescription of preventative tests. In the long run, these tests not only
prevent potentially deadly illnesses, but also help reduce the likelihood of
costly surgery and hospital stays.
"Anybody that goes through something like cancer understands how
important pro-active, preventative medicine is in preventing costly
procedures," Ullivarri said. "For instance, a mammogram might cost
$50 or $60 and is very successful in early detection of breast cancer.
However, if you don't catch a tumor early on, you may have to get a
mastectomy, which can cost $50,000 or $60,000, not to mention the emotional
cost."
Femwell was so concerned with being a complete female health provider that
the company conducted research across the country to find out what extra
services they could offer to their patients in a clinical setting.
The company came up with laser hair removal using the LightSheer Diode
Laser. The laser was specifically designed to remove excess, unwanted hair
faster and more thoroughly than traditional methods, such as waxing,
electrolysis and electrothermolysis.
"It is the only permanent hair removal system," said Ullivarri.
"In four to six treatments, 90 percent of hair in a given area will be
gone. We also have certified technicians working in a physician-supervised
medical environment, not like a beauty salon."
And because of the same economy of scale, Femwell offers the treatment at
much lower costs.
"We provide the treatments at well below market cost," said
Ullivarri. "For the upper lip, for example, the cost would be $500 to
$1000 per treatment elsewhere, whereas ours averages out to about $100 per
treatment.
"And, after six months of offering this service, treating about eight
patients every day, there have been no cases of scarring or pitting."
|
