My Journey to Carbon Health

I’ve been practicing family medicine since 2002. I received my BS from Xavier University of Louisiana and my MD from The Ohio State University; then I matriculated to University of Illinois at Chicago Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center for my family medicine residency. As a family medicine provider, I’ve been fortunate to care for patients in urban and rural settings, from newborns to geriatric patients. I’ve worked for large multispecialty groups, in university settings, and in private practice. Over the past ten years I’ve had a series of leadership roles, including serving as the Family Medicine Medical Director for the University of Southern California, a practice lead for Stanford Healthcare, and the Medical Director of IDHE for University Medical Partners/Stanford Healthcare. All of these experiences have prepared me for my new role, National Medical Director of Primary Care at Carbon Health. 

Joining Carbon Health was an easy decision after learning of the commitment from senior leadership, including co-founder and CEO Eren Bali, to offer exceptional healthcare to everyone. Primary care has seen a number of changes over the past two decades. We’ve seen health strategies like medical home- and team-based care, and payment models like capitation, fee for service, and some form of shared risk. Even the office visit has changed, from the conventional acute or chronic office visits to telemedicine or virtual visits. How we maintain medical records and documents has progressed from paper to electronic health records (EHR). Patients are being asked to navigate these changes with very little instruction or help. 

Into the Future

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed a number of deficiencies in healthcare, especially when it comes to access. This is an area where Carbon Health is unique. The company has developed an EHR product that is understandable and accessible to all. There are no service or membership fees to be a Carbon member. Carbon has also developed multiple delivery systems including brick-and-mortar offices, virtual visits, and pop-up clinics. We’re expanding our footprint across the United States to provide exceptional quality to all. The initial model was focused on urgent care with the intention to expand toward primary care. However, this quickly changed with COVID-19, which required Carbon Health to pivot to COVID-19 testing and vaccinations. Now, as we round the corner on the pandemic, we look toward the future by expanding primary care. My vision for Carbon Health primary care takes into account all of the fundamentals of primary care. We will need to focus on high-quality and evidence-based care while trying to reduce cost. We will also concentrate on patient satisfaction, staff engagement, and reducing provider burnout. Our EHR product is integral to achieving all of these things. We must not only give high-quality acute care, but also provide preventive care and manage chronic health conditions. With a network of providers and support staff, we can deliver over multiple platforms to every community. Leveraging our EHR product, we can develop care plans based on demographics and health patterns — to prevent health issues from arising in the first place. In the future, we will be able to inquire about a patient’s health concerns and deliver personalized health pathways to address these very individual needs. This is a very exciting time for Carbon Health. I look forward to embarking on this journey with my fellow Carbonauts!