Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andrea Wadley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Andrea, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

In early 2018, I started to become burned out from my job as a hospital pediatrician and found myself daydreaming about what it might be like to own my own pediatric practice. As an employed physician, I found there to be many benefits that were bestowed upon me during my years of loyal service to my profession. However, I also discovered that there were many down sides to being an employed physician in a large hospital system. There were numerous challenges, not the least of which was the loss of freedom and flexibility to practice medicine in a way that was beneficial to not only my patients, but also to my role in my family as well.

My dreams started to become reality as I began researching how to open a practice where I could offer care to children in the comfort of their own homes. I discovered that there were a group of physicians who owned their practices and didn’t accept health insurance as a form of payment for their services. This practice model is called direct primary care and it was a movement that was started by a small group of doctors who wanted to offer something different to their patients as well as reignite their love for practicing medicine all at the same time.

As a direct primary care pediatrician, I charge families a reasonable monthly fee that allows them direct access to me as their child’s pediatrician. I am able to visit kids in their own homes for all of their well child visits. In addition, I am on call for their families anytime they have questions or if their children experience an illness or injury.

In addition to my pediatric practice, I have put my passion and knowledge of breastfeeding medicine and lactation consulting to good use and offer these services to patients both within and outside of my practice. There is nothing better than seeing the satisfaction in a new mom’s eyes when she is able to master breastfeeding her new baby.

In the early days of the practice, I experienced many sleepless nights as I was concerned that this idea would not catch on. My practice was and is very different than almost every other pediatric practice in town. It took some time to help people to understand the benefits of direct access to their pediatrician and paying for their children’s health care outside of their health insurance coverage. As people began to understand and experience what I am able to offer, my practice began to grow. I wish that I would have been more patient in those early days and trusted the process a little bit better. Understanding that building a practice takes time would have saved me some stress and lack of sleep.

If you are looking to start a practice, I say “go for it.” The only way that we are going to be able to change health care for the better is for more doctors to start their own practices and get out from under the crushing weight of our current health care system. While there is a place for health insurance, starting a direct pay practice allows physicians to contain health care costs while providing excellent care to a smaller group of patients. Starting a practice can be challenging, but it is well worth the effort when you see the difference that you are making in your patient’s lives.

Andrea, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I decided to become a physician due to my early childhood encounters with the health care system. I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease at the age of 4 years old. After undergoing several years of treatment and loving my trusted pediatrician and her staff, the seed was planted in me to pursue medicine. My grandmother will vouch for me that I declared my intent to become a pediatrician at the ripe old age of 4 years old.

Like most things in life, my journey to becoming a pediatrician was not a smooth and straight course. I didn’t get into medical school directly after college as I had hoped, but instead worked outside of medicine for two years before applying again. Once I got into medical school, I stayed in San Antonio, TX to complete both medical school and my pediatric residency.

When I finished my training, I moved home to the DFW metroplex to finally live with my husband. We had gotten married early in my pediatric residency and had to spend those first few years in separate cities due to obligations to our careers and family. I spent the first eight years of my career post residency employed as a newborn hospital physician. I cared for new babies right after their delivery until the time that they went home with their mothers a couple of days later. During those years, I learned how to care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. However, it was not until I had my own child 8 years ago that I became passionate to gain a deeper understanding of the medicine of breastfeeding. I was determined to help women to avoid some of the struggles that I experienced as a new mother.

After many years as a hospital pediatrician, I opened my own pediatric practice in July 2018. The name of my practice is 127 Pediatrics and I chose this name because Psalm 127 in the Bible discusses the importance of children. It felt like a perfect name that combined my desire to offer children more personalized care while staying true to myself and my beliefs.

When 127 Pediatrics began, I decided to do house calls only so that I could offer the families of Tarrant county a different option for their children’s health care needs. My practice is membership based which means that your family needs to become a member of the practice in order to enjoy the benefits of direct access to me and the convenience of home visits. I charge a reasonable monthly fee depending on the number of children in the family and their ages. This fee is the same every month no matter how many times I need to see your kids or even if I don’t see them at all. It also allows families to text me or call me if they have needs between visits. I often get pictures of rashes or texts about ways to care for a vomiting child or many other questions and concerns.

127 Pediatrics is ideal for families who are having their first baby. Not only do I offer convenient house calls during this tiring time of life, but I am also an expert in breastfeeding. While breastfeeding comes naturally to some women, for most others it is very difficult. Through my time in practice, I have been able to help many women achieve their breastfeeding goals. I offer lactation and breastfeeding medicine consults to both my own patients as well as patients outside of my membership based pediatric practice. My main service area for these visits is Colleyville and the surrounding areas.

I have recently started seeing breastfeeding patients for lactation consults in Fort Worth in an office setting once a week. I am sharing space with a direct pay gynecologist who also offers OMT for pregnant and postpartum women. In the office setting, I offer one time visits for lactation and breastfeeding medicine, tongue tie clippings and ear piercing for children. I also offer multi visit packages for breastfeeding and fourth trimester care. You can visit my website to find out more about the Fort Worth services. https://127pediatrics.com/breastfeeding-services-in-fort-worth/

I also have a passion for education about pediatric and breastfeeding topics. You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook or subscribe to my blog on my website at 127pediatrics.com

Can you talk to us about how your funded your firm or practice?

Thankfully, direct pay practices are not terribly capital intensive. As a home visit pediatrician, my overhead is very low. I saved up my own money to use for start up costs and was able to pay myself back within the first year of being in business.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most efficient strategy for me to grow my practice is what I like to call “hand to hand combat.” In the early days of starting my practice, I would talk to anyone who would listen. I met with friends in order to explain my business to them and find my voice in how to present it to others. I attended networking groups and went to events. I sponsored breastfeeding events, twin events, and mom events. I did educational posts on my website blog and Facebook. After these initial efforts, my practice began to grow within itself as my patients started to refer their friends. I also have amazing connections to other physicians in the area who often refer to me for breastfeeding consults for their patients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://127pediatrics.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/onetwentysevenpediatrics
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/127Pediatrics

Image Credits
Sarah Halferty Metroplex Head Shots Dr. Diane Arnaout