By William Smith
Innovaire Primary Health opened its doors in downtown Burlington seven weeks ago — the only private primary care practice not associated with Great River Health.
Since then, DNP (doctor nurse practitioner) Angela Hedges has welcomed dozens of new patients into the clinic.
She has only one rule for first-time appointments.
“That first appointment’s an hour. I’m the one that checks you in. You won’t even see my nurses. I think it’s important to get the upfront work on top of just knowing their background,” she said.
Hedges has been a nurse — and more recently a DNP— for over 20 years and quickly learned the golden rule when treating patients.
The better you know them, the more accurate and helpful the treatment can be. Hedges learned that from one of her mentors — Dr. JoEllen Hoth, who practiced medicine in Burlington for over 50 years. She ended her career in the same building Hedges now occupies.
In 1978, Dr. Hoth and urologists Roderick Kellogg, MD, and Herbert Tjaden, MD, partnered to buy the former Christian Science church at 515 N. Third St.
Dr. Hoth’s clinic occupied the first floor, and Hedges became a massive fan of her incredibly detailed patient reports. She loved reading them as a nurse and strives to bring that same attention to detail to her office.
“She knew everything about every patient that she has ever had,” Hedges said. “She knew their aunts, their cousins, their sisters,” she said. “So I feel very blessed to be in the same space as her.”
Private Practice
Hedges isn’t afraid of hard work or setbacks. She was a nurse at Great River Health for years and spent some time as a traveling nurse during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Hedges worked at a limited hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y., for a month during her travel nurse stint. She will never forget the refrigerated trucks full of dead bodies that were waiting for a place to take them.
“Times Square was just empty. All the ER nurses at the hospital were out with COVID,” she said, noting she didn’t catch COVID until she returned to Iowa.
Setting up a private practice – from remodeling the interior of the building to setting up a payment system — is likely the most challenging thing Hedges has done. She purchased the building three years ago and has been setting up the practice for the past three years.
She said it wouldn’t have been possible without her office manager, Misty Harris. Misty has a head for the financial side of the practice, from insurance to billing.
“I always say she is the reason I opened as soon as I did,” Hedges said.
Innovaire Primary Health opened just as Great River Health announced that it was changing its billing system, which led to higher costs for some patients. Harris said that has positively impacted her business, but so far, most of her patients have signed up for reasons outside of finances.
“I have had some patients that came in because they want to know exactly what they’re paying up front. But I have a lot that just wanted to come because they wanted something a little different. A different look to health care. I think that’s been the majority of the patients I’ve gotten,” she said.
A Focus on Wellness
That different look Hedges mentioned revolves around improving a patient’s overall wellness so they won’t have to visit the doctor as often.
“The goal is to get them well. That’s the goal here, is to not have them sick all the time,” Hedges said.
Hedges offers more open options for treatment and prevention, combining Eastern and Western medicine. Her expertise is in Western medicine, which gives her the adaptability to cater to care for a wide range of patients.
In Hedges’ opinion, poor eating habits are the most significant detriment to patient health. But she said those can be hard to break in the Midwest, where options for healthy food are more limited than in heavily populated areas.
She said many food problems — from obesity to food allergies — could be solved if fewer additives were incorporated into American food.
“I’m thinking outside the box a little bit. A lot of times, that’s just sitting down and listening to patients and really hearing them,” Hedges said.
A Homegrown Doctor
Hedges was born and raised in West Burlington and graduated from West Burlington High School. She was drawn to nursing at a young age and interned at the Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center before becoming a nurse.
“I took a management job on the floor and then ended up moving to critical care, which is kind of my background, and was managing the critical care unit,” she said.
Hedges thought about becoming a DNP early in her career but wasn’t quite ready yet. However, she returned to school while working as a nurse and went into a doctorate program.
“I knew three years of my life had to be dedicated full-time to it,” she said. “I had clinicals everywhere. I did a few out at the hospital here but was up in Marion, too. I came and went from the hospital off and on for 20 years. It was my home.”
Despite her long working hours, Hedges did find time to start a family. She married a farmer north of Mediapolis, and they had three children. They now range in age from 25 to 16.
Competition
Right now, Hedges’s only competition comes from Great River Health and the practices associated with the organization. She wants as many patients as possible but pointed out that healthcare is a very personal decision.
It might not suit her bottom line, but Hedges wants people to visit a doctor they feel comfortable with — wherever that might be. She would also like more private practices like hers to spring up to give locals more options.
“It’s great for health care and for people in general,” she said.
Being a small, private practice, Innovaire does not accept Medicare or Medicaid. The reimbursement rates for the practice are simply too low and untenable for a small business.
She said those covered under the Affordable Care Act or other insurance companies should be fine. Misty is always at the front of the clinic to answer any financial questions.
Right now, Hedges is the only doctor at the clinic. However, that will change when a male doctor joins the clinic to focus on men’s health next year. Hedges focuses on women’s health but notes that neither doctor is restricted to treating a specific gender.
Down the line, Hedges would like to expand services by adding a mental health clinician.
Those are big plans, but Hedges has already proven she can handle big projects. The hard part is done.
Now, the healing begins.
“This is a wellness place, too, and we have a lot of fun things coming,” she said.