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Drs. Jake & Christina Mutch
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Dr. Christina Mutch
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Osteopathic manipulation therapy is a hands-on approach to diagnosis and treatment.
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The Mutches can offer longer visits and, if needed, house calls.
For many, a trip to the doctor conjures up images of waiting days or weeks for an appointment, only to be rushed through the visit with little time to ask questions or even address a second health issue.
William & Mary alums and physician couple Drs. Jake and Christina Mutch are hoping to change this default view of the doctor’s visit, using a less hurried approach along with technology to reinvigorate the doctor-patient relationship.
“It’s an incredibly frustrating process for patients,” said Jake Mutch about what he calls the ‘7-minute visit,’ an all-too-frequent experience that can deter some people from seeking medical care.
“Patients end up not wanting to see the doctor in the first place,” he said. “So they may wait longer to get treatment for their symptoms, and when they do, they can be sicker.”
The pair’s Williamsburg practice, Defiant Direct Primary Care, is part of a growing movement across the country focused on giving patients direct access to their physicians without the need for health insurance.
The name of their practice says it all. “We decided to stand up for our patients—to be defiant—and open up this new type of clinic so we could actually practice how we were trained in medical school,” said Christina Mutch.
Patients pay a monthly membership fee, which provides them with as many same-day or next-day visits as they need. And without the restrictions of insurance, the Mutches can offer longer visits and, if needed, house calls.
This model also supports the way they practice medicine. The pair graduated from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, which emphasizes treating patients holistically and focusing on identifying the underlying causes of disease rather than just treating the symptoms.
“One of the biggest things that we like to focus on is lifestyle,” said Christina Mutch, which includes talking to patients about diet, exercise, sleep routines and stress. She even emails healthy recipes to patients to help keep them motivated.
Thanks to longer visits, the pair can also offer osteopathic manipulation therapy, a hands-on approach to diagnosis and treatment. This therapy is used to relieve musculoskeletal problems, as well as conditions like headache, constipation and sinus issues.
One reason the Mutches can offer longer visits is they have fewer patients than other practices. While a traditional primary care practice has several thousand patients, a direct primary care practice tops out at 800 patients or fewer.
Technology also helps remove some of the tightness in their schedule, said Jake Mutch. After an initial in-person visit, many patient issues can be handled without an office visit— by text, email, phone call or video chat—such as checking in with patients about their diabetes, high blood pressure, or exercise or weight loss program.
“It’s a completely different way of interacting with your doctor,” said Jake Mutch, “one that’s designed to use high tech to restore an old-fashioned relationship.”
While this type of practice can benefit a wide range of people, it’s ideally suited to those who previously haven’t been able to access the type of preventive care and chronic disease management offered by primary care physicians.
“[This model] is ideal for patients with high-deductible insurance plans or who are uninsured,” said Christina Mutch, “because they can now get care.”
In the Williamsburg and Northern Neck region, 11.9 percent of non-elderly adults are uninsured, according to the The Virginia Health Care Foundation’s report, A Profile of Virginia’s Uninsured, 2018.
Defiant patients also receive special pricing on labs, imaging, medications and procedures, which means they can better access care they may have been putting off because it was too expensive.
However, even people with “good” insurance—which covers the cost of primary care services—come to their practice, said Christina Mutch, something they were surprised by. She suspects these patients are seeking shorter wait times and a connection with a physician who has time to listen.
“We can have that direct relationship, get rid of all the distractions, and get back to what really matters,” she said, “and that’s the patient.”
Shawn had high-deductible health insurance for many years as a freelance writer, during which time he developed the instinct to put off medical care until absolutely necessary. Fortunately, he now has free health care in Canada, but visits to his family physician are still far from leisurely.
2225 S. Henry Street, Suite U2, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185 · 757-206-2840