Reflecting on a Year of Progress

This year, IM | Health made incredible strides in advancing an audacious mission of changing primary care to solve the healthcare crisis in the U.S.—one patient at a time. Despite spending more than twice as much money per capita as our nearest peer country, our population is one of the sickest and only getting sicker!

Our country faces an epidemic of chronic diseases (obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer) and declining lifespans (see graphs). The root of this issue lies in our unhealthy lifestyles, and the only real solution resides in changing the way we live.

Source: Munira Z. Gunja, Evan D. Gumas, and Reginald D. Williams II, U.S. Health Care from a Global Perspective, 2022: Accelerating Spending, Worsening Outcomes (Commonwealth Fund, Jan. 2023). https://doi.org/10.26099/8ejy-yc74

The answer is straightforward, but putting it into practice is much more difficult. Four years ago, we founded IM | Health to do just that.

Starting a business focused on changing behavior through difficult lifestyle adjustments is no easy feat. Yet, through the toil, stress, and sleepless nights, I wake up every day with the conviction that we’re doing the right thing.

For me, this isn’t just a job—it’s a calling.

As a doctor, I am called to help people heal. If I don’t address the root causes of their struggles, am I truly honoring my profession?

The work we’re doing today may look insignificant (one medical office in the small town of Wayne), but it represents a model of primary care that will help transform our healthcare system.

Consider the transformation around cigarette smoking in the U.S. over the last 80 years: In the 1940s, more than 50% of the U.S. population smoked cigarettes. Today, that number has dropped to just 16%.

While we know we can’t change the current health epidemic alone and need the involvement of other stakeholders, we are determined to be a spark that ignites meaningful change.

In just four years, we can already feel the momentum building—and nowhere is this more evident than in what we’ve accomplished this year. Across our seven divisions, we’ve experienced tremendous growth. Hundreds of patient reviews and changed lives have served as signposts on our journey, encouraging us in our mission.

Family Practice

To meet the increasing demand this year, we welcomed two exceptional new team members. James “Rory” Tucker, MD, was head of sports medicine at Temple University and decided to bring his talents to our office both as a family doctor and a sports medicine specialist. Many of you may have already met Alyssa Magee, NP, during her clinical rotations with our own Lisa Ross, NP. After graduating, we were thrilled to welcome her as an official team member earlier this year.

You can learn more about both of them in the videos below.

Not to be left out, Dr. Marta Motel just celebrated her one-year anniversary this December with IM | Health, and we’re so thankful for the positive impact she’s already had on our patients.

Urgent Care

Our Urgent Care remains the go-to destination for the Main Line community when the unexpected happens. We’ve become an invaluable resource to our neighbors, schools, and local businesses. We’ve built meaningful relationships with our network of specialists so that our patients receive prompt follow-up care.

One of our proudest moments this year was receiving a heartfelt review about how our team saved a patient’s life—and that’s not the first time!

“NP Michele Connell literally saved my husbands life. We saw her on a Sunday and she advised us to go to an ER which we did. Unfortunately, the ER misinterpreted the tests performed on my husband and provided an incorrect diagnosis and treatment. In the morning, a radiologist reviewed the test and updated the diagnosis in the hospital system, but never notified us or my husband’s doctor. Michele had sufficient diligence and caring to check on my husband for herself, and when she found that the diagnosis had been changed but no follow up had been provided to the patient, my husband, she called him herself and told us to go back to the ER. My husband had a pulmonary embolism which would have likely killed him if he had not been put on a blood thinner. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Michele and IM Health! You were there when we really needed you!” -Cynthia T

Unlike most other urgent cares, our team of Emergency Medicine-trained providers is ready to handle most urgent medical needs. In fact, to meet growing demand, we’ve added two more talented Advanced Practice Clinicians, Karyn MacQueen, PA-C, and Jenna Tuturice, CNP, to our Urgent Care team.

The goal of our urgent care is not just to be “another urgent care.” We are a spoke on the IM | Health wheel, attending to patients’ accidents or unexpected illnesses so that they can stay out of the hospital and get back to healthy living quickly.

Physical Therapy & Fitness

This year, we transformed our third-floor Physical Therapy and Fitness Center to better serve our patients and help them achieve their health goals. Every inch of the redesigned space was thoughtfully planned for maximum functionality and comfort. The upgrades include:

A larger waiting area
A redesigned front desk
More treatment tables for added convenience
Seamless integration with our exercise and cardio spaces for a cohesive wellness experience

We also welcomed Amy Dalessandro as a physical therapist in January. Within days, glowing reviews of her work began pouring in. We’re excited to welcome Kevin Sze as the new leader of our training room, which provides a range of specialized services, including dry needling, compression boots, athletic taping, and more. Additionally, Katie Newton joined as an exercise physiologist, and Molly Rodebaugh as a certified athletic trainer, both enhancing our ability to serve patients.

We’ve enhanced our services by offering fitness classes specifically designed to address the unique health needs of individuals aged 50 and above. Our physical therapy team collaborates closely with our fitness trainers to create a seamless transition from physical therapy to targeted strength-building exercises, empowering patients to regain and maintain the physical resilience needed for a vibrant life.

Behavioral Health

If you’ve visited IM | Health recently, you may have noticed the construction on our first floor. We’ve completely renovated the left wing to create space for our in-house psychologist, Dr. Antonia O’Planick, as well as the IM | + and Dietitian divisions.

Dr. O’Planick joined us this year, and we are so grateful to have her expertise on-site. Her work has already proven invaluable to our patients. Happiness is critical to health, and we couldn’t have a better person helping our patients in this essential aspect of their well-being. Learn more about Dr. O’Planick and her work in the video below.

IM | +

IM | + is the ultimate expression of our mission to deliver proactive and personalized medicine. In December, we completed our new space on the first floor for the division. It has been redesigned to create a serene and welcoming space that promotes comfort and tranquility.

Dr. Sara Slattery, who joined us in the summer of 2023, has done a wonderful job anchoring this division since its inception. I was thrilled to join the department this September, and we are excited to welcome Dr. David Perkins and his nurse, Julie Huston, this January.

Nutrition

Our registered dietitian, Chris Ware, continues to change lives under the mantra, “You are what you eat.” This sentiment is reflected in a powerful testimonial from one of his patients, shedding light on the life-changing impact of Chris’s work.

Digital Footprint

As we hope you’ve noticed, we’ve expanded our digital footprint by creating more content, consistent messaging across social media platforms, and a more informative newsletter. These efforts are all designed to better connect with our patients and enhance the community experience at IM | Health.

As I mentioned earlier, this isn’t just a job for me—it’s a calling. I hope every interaction you have with IM | Health reflects the passion and dedication we bring to our work.

Here’s to a healthier and brighter year ahead for all of us.

Thank you for being a part of our journey.

Reflecting on a Year of Progress

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