Episode 98 | Sep 17, 2024

Transforming Team-Based Healthcare, With Brittany Andrejcin

Team-based care has shown to improve healthcare outcomes, but what’s the best way to implement it? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi is joined by Brittany Andrejcin from Practice Better to explore the growing popularity of the concierge health teams model of care. Brittany breaks down how concierge health teams operate, offering clients access to a diverse range of practitioners all under one roof, often with a membership-style structure that prioritizes convenience and comprehensive care.

“Health coaches are the ones who guide clients through complex health advice, bridging communication between providers and making sure every piece of care is practical and actionable.”

Brittany Andrejcin, Practice Better

Brittany’s journey into concierge health teams is deeply connected to her work at Practice Better, where she’s seen firsthand how these collaborative teams can streamline the patient experience. Having worked as a practitioner herself, she understands the challenges of recruiting new clients and maintaining consistent revenue. Her experience has made her passionate about helping health and wellness professionals create sustainable practices that focus on holistic, team-based care. By fostering collaboration between providers, concierge health teams enable practitioners to focus on their areas of expertise while ensuring clients receive full-body care.

In this episode, Brittany discusses how concierge health teams can benefit both clients and practitioners, drawing on examples of teams that include everything from primary care physicians to physiotherapists, health coaches, and even specialists like acupuncturists or nutritionists. For health coaches, Brittany’s insights provide valuable perspective on the role coaches can play in these evolving health care models. Health coaches act as the bridge between clients and the rest of the team, translating complex health advice into manageable steps and helping clients make lasting changes. If you’re a coach, this episode is a great resource for learning how to position yourself within a multidisciplinary team and support clients in a more integrated and impactful way.

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Dr. Sandi: Welcome to another episode of “Health Coach Talk.” Today my guest is Brittany Andrejcin, and she is going to talk about a subject that I know will be of interest to you. You may have heard of this way of practicing. It is about concierge medical teams. So, let’s just start out by defining what is a concierge health team.

Brittany: Sure, absolutely. Thanks for having me, Sandra. So, concierge health teams, we’re thinking about this as a team-based approach to host various different types of practitioners that will work collaboratively to care for clients under one roof or one team. So, companies or teams that are made up of various practitioner types that provide a range of different health services to treat the full person, the full body, oftentimes with a membership style offering that promises a more thorough convenience service. We see teams that will do the combination of primary care and then other practitioners to ensure, again, we’ve got full person being treated. And generally we see, as I mentioned, this kind of structure through a membership style, meaning the client who is using these concierge health services often has a monthly ongoing fee where they have access to the various services, the various providers, and coaches that are making up this team. We see them sometimes really focused and a very clear specialization with these teams. For example, maybe they specialize in pregnancy and postpartum care, or we see teams that choose to stay a little bit more general. And, yeah, it’s really gaining popularity. It’s something that we’re hearing a lot about in our community. We’re seeing even big corporations like Amazon who have invested in concierge health team services.

Dr. Sandi: Yeah, I saw that the other day. I’m a prime member, and I got an announcement saying that… I believe it’s through One Medical and 24/7 you can see a doctor and the idea of having a team. Why do you think this is a rising trend?

Brittany: Yeah, I think there’s a lot of factors that have contributed to the rising popularity of this. And firstly, what stands out to me is the ability for practitioners to work together for the recruitment of new clients. The value proposition is so strong for clients because of all that they have access to. At Practice Better, we’re very keen to be speaking to our community of users and our prospective users all the time. And an ongoing, kind of, struggle we hear is just that procurement of constantly getting new clients. So, you’ve got this really incredible value proposition that you can attract new clients with and multiple providers who are bringing people in, referring to each other. You’ve got this amazing referral network that’s working alongside the concierge team. So, that’s certainly something that stands out to me is why this is becoming popular.

The other thing is the potential for recurring revenue. We’re seeing, like I mentioned, a lot of people opt for a membership style offering where there’s a monthly fee for the client to have access to the team and the different services. And having that little bit of stability and that consistency with revenue can be really nice. Of course, it’s not the only way that the concierge health teams are structured. They could do things a little bit more a la carte or by service, but the membership style is popular and for good reason. It’s providing that kind of consistency from a revenue standpoint.

So, that’s a couple of things. The other thing that really stands out to me and speaks to me with my own practitioner background is when you’re working with a team of other providers, coaches, practitioners, primary care providers that you feel like you can trust, it really allows you to hone in on what you do well to really go deep into your specialty and trust that your team has the ability to fill in the gaps and to be there to specialize in something different so that you can focus on what you are really interested in and good at and an expert in. Well, you’re not worried that you’re missing anything with the client as well.

Dr. Sandi: You don’t have to be a jack of all trades. You know what this reminds me of? Many years ago, we’re talking early ’70s, I started my career in special education, and it was very common to talk about multidisciplinary teams. So, we’d meet for a staffing, and you’d have the classroom teacher, you’d have the special ed teacher, you’d have the reading specialist, the school psychologist, the physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech and language therapist, and everyone was getting together for the good of that child and looking at who’s going to do what. And so this seems to be that in medicine and it’s the advantages of having a multidisciplinary team are so many. And people really feel like they are taken care of.

I want to ask you something because for many people, if you say, and I’ve heard this time and time again, oh, all we have around here are concierge doctors and of course, I can’t afford that. So, there’s that stigma to the term concierge as if it’s going to be for the privileged, the wealthy and it’s cash-based and people who are going into concierge medicine, it means they’re not taking everybody anymore. And so can you comment on that? And are there insurance-based concierge health teams?

Brittany: There are. They definitely are out there. So, we’ve seen a mix of ones where you have the ability, even if it’s partial coverage with your insurance. So, some providers that are on the team will offer it like the primary care providers, or those regulated professionals that have the ability to accept insurance can make that a part of their offering. And if that’s an important part of consideration for you, is that accessibility, the membership style where it’s just that one, kind of, blanket monthly fee, maybe you’re structuring that a little bit differently so that it is a little bit more a la carte and accessible for those that want to be able to utilize insurance benefits to their maximum potential. But if you have other providers that can’t offer insurance, then at least the burden is less on the patient or the client that they’ve got something there that’s going to offer them coverage. So, definitely there’s both options out there that exist, full insurance, the team structure might be a little bit different, partial, and then the cash pay as well. So, knowing if you are a client and you’re seeking out this level of care, that type of care that you can find someone who aligns with you so that it is accessible.

Dr. Sandi: That’s important to know. So, thank you for providing that explanation. Let’s talk about the role of health coaches. How do health coaches work on concierge health teams?

Brittany: Sure. Yeah, of course it’s important to know that when you’re coming together with these teams and everyone has a slightly different designation or specialty type, we’re all working within our own scope of practice. So, it’s important that we recognize what we bring to the table as coaches and what other providers are bringing as well. So, of course, there is no shortage of things that health coaches can do to benefit the teams and their clients. I had been very lucky to experience concierge health teams, and I can say that the health coach was really the person who felt like my…it was like a Batman and Robin situation where they felt really like they were right beside me holding my hand, holding with guidance, support, motivation. So, they were overseeing all of these different providers to consolidate all the advice, make it practical for me, breaking it down into care plans, and then supporting things that are hard like the behavioral change, like having that person who is your direct contact and support, bridging communication amongst the entire team so that if I’m seeing multiple providers who are giving me different pieces of information, everything feels consistent and fluid and it’s broken down and consolidated in a way that’s digestible for the client to actually know what to do with that information.

So, they’re that great, kind of, liaison or support for the client in helping break down everything to make it practical for the client and to ensure that they have steps to take that are tangible and that they’ve got the accountability, and support, the motivation. They’re also there for the education and the empowerment side. So, there’s just no shortage of what they do, but they’re pivotal in making sure that you’re actually taking action and doing something with all this health advice. And oftentimes one of the really big benefits that I didn’t mention is this ability to communicate amongst a broader team of collaborative health providers, the multidisciplinary, and the health coaches really can see from the communication that’s going on behind the scenes so long as there’s permission from the client, that this person is suggesting this, and this person is suggesting this. You’ve got maybe the physiotherapist, and the dietician, and the health coaches breaking that all down into a care plan or an action plan for the client in a way that is feasible. So, it’s an amazing addition to a team to have those coaches there for the clients.

Dr. Sandi: I love it. You are espousing my own talking points. In fact, a big part of my talks when I’m talking to practitioners about how to work with a health coach and why they’re so critical is to describe them as the concierge for your practice. They are the greeter. They are the bridge of communication between you and your patients. And they can be an advocate for the practice, but they can also be an advocate for the clients, back to they can be advocating, help them navigate the system and help the practice understand what’s going on with that individual client so that they can serve them better. And they play that crucial role in communication. And the patient can see them as that true concierge, can help them navigate the practice because it can get overwhelming in modern medicine, even getting an appointment. There might be a long waiting list or even many of the functional medicine practices. Integrative medicine have long intake forms. So, we’re talking like you could be a hundred pages where they have to remember details from early childhood and their birth history, and they’re overwhelmed. And a health coach can step in and help them through that process so that they’re not feeling so overwhelmed. So, so many roles they can play.

Brittany: Yeah. And oftentimes the clients that are seeking out this care, they’re coming in for a reason. There’s something that’s ailing them. There’s something that they want to work towards, but it is often a situation where the client doesn’t even know what they need. And that coach can be the person who is the point person who’s saying, reviewing these forms or reviewing and doing this assessment, “You could benefit from X, Y, and Z and getting in with these providers and taking advantage of these services that are part of what we offer here.” So, they’re there for that education, and they’re there for that empowerment. And the overwhelm is so real. Wwe’re learning so much when we’re going through providers like this, then it is easy to just let that overwhelm take over and not action anything. Behavioral change is very hard, breaking out of our existing habits. So, the coaches, like you said, it’s so crucial.

Dr. Sandi: Could you break down who would be on a typical concierge team or perhaps there’s a model team that you could describe? So, we talked about the doctors and they might have different specialties. There’d be a coach, nutrition, but who else would be on that team?

Brittany: Yeah. Oftentimes we’ll see like a primary care provider, and maybe that’s a medical doctor. Maybe it could be someone who is more of a naturopathic doctor, depending on the leaning that you want to go towards, more conventional versus “alternative.” And then we’ve got coaches, as you mentioned. We’re oftentimes seeing things like physiotherapists. We’re seeing things like providers that are going to help with more of the biopharmaceutical testing. So, whether that is doing the lab work. Sometimes we’ll get RNs on teams that are helping to facilitate blood collection and things for lab work. We’re seeing people that are doing actual body practices, so seeing like acupuncturists. We’re seeing even people like RMTs. We’re seeing even reiki providers.

So, really it depends on the specialty. It depends on the scope, how general you want to go. But really we’re seeing just such a broad range of people coming together to provide that whole body, whole-person care. So, almost a situation where there’s room for everybody. And that’s not to say that clients are going to necessarily see every single person on that team. It’s going to be circumstantial and specific to that person’s needs. But the beautiful thing is that it’s there, and you’ve got these providers that have chosen to come together for a reason because they have confidence in each other and you’ve got that trickle-down benefit of people communicating with each other. So, maybe you’ve got midwives who have pelvic floor physio, and you’ve got nutritionists who are supporting pre and postnatal nutrition needs. You’ve got this really beautiful teams that come together to serve every aspect of health.

Dr. Sandi: You mentioned an RMT or PMT for that would be a massage, correct?

Brittany: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, I’m not discounting, even though maybe that seems more like a luxurious relaxation thing. There’s a lot that goes into our mental health, our physical health, and the actual body. So, that’s where there’s room for various types of providers and practitioners to come together, whether it’s an RMT or an acupuncturist, the physio, the osteopath. Might be even just that group that I just said that are coming together. So, a full range, yeah.

Dr. Sandi: Yeah. And as I said, I saw it work so beautifully in education, multidisciplinary teams for kids. And I also saw that when I was a health psychologist. So, I rented space in a facility that was a wellness center. And although we did not come together formally as a practice, as you’re describing, but I was there as a health psychologist. I did biofeedback. There was a chiropractor, two chiropractors. There were massage therapists, acupuncturists, a podiatrist, other people had joined as well, audiologists. And so it was great that, if you had a question, oh, you could be at the copy machine and there was a colleague and talk about how they might be of service to your clients. So, it is really a great model. Let’s talk about Practice Better. What is Practice Better for those who might not know? And how do you support concierge health teams?

Brittany: Yeah, definitely. So, Practice Better, the really short, kind of, elevator pitch or one-liner to explain who we are and what we do, we’re a modern EHR. So, we’re built a little bit differently than your…

Dr. Sandi: And an EHR, for those who might not know that?

Brittany: It’s electronic health records. So, a place for you to basically manage your practice or your business in the health and wellness space. And what we feel makes us very special is that we’re building for both our practitioners who use us. And again, everyone that we’ve mentioned on our chat today can use Practice Better. We also build for their clients. So, we’re building for your business, we’re building for your clients so that there’s a fantastic experience on both ends. You’ve got the ability to run your business, facilitate all your client sessions, ensure that you’ve got plenty of tools to use to support your clients, that all the coaches will love, but your clients are also being able to have a fantastic, convenient experience all in one consolidated place. So, we know that clients need to have a seamless experience in order to follow through with their providers. It can’t be cumbersome, it can’t be clunky and all over the place, or it’s going to be really difficult for them. So, that’s what we offer.

As far as Practice Better and how it supports concierge health teams, we actually have a plan type called our team plan, and it accommodates teams that have multiple providers. And that could be practitioners, coaches, medical professionals as well as administrators that can all be run under one account type. So, we have the ability to add practitioners with various designations. Everybody can have different roles and permissions so that everyone has access to the features they need. But of course, when you’re thinking about a group of people coming together who maybe all work a little bit differently, who maybe all have a different workflow and everything but need transparency, need to be able to communicate amongst each other, Practice Better is there to help facilitate the logistics of figuring that out amongst different providers who are coming together to care for maybe a singular person or sharing clients amongst a team.

So, that team plan is really the key to being able to figure out those logistics and make sure that everything runs smoothly. And then of course, we have features that just make this really seamless for the client. So, calling out one in particular, recurring payment feature will allow for that membership style option that we talked about, and we have integrations with Claim.MD. So, if you want to be able to have insurance claims come through your concierge health team, that’s an option too and that’s done on the provider level. So, if there’s one who offers it and someone else who doesn’t, you can make that work amongst the team. So, yeah, it’s a great, kind of, robust structure that allows you to really tailor it to the team’s individual needs with those roles and permissions with a lot of features that will just enable the providers.

Dr. Sandi: This has grown so much because, as I told you earlier before we started recording, our graduates, so many of our health coaches who are graduates love to use Practice Better. And it can be overwhelming as a new health coach talking about a need for an electronic health record. This really makes it simple. I want to talk about remote health care. How does that fit in? Is the concierge health team model something that would be applicable to virtual care? And are there telehealth visits? We know that they are having telehealth visits, but is that the intention? Do you see this growing? And there’s no turning back once we’ve got people love the convenience of having a telehealth visit.

Brittany: Yeah, no, it is. It remains to be very popular amongst our users on Practice Better and their clients because of exactly what you just said. The convenience is just unmatched to be able to log in from whether it’s your computer or even your smartphone or your iPad and talk in the comfort of your own home without having to go anywhere. So, definitely, this can be a part of it. We of course talked about how on these concierge health teams, there might be providers that need to work with you in person like the osteopath or like the physiotherapist or even the chiropractor. And so what’s great is that you don’t have to pigeonhole yourself into virtual or in-person one or the other. You can do blended setup within Practice Better where depending on what you’re booking in for, maybe you can do telehealth and see your provider screen to screen, or if you need to go in, you can make that happen too. So, there is that option of having both. But suffice it to say that, yeah, telehealth remains very popular and definitely something you can see with these concierge health teams of making it really seamless for the patient. It’s amazing what can be achieved over telehealth these days as well.

Dr. Sandi: Yes, I think there’s no turning back. It’s definitely gained in popularity. We still have the issue of course of licenses for practitioners not allowing them to go beyond state lines. That’s one thing a health coach doesn’t have to deal with because as non-licensed providers, they can be in one state and be seeing clients around the world and there’s no issue in terms of crossing state lines.

Brittany: Yeah, that’s right. And so we are seeing… Of course, there’s different sizes… And, yeah, I guess size is the best word in these concierge health teams. We talked about Amazon earlier who’s invested in this space in Onecare and they have multiple locations. So, that’s their solution to getting past these regulations where providers can’t work across state lines. And that way, you are accessible in multiple places. Whereas, smaller people who are putting this together don’t necessarily have the funding or the background of Amazon, maybe there’s going to be a few more limitations, but it is something to note that if you want to work across state lines, having health coaches on your team is going to be something that you can offer, and then maybe working with providers that are in multiple locations. So, something to consider as you’re thinking about building and forming these teams together.

Dr. Sandi: I think the team approach is really powerful, and it also reminds me of the power of the group approach because someone can do individual health coaching but they can get people together as a group. And I could see where this can be part of a concierge health team because you have different providers who are then referring their own patients to the group. And so you now could have an ongoing viable group talking about lifestyle change, helping people, supporting them with lifestyle change. And that could be across state lines, how you can be having groups over Zoom, using breakout rooms, for example. And they’re just wonderful things that are being done with the group process.

Brittany: Yeah. And that’s actually something that you can definitely facilitate through Practice Better is those group sessions and those group programs that the health coaches can put together and facilitate to groups. And so that’s definitely a possibility. And then we also will see this rising trend in hybrid care where maybe there is a provider working one-on-one with the client but then they’ve also got the group aspect of it as well. So, really allowing the practitioners and the coaches on these teams to maximize the number of lives that they can impact by doing things like the group programs and then some of those one-on-one sessions stay with the providers that offer that. So, that blended care, again, facilitated through Practice Better, makes it so easy to keep everything in one place for the client. And then from the practitioner, the coach standpoint, you’ve got these beautiful health records that are all auto-populated with everything that client has ever done with your entire team. So, really great.

Dr. Sandi: Well, it’s a great future of health care, the growth of concierge health teams that are… And many of them are remote, but even if not integrated with remote monitoring where data is coming in from… Many people are using Apple Watch for their health metrics, for example, or their sleep tracking rings. And the coach monitors all this incoming data and communicates with the providers about what’s going on with these people, and that can be one of the ways that you’re integrating at-home care with the concierge health team.

Brittany: Yeah, you’re setting me up nicely because Practice Better also integrates with Apple Health and we have to perform goals that the clients can actually sync their journals to. So, simply by your client wearing the device that they’ve already got on their finger, they’ve already got on their… and it will push that information into Practice Better where the coaches don’t have to even go out of their way to collect it. It’s just automated. And then they’ve got all of that at their fingertips so they can start to inform themselves and their other team members with.

Dr. Sandi: Well, this is fantastic. Where can people find you, Brittany, or where can they learn more about Practice Better?

Brittany: Yeah, we are very keen to educate our community of users and prospective users about this growing trend and all different, kind of, business topics. So, you can check out our website practicebetter.com, but I also want to direct you to our community space. This is a great networking space where you can learn about Practice Better. You can network with other providers and professionals. So, that is community.practicebetter.com, and you can get in there and interact with our team, other practitioners, and just learn about Practice Better and all it has to offer.

Dr. Sandi: Well, that’s fantastic. So, check them out. And my mission personally is to create awareness amongst providers of the critical need for health coaches on their team. And it sounds like you are of the same mindset. This has been such a delight to talk with you today, Brittany.

Brittany: Thank you so much, Sandra. It’s been a pleasure.