Entrepreneur: Warren Dazzio/Dr. Chaillie Daniel

Published Feb 20, 2012 at 9:00 pm (Updated Feb 20, 2012)

POSITIONS: Managing director/ Clinical director
COMPANY: ImmediaCare
WHAT THEY DO: Deliver routine medical care in a patient's home or workplace
REVENUE: $350,000-$500,000
NEXT GOAL: Delivering the best health care experience each patient has ever had

The "aha" moment

Dr. Chaillie Daniel runs a primary care practice in St. Francisville. He says one of the biggest challenges is staying on schedule and making sure patients don't have to wait. He notes that the cost of a simple visit to the doctor can be $350, once medicine, lost work time and other factors are taken into account. Daniel approached his friend Warren Dazzio, who has spent a lot of time in waiting rooms while dealing with his own health issues, and said, “I'm a doctor, you have an MBA. Let's put our heads together and figure out a better way to deliver health care.” Dazzio says the key insight for him was realizing they could offer a health care solution built around the convenience of the patient, not the provider.

R&D

Daniel and Dazzio considered setting up clinics in grocery stores, but decided that concept would be the same mousetrap as a typical office. They say several groups in large markets are finding success bringing health care providers to the patient, and they thought the same model could work in Louisiana. Employers are charged $25 per employee per month, with a fixed fee of $35 per visit by a nurse practitioner. Generic and over-the-counter medicines are included, as is a “comfort kit” that includes crackers, soup and beverages. They say the service allows employers to eliminate the costs of routine health care needs—colds, minor cuts, pink eye and so on—from their insurance claims. Wellness services, including physicals, heart monitoring and vaccinations, also are available.

Hitting the market

Unlike home health care firms, which typically focus on the oldest and sickest patients, ImmediaCare primarily targets busy families and professionals ages 35-55. Initially, Daniel and Dazzio didn't have much success with advertising. What has worked, they say, is giving people a taste of the service with free vouchers and trial memberships; the business has experienced notable growth since October. They employ one nurse practitioner full-time and another part-time, and have relationships with several more whom they can deploy on a contract basis as needed. Patients make appointments by phone or online. The practitioners might see 10 patients per day at the most, Daniel says. Since the primary revenue source is based on memberships, not volume, the practitioners have the luxury of spending more time with the patients than other providers might, he says.

Dazzio says:

“What do we do [about health care]? That's the big question everybody asks. This isn't the end-all be-all, but it's a darn good step towards making a good, positive impact.”