FAQs

Our entire office has been designed to create a welcoming and comfortable experience for you and your family members, from the reception room to the exam rooms. Your time is valued. With dedicated staff, we anticipate greeting you personally and immediately, with little to no wait times to see me. We will take the time to address your/your child’s health concerns and questions with me; your office visits will never feel rushed.

Limiting the size of my practice to a few hundred, instead of thousands of patients, I have the time to develop relationships characterized by depth and insight. This more personal relationship fosters trust and allows me to have a more proactive role in your health and wellbeing … and, be there when you need me.

The aim of Rockwell Direct is to create an experience that will not just meet, but exceed, your expectations for health care. To make you a “Raving Fan” of the care we provide.

Rockwell Direct, located in Salisbury, is a subscription model that emphasizes wellness and disease prevention. In addition, my capacity to manage chronic and acute illness proactively is enhanced. The affordable monthly fee enables me to see significantly fewer patients, and provide you or your child with extremely convenient, personalized and preventive care when you need it, while being especially respectful of your time and schedule. This focus ensures the strong and satisfying doctor-patient relationship key to achieving optimal health.

This is it! What we want and expect from the practice of great medicine!

We get it. Rockwell Direct may not be for everyone right now. Happily, you are still most welcome in our practice. Our outstanding nurse practitioners Jordan Bailey, FNP and Lani Roach, FNP are available to care for you under my supervision. While it is our goal to provide high-quality health care to all of our patients, I will not be able to offer enhanced non-covered membership services to those who choose not to join. I want to be your trusted physician no matter what—and if you ever decide to become a member, fantastic! We’ll be here to help.

Your membership includes an annual comprehensive health maintenance and risk assessment exam that incorporates disease screening and some advanced diagnostic testing not covered by insurance. Together, we will focus on your goals for better health and wellbeing incorporating nutrition, fitness and exercise, season of life expectations and management, mental wellness, stress management, and strategies to minimize the negative effects of chronic disease on your goals.

The result is a customized wellness plan for achieving and maintaining optimum health and disease prevention.

Rockwell Direct includes appropriate follow-up intervals in the office and other forms of communication support through virtual visits and direct connection to me via phone, secure text and/or email. The exam, customized plan, and individualized follow-up results in a far more connected version of primary care.

We are working hard to create a service where you can reach us when you need us, without having to jump through hoops! For Rockwell Direct members, I am directly available to discuss urgent concerns when you have them, even nights and weekends.

For you to enjoy greater peace of mind knowing your concerns are addressed conveniently and individually is my goal. You/your child may even find a reduced need for visits to specialists and the emergency department or urgent care.

See the many services you will receive.

Absolutely!

• I believe patients would see their doctor more if it were convenient, less expensive, more private, and less hassle.
• Rockwell Direct makes communicating with me direct and easy.
• Extended office visits to listen carefully to you will help us understand how your life, work and family may be affecting your health – physically, mentally, and emotionally.
• My focus is on risk assessment, screening, and lifestyle modifications. We want to identify and prevent disease risk factors, concentrating our efforts on your long-term health and wellness. Together, we create a personalized plan to achieve and maintain your optimal health.
• You will have peace of mind with convenient, extensive acute care (such as suturing, medications, splinting, IV fluids,) and virtual visits – for your child and for yourself.

Advanced diagnostic tests can help us identify risk factors and health issues before they cause disease, saving you money, time, suffering and higher costs in the long run. Unlike the traditional practice environment, I have the time to deliver this type of comprehensive and detailed care.

People of all ages benefit from the value-added services we offer.

Rockwell Direct works especially well if you:

• Desire easy and direct communication with me, your doctor
• Are too busy to spend time waiting in a doctor’s office to be seen
• Want a doctor to address the root cause of illness, not just treat the symptoms
• Want to take part in improving your health and staying well
• Want a physician with traditional training but an open mind to non-traditional treatments
• Have high insurance premiums, high-deductible health plans, or no insurance
• Are home bound or not able to easily leave your home
• Have a newborn on the way and would like to have me see your newborn at home

This model also works very well for small businesses seeking to provide their employees with affordable health care and improved wellbeing, while simultaneously reducing everyone’s healthcare spending. Ask us for details.

Emergency room and hospital care is usually stressful and often confusing for patients and their families.

I will contact those providing your/your child’s care to make sure they have the most accurate and up-to-date information they need to treat you, and will be available to those physicians whenever they need me. I have electronic access to your records and will communicate with the hospitalist caring for you, review your plan of care, answer questions, and make recommendations when appropriate. I want to be your health care advocate, and will continue to communicate directly with you and your loved ones to help you navigate the health care system.

Yes, I do. Patients who are home bound and/or who are in assisted living often find it difficult and even expensive to get to the physician’s office. With our Home Visit Program, I will be able to see some members in their home or assisted living facilities within a 5-mile radius or on a case-by-case basis, as appropriate.

In addition, I am pleased to be able to offer our New Baby Program which includes the convenience of Pediatric home visits for well-checks and sick visits (as appropriate) during the first 3 months, with the first visit within 24-72 hours of bringing your baby home. We will also address areas such as breast feeding, sleeping patterns, child-proofing your home, sibling concerns, and post-partum depression. First vaccines will be provided in the office.

I am board certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. In addition, I have 15 years of experience in Emergency Medicine. As your primary care /pediatric physician, my comprehensive training allows me to handle most healthcare needs for you and your family. However, I do not know everything. If you do need to see a specialist, Rockwell Direct will help you find the right care at the right time. When making referrals, we will make sure your specialist has all relevant information prior to your appointment.

After your specialist visit, we will follow up to discuss any of your questions or concerns, and arrange additional testing if needed.

If you have a life-threatening emergency, call 911 immediately. A family member or caregiver can call us so we can be in contact with the emergency room as appropriate.

For urgent problems that are not life threatening, you can contact me when you need to. Often, I can diagnose and treat your/your child’s need without a visit to the ER. In fact, membership medicine has been shown to result in fewer ER visits for members because we can discuss your medical needs any time of the day or night. And you know you can see me the next day!

You can speak with me wherever you are, and I will help with any medical conditions that can be done by “virtual visit.” If you or your child have a condition that requires in-person evaluation and treatment, I will direct you to appropriate nearby care, and coordinate follow-up when you return home.

Our Away-from-home College Program allows you to easily contact me by cell, text, email or video. I can communicate directly with your student health clinic if needed, and may help you avoid a visit to the clinic altogether. You will have a trusted doctor who knows you well and can coordinate your care while you are away from home. Parents can feel relieved to know you will remain in good hands!

Even when I am out of town I will often still be available to my Rockwell Direct members by phone for urgent needs. You will be notified by email before any vacations. If I am not available even by phone, there will always by a provider available to assist you either over the phone or in the office.

Yes, we accept most major insurance plans.

Absolutely.  I am a participating provider with Medicare and we will bill Medicare on your behalf.

Our practice is well suited to handle the more complex medical issues often associated with seniors. We can spend the time necessary to manage chronic disease and the use of medications, and work together to optimize your health and wellness.

Yes, you do. Rockwell Direct does not take the place of general health insurance coverage. However, by providing you with better, more connected primary care, your plan utilization can often be reduced.

If you do not have insurance, or participate in a medical cost-sharing program, or even have a high deductible health plan, our membership practice can be a good fit for you. Ask us for details.

Please visit our pricing section for details. We have discounts for couples and families, and there are no long-term contracts required. You may pay monthly or quarterly.

Our program is designed to be eligible for HSA, HRA or FSA funds; we advise you to confirm this with your tax advisor.

Join Us

We expect many patients may save money with Rockwell Direct. We can better manage the risks of the majority of your health issues and concerns because of my more personalized and connected care model.

Studies show that membership medicine can lead to:

• Less dependency on medications
• Fewer specialty referrals
• Fewer emergency and hospital visits
• Savings on labs and imaging
• Less need for expensive test ordering

Note: For those patients and families with high deductible insurance plans, many people find they can lower their out-of-pocket cost of their total medical care by combining a high deductible health plan with a program like Rockwell Direct. Doing so may make joining Rockwell Direct quite beneficial. My type of practice is also a good fit for those who have no insurance. Ask us how this works.

Yes indeed. One of the most important aspects of personalized medicine is limiting the practice size to be able to devote more time and energy to each patient.

Once we have reached our ideal practice size, we will establish a waiting list.

You are welcome to cancel your membership after three months with thirty day’s notice.

Please see our Join Us page for more information.

Please remember that space is limited and we accept members on a first-come basis. Once we fill all available slots, we will add your name to our waiting list, so we encourage you to act quickly.

I am ready to join.

Sure! Call, email, or visit our Contact page. 

We are happy to also arrange a complimentary non-medical “introductory visit” with Dr. Watterson before joining our practice.