PATIENT-CENTERED PRACTICE THRIVES IN THE ‘ICEBOX OF THE NATION’
Dr. Eric Koperda opened Falls.MD in 2017. Located in International Falls, a northern Minnesota town of 6,000 souls right on the Canadian border, better known as “icebox of the nation” for its record-cold weather, this practice offers rural family medicine with direct primary care.
Dr. Koperda says, “It’s been a very fufilling experience practicing third-party-payer-free medicine here in International Falls, MN. Being distant from major cites has allowed me to give my patients true personalized care without as much intrusion by non-doctors. The local marketplace is fragmented, not dominated by a single giant “healthcare” company. It’s a bit like the “wild west” here and that’s how we like it!”
Every day, my patients express their thanks that they have this option of free-market medicine here in rural northern Minnesota. I am amazed by those Canadian nationals who willingly cross the border to pay cash here for quality medical care. Falls.MD offers a complete spectrum of family medicine services. In response to a local crisis, it also offers medication-assisted therapy for opioid use disorder.
Unlike what some may think about DPC patients, many who come to Falls.MD for medical care are not wealthy, do not have health insurance, and cannot afford the “managed care plan” alternatives. Often our prices are the lowest in town because we minimize overhead expenses by not filing insurance claims and not addressing nonsense paperwork. Government bureaucrats, insurance companies, and other middlemen are not welcome in our exam rooms.”
Hopefully more patients and doctors will have this rewarding experience as the WEDGE of Health Freedom expands across the nation.