Liberty MD ready to better serve patients in new, downtown location

After a quiet opening in September, Liberty MD has officially opened its doors at its new, downtown location.

Opened by Dr. Aaron Watters and his wife and practice manager, Wendy, Liberty MD is a hometown doctor’s office, offering tailored, one-on-one care for patients in an old-school way.

Liberty MD is a direct primary care practice, allowing patients and their doctor to create, implement and pay for their treatment plan without the red tape of insurance companies. For Dr. Watters, the practice model also allows him to rely on his years of experience as a medical professional to best treat his patients, instead of following a one-size-fits-all model of care.

Dr. Watters, a second-generation healthcare worker and 25-year veteran of the medical community, worked for years in the traditional setting — as an EMT, in the emergency room and as a family practice physician. Craving a return to a setting where he could truly get to know his patients and not worry about the limitations of hospital protocol, Dr. Watters broke from the mold to begin his own practice last year.

Where Dr. Watters said Western medicine would recommend a treatment plan of putting a patient on one pill or another, his approach is more tailored and doesn’t rely on following a uniform care plan. By taking the time to get to know what works best for each patient — through 30-minute to hour-long appointments — Dr. Watters said he can find a plan that his patients can actually stick to, creating a relationship that leads to better overall health.

For example, he said, during an instance around a month ago while working in a Stillwater, Okla., emergency room, a patient coded. After implementing life-saving care, Dr. Watters was written up for not following protocol.

“No one is a protocol,” he said. “Even somebody with a sinus infection. Some people are on death’s door with a sinus infection, other people don’t even realize they have it. Protocols are different for everybody and you can’t put everybody into a protocol.”

By taking the time to sit and find the best plan of care for each person, Dr. Watters said his results are apparent in a way that current doctor/patient relationships cannot accommodate.

“I think the whole system with traditional medical systems these days, where you kind of herd people in like cattle and you kind of herd them out, I’ve been in 25 years, in the medical field, and I’ve just watched the medical field leave me,” Dr. Watters said. “... You can’t just say ‘Hey, you need to diet and exercise.’ Let’s figure out what they like to do. Let’s figure out what they are eating now. Let’s figure out what we can change. Just little things.”

The model also provides care to patients at an upfront cost — with options for memberships that best fit each patient’s needs and in-house treatments and prescriptions.

“Ninety-five percent of our patients leave here, medicine in hand. They don’t have to go wait in line at Walgreens, Walmart,” Wendy said. “We have an in-house pharmacy.”

Another benefit, she added, is to small businesses, which can supplement employees’ medical care by pairing a low-cost membership with high deductible, major medical insurance. The Watters said the goal is to help businesses who cannot afford medical insurance for their employees keep a healthy, happy staff.

“It gives small businesses an option,” Dr. Watters added.

In their second week at their new location at 708 Commercial St., the Watters said business is booming.

The new office underwent a full renovation before opening its doors on June 23, creating a homey, relaxed environment for patients to enjoy their trip to the doctor.

“I wanted a place where people felt comfortable and at home,” Dr. Watters said. “There’s just so much anxiety, so much stress with going to a doctor’s appointment, I wanted people to feel at home here. And Wendy has done an amazing job.”

The Liberty MD offices feature three exam rooms, a suite for in-house surgeries and an IV therapy spa. Adding to the hometown feel, the office waiting room features an Emporia-themed painting by the Watters’ niece, Mia Barnett, who is currently studying at The Savannah College of Art and Design.

Wendy added that the central location of the office, right at the heart of Emporia also lends to the Watters’ goal of being a hometown doctor.

“Renovating the building and being downtown allows us to get more of that feel, instead of a clinical, cool feeling,” Wendy added.

Over the past few months, Liberty MD has also been expanding its services to include EmpowerRF, a non-surgical vaginal rejuvenation treatment for stress incontinence; weight loss and dietary planning; platelet-rich plasma and stem cell therapy and more.

Wendy said many of the treatments at Liberty MD would usually take Emporians to Wichita or Kansas City. Now, they are offered at home.

“My goal is to keep people out of the emergency room, out of the hospital, and so far I think we have had two patients that have gone to the emergency room,” Dr. Watters said. “So that is success. It’s expensive for people. Insurance is over the top these days. [At Liberty MD], everyone knows how much it’s going to cost them. It is a wholesale pharmacy, wholesale labs, wholesale everything.”

“My M.O. is to keep people feeling well enough and doing well enough that they can continue to exercise, can continue to get out and continue to do the things that they want to do,” he added.

The Watters are not the only healthcare workers to join the direct primary care network — the trend is growing nationwide.

“The membership to DPC has gone from around 500 to around 5,000 nationwide. So this is not just smoke and mirrors. I just believe in what I am doing,” Dr. Watters said. “I truly believe, in my deepest soul, that I am doing the right thing for the people that come in here.”

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