Robert Irwin, MD

"Having been a competitive runner in college, I can personally attest to the benefits of maintaining an active lifestyle. This is especially important for members of an aging population. Often times it’s the most prudent form of healthcare, and what enables them to remain healthy and enjoy a better quality of life. I have been in private practice with Dr. Dowell since 2001. In that time, I’ve learned that regardless of my knowledge or skill as a physician, I’m most effective when having compassion for the patient. This is what makes Desert Sage Internal Medicine unique. We care for the patient by connecting with the person."

"Desert Sage Internal Medicine is an independently owned concierge medical practice that puts a patient at the center of their healthcare experience. Though the retainer - annual membership fee - aspect of concierge medicine is new, paying a doctor directly for their services is not. Before the advent of Medicare in the mid-1960s and before HMOs, PPOs and every other kind of “O”, patients paid doctors directly for their care. By creating this massive bureaucracy, patients have lost the ability to simply call their doctor and get immediate medical care. Doctors have been forced to run from room-to-room, often seeing 30 patients per day, spending precious little time with each. Most physicians have no time to advocate for their patients. They have become the unwitting financial advocates for insurance companies, their CEO's and their stockholders. Concierge medicine restores order to the doctor-patient relationship by removing the financial interests of the middleman, thus returning the patient back to their rightful place... at the center of their healthcare experience."