Nick Blank, MD

"I am the other half of the Nova DPC physicians, and like Matt said, we would like to give you a chance to know us a little better. I grew up in Haslett, MI which is just east of East Lansing. I attended Michigan State University for undergrad, and from there I followed in my father’s footsteps and continued at MSU with the College of Human Medicine, completeing my first two years in Grand Rapids and my clinical two years in Flint, MI. Near the end of my time in Flint, I reflected on the various places around the country I had interviewed and found my heart was still in Grand Rapids. So, I returned for my residency in Family Medicine, where I met Matt and we served as Co-Chief Residents. Along the way we had many discussions about our future, and after deciding we wanted to go out and hang our own shingle, we talked about what kind of practice we wanted to start. Many of our discussions revolved around why we went into medicine and what we saw as the barriers to delivering the care we had set out so many years ago to provide to patients. For me, entering the medical field was far from a foregone conclusion. From the start, I had received advice to explore other options, and I did. In fact, I explored many options before deciding on medicine. I’ll spare you the details here (although feel free to ask me about it), but ultimately, it was my best friend in high school suffering a ruptured AVM (basically an aneurysm) and his years of trials afterward that moved me to the medical field and Family Medicine. It’s the human side that motivates me, learning about my patients and helping them, walking the path with them that makes medicine worth it for me. In the mainstream medical system, this is becoming increasingly difficult to accomplish. In a world dominated by paperwork, cramped waiting rooms, short appointment times, lack of same-day appointments… the list keeps going, as you know. The direct primary care model is a way we can give you the care you deserve, in the way you need it. Admittedly, our practice won’t be perfect for everyone, but I hope we’ll hear from you, so we can help you figure out if we may be the right fit!"

"Accessible, affordable, transparent. We spent time coming up with that tagline. We wanted something short that essentially embodies what we want to provide to our patients, and that pretty much does it. Our name Nova also symbolizes what we are doing as well. A supernova occurs at the end of a stars life, and results in an explosion up to one million times brighter than usual and offers a brilliant and beautiful display. The way we see it healthcare is in dire need of repair, and we like the idea of starting something new and beautiful. The beauty being bringing back the relationship between the patient and their physician (and at lower costs). Accessibility is at the core of what we offer. Whether it be in person visits, phone calls, email, or text messages we want to be connected with our patients. We want to save you the hassles of unnecessary urgent care visits because your physician’s schedule was full. We want to see you in our office or in your home on the same day you need the care. We want to hear how you’re doing a few days after seeing you to make sure you are actually doing better, rather than waiting until our next visit to find out. We have the capabilities and passion to provide this type of care. If you’d rather us be more hands off, that’s certainly an option as well. Part of our accessibility is providing your care in the way that you prefer. Affordibility may seem strange when there is a membership fee attached. However, we can do this by providing whole sale medications, imaging and labs at greatly reduced costs, providing many procedures at no additional cost. More importantly we can save you time. No more taking a half or full day off work to sit in a waiting room just for a rushed visit. And, barring unusual or true emergencies, we can save you the costly and inconvenient after hour visits. Transparency is very important to us at Nova. We want you to know why we recommend changes in your care, not just what should be changed. And we want you to know where your money is going, with regards to our memberships, but also when there are costs for labs, medications, imaging, and referrals. If you have any questions please ask!"