Assisted by ASBTDC Lead Center at UA Little Rock
Consultant Patricia Long
Doctor Duo Opens Patient-Centered Practice
Two doctors with one vision are the owners of Bear Fruit Direct Primary Care.
Dr. Caryn Pendleton and Dr. Lillian West opened their Little Rock medical clinic Nov. 1, 2019.
“I met Caryn through a dear friend of mine from my church community group, and she was the missing piece to the puzzle to get the clinic started. We want to provide the same services and experience to the community,” said West, an internal medicine physician who treats patients 17 and older.
The Little Rock native envisioned owning her own practice since college. Likewise, Pendleton said she always wanted to start her own practice but was waiting for the right time.
When the two decided to open a practice together, they shared a common vision, but neither had any experience operating a business.
‘Everything You Need to Get Started’
A banker recommended contacting the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The doctors began working with Patricia Long, their ASBTDC business consultant, in March.
Long helped them develop a business plan and budget. She also helped them put together a loan request to take to the bank.
The women obtained startup financing through First Security Bank.
Pendleton is grateful for the center’s assistance with “making a business plan from beginning to end, market research, and budgeting.”
“This is a great resource, regardless of your experience or knowledge concerning starting a business. You can come without any knowledge and leave with everything you need to get started,” she said.
West said working with Long helped her understand financial projections, the “interworkings of cost” and “the importance of fine-tuning as much as necessary the business plan.”
The partners plan to continue to utilize ASBTDC as Bear Fruit grows.
A Different Kind of Care
As a direct primary care provider, the medical practice operates on a membership system.
Patients pay a flat membership fee. Membership covers all office visits along with many in-office procedures. The clinic does not file insurance claims.
“At some point in my medical career, I realized that our health system does not always put patients first,” said Pendleton, a family medicine physician who sees patients ages two and older. “The doctor-patient relationship has been minimized to five to 10-minute visits, one to two-hour waiting periods in the office, long wait times to schedule an appointment and confusing medical bills.
“Direct primary care allows me the time and freedom to serve people to help make a difference in their lives.”
See bearfruitdpc.com to learn more about Bear Fruit Direct Primary Care.
Gwen Green, Nov. 7, 2019
