Saman Soleymani, President & CEO, Avecina Medical

In an interview with Invest:, Saman Soleymani, president and CEO of Avecina Medical, discussed the company’s commitment to expanding urgent care services, leveraging technological advancements, and addressing the rising costs and unique challenges within the healthcare industry to better serve the growing Jacksonville community.

What are the key areas of focus for Avecina Medical in terms of healthcare delivery and service?

We started Avecina Medical in 2005. Recognizing the significant lack of access to medical care, we chose to focus on urgent care. Patients can walk in without an appointment or reserve a spot through our website. 

Before founding Avecina, I was an attending physician and assistant professor at the University of Florida. Primary care doctors often can’t see patients on the same day or even within 24 hours. For urgent issues, like a child’s earache, patients either face a costly ER visit, incurring a $5,000 to $10,000 bill, or seek urgent care. Our goal was to create an urgent care center founded and run by physicians with a vested interest in patient care. This model has been the foundation of Avecina Medical and the key to our success for nearly 20 years.

What active measures has Avecina Medical implemented to provide high-quality, individualized healthcare that is accessible and affordable for all patients?

The most important factor is listening to our patients and understanding their needs. They want high-quality care, easy access, extended hours, and fair pricing. We serve both insured and uninsured patients, with over 85% having commercial insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, or VA. We treat everyone equally, regardless of insurance status.

We offer extended hours – we are open until 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends – allowing patients to visit without taking time off work. Many patients appreciate our availability, as it means they can bring their children for care in the evenings or on weekends.

Our state-of-the-art facilities include the latest equipment and digital radiography. We provide a wide range of services, handling almost everything in-house except for level one or two trauma. All our offices have digital X-ray capabilities, enabling us to treat sprains, and fractures, and perform many procedures that primary care doctors typically cannot handle.

For example, if a patient has a laceration or potential fracture, primary care physicians usually refer them to the ER due to a lack of equipment and capability. Most family practices do not have X-ray equipment, so they cannot provide necessary care even with an appointment. At Avecina, we can address everything from simple coughs and colds to complex issues like lacerations and fractures, all under one roof. This comprehensive approach is key to our success.

What expansion plans are in place for Avecina Medical?

For a long time, Avecina was focused solely on Jacksonville. However, due to numerous requests from patients in surrounding areas, we decided to expand about two or three years ago. We now have offices in St. Augustine and three locations in St. Johns County, including County Road 210.

We have also opened our second office in Gainesville after the first one’s success two years ago. Our expansion continues into Ocala, Daytona, Palm Coast, The Villages, and Yulee. In Jacksonville, we are adding new offices in North Mandarin and near JTB and Hodges. These expansions are part of our long-term strategy to provide regional services and meet the growing demand from our patients.

How is the population influx impacting your services?

Jacksonville has been recognized by various organizations, magazines, and publications as one of the top cities to move to in the United States. Recently, it was named the 10th most populous city in the country. With areas like Miami, Tampa, and Orlando becoming overpopulated and real estate prices skyrocketing, many people migrating from other states, particularly from the North and West Coast, are looking for alternative places to settle in Florida. Jacksonville stands out due to its reasonable real estate prices, job market opportunities, and amenities like being on the water and having an NFL team.

This continuous population growth has greatly impacted our services. Urgent care businesses thrive in densely populated areas, and the increasing number of residents has allowed us to expand and open new facilities. Each time I look, there’s a new neighborhood or business developing, which boosts our patient base. The growing population in Jacksonville has certainly been a factor in our ability to open new locations and serve more patients.

How does Avecina Medical fit into Florida’s healthcare hub?

As an urgent care provider, we address immediate medical issues that patients present with, resolving their concerns on the spot. However, we don’t manage chronic conditions like hypertension or diabetes, which require continuous care. We work closely with other medical groups in town. For patients without a primary care physician, we handle their immediate problem and then refer them to a primary care group for ongoing care.

We serve as a crucial intermediary in the healthcare system, ensuring patients get the specialized care they need. For instance, we might refer patients to imaging centers for CAT scans or MRIs, to orthopedics for fractures, or to cardiology for chest pain. We also see many patients involved in motor vehicle accidents who may need physical therapy or chiropractic care.

This collaborative approach means that other medical groups don’t see us as a threat but rather as a valuable partner for referrals. We are a unique part of the medical ecosystem, acting as a springboard to specialized care while also managing minor ailments independently. This synergy ensures comprehensive patient care and strengthens the healthcare system as a whole.

What are some of the recent technological trends in the medical field?

Medicine is increasingly influenced by technological trends, particularly artificial intelligence. While AI is not yet widely used for medical diagnoses, it is integrated into areas like medical note transcription. Voice-to-text systems allow providers to dictate patient conditions, which AI transcribes into medical notes, still requiring provider review.

We utilize state-of-the-art digital radiology, reducing radiation exposure and providing instant imaging. This allows us to send images to radiologists for rapid interpretation, typically within 30 minutes.

Urgent care benefits from these advancements, as most cases involve common, non-life-threatening conditions. Occasionally, we identify serious issues, such as diagnosing stage 3 lung cancer from an X-ray. While such cases are rare, our primary focus remains on addressing urgent, less critical conditions effectively and efficiently.

How has patient experience evolved in recent years, and what changes do you anticipate in the future?

I’ve observed significant changes in patient experience, particularly with the rise of social media. Patients now voice their opinions instantly through reviews on Google and comments in Facebook groups, making customer service as important as medical care.

In our practice, we emphasize to our staff that patients are also our customers and deserve the utmost respect and care. We often deal with patients at their worst — whether with a fractured arm, severe fever, or laceration — so exceptional service is crucial to offset their discomfort.

We regularly review and discuss patient service and care with our staff to ensure we meet our patients’ needs effectively. This focus on patient experience is paramount, as we often serve as the first point of contact for medical care, making our interaction crucial for their overall healthcare journey.

What challenges are taking place in the healthcare industry?

At the moment, the biggest challenge for Avecina, and most medical providers, is the significant increase in employment costs. Employee salaries have risen by an average of 20% compared to four years ago, yet insurance reimbursements have not increased. Additionally, the costs for medical equipment and supplies have also risen significantly.

A broader challenge in the healthcare industry, especially in North Florida, is the rise of free-standing emergency rooms associated with hospitals. These facilities often charge as much as full-service hospital ERs but cannot provide the same critical services.

For example, last year I experienced severe abdominal pain and visited a nearby free-standing ER. I was there for less than an hour, received a couple of Tylenol, and had an unnecessary CT scan. A few weeks later, I received a bill for $21,000, including $11,000 for the CT scan, which would have cost about $1,000 at an imaging center, and a $5,600 facility fee. Even after my insurance negotiated the bill down, I still had to pay several thousand dollars out of pocket.

These free-standing ERs are extremely lucrative, charging exorbitant fees for minimal services. This presents a significant challenge for the urgent care side of the medical business, as we need to see 100 patients to generate $20,000 in revenue, compared to a single visit to a freestanding ER.

What is your vision for the Jacksonville healthcare industry in the next few years?

The future is exciting for the Jacksonville healthcare industry, and we are committed to expanding Avecina to meet the growing needs of the community. Our goal is to grow within Jacksonville and its immediate surroundings while extending our reach southward and westward.

We are breaking ground on our Daytona office off LPGA Blvd in a couple of weeks, with an opening planned for Q1 2025. We already have a presence south of Daytona on Florida’s East Coast, and our offices in Gainesville are operational. We also have an office in Ocala, located about 30 minutes south of Gainesville.

Additionally, we are finalizing an office in The Villages, the largest 55-plus community in the United States, situated 30 minutes south of Ocala. This region lacks urgent care services, and our entry will help fill this gap. Expanding into The Villages is a strategic move that will also allow us to start penetrating the North Orlando area, gradually extending our services there as well.

We are continually seeking new opportunities in areas that need high-quality urgent care and are excited to offer our services to those populations.