Point Of Care Clinics Primary Care — A One-Stop-Shop For Wellness

By Celeste McLaughlin

At Point of Care Clinics Primary Care, patients find a medical home where their doctor knows them, coordinates all of the care they need and helps them navigate any illnesses and issues they might face. 

M. Aamer Nawaz, M.D., and Aliya Rathore, M.D., own and operate the practice, which is located in the Seven Oaks Professional Park off S.R. 56, across Ancient Oaks Blvd. from Sam’s Club.

Dr. Nawaz considers primary care, “the cornerstone of modern healthcare,” especially since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been implemented, and all patients are required to have a primary care doctor.

“We know that a more involved primary care doctor means better outcomes at a lower cost,” explains Dr. Nawaz. “We’re not cutting corners to save money, but there is less waste.”

Dr. Nawaz graduated from Rawalpindi Medical College in Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan, in 1986, and later received dermatology training at the St. John’s Institute of Dermatology in London. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Salem Hospital in Boston in 1996. Dr. Rathore graduated from King Edward Medical College in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1989, and received post-graduate training in obstetrics and gynecology. She completed a residency in Family Practice in 2001 at St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago and an internship in Internal Medicine at Salem Hospital in Boston, where the two met.

They have been married since 1993, have lived in Seven Oaks since 2004 and have two children – 12-year-old twins. They opened Point of Care Clinics Primary Care in 2006.

“Our practice has grown with the community,” says Dr. Nawaz. “Most people find us through their insurance company, based on our location. Even if we’re the greatest doctors, if we’re not accessible or not on their plan, the interaction with the patient won’t take place.”

Because of their specialties, both doctors are able to serve their patients in ways some primary care doctors may not. For example, Dr. Rathore offers “well woman” and routine gynecological exams.  “We know that there is a ‘gender attraction,’ and many female patients want to see her,” explains Dr. Nawaz.

Thanks to his advanced dermatological training, Dr. Nawaz also treats patients who have dermatological issues, including acne and psoriasis (a chronic skin condition). Dr. Nawaz says he will diagnose and treat both the medical cause and the dermatological symptoms of each condition.

As an internal medicine physician, Dr. Nawaz says he also is responsible for the medical management of chronic, complex medical problems, such as diabetes, emphysema, heart disease and kidney disease. Many problems are managed at the Point of Care Clinics office, so patients don’t have to travel around town to see specialists (although the doctors don’t hesitate to send someone to a specialist if specific procedures are needed).

“It’s a logistical convenience for our patients,” says Dr. Nawaz. “Plus, it generally costs less out-of-pocket to see a primary care doctor because most specialists have a higher co-pay.”

To keep their patients from having to go from specialist to specialist, he and Dr. Rathore offer in-depth services right at the Point of Care office. For example, the office offers electrocardiograms (EKGs), continuous glucose monitoring (to help diabetic patients on insulin), an in-home sleep apnea test and 24-hour blood pressure monitoring using a small machine. 

“You take it home with you and it checks your blood pressure every 30 minutes, even while you sleep,” Dr. Nawaz says. “If you’re truly hypertensive, your blood pressure is high, even while you sleep.”

While some doctors would send a patient to a specialist for all of these are services, Point of Care Clinics treats them in-house. 

“It’s also centralizing (your health) care,” he continues. “For example, we draw blood here and send it out to a lab, so the patient doesn’t have to go to a lab. Then the results come back here and are tracked here. ”

Dr. Nawaz explains that, no matter what his patients need, they’re always walking through the same door to get it. He notes that the practice’s use of electronic medical records and meticulous documentation provides the optimum coordination of care.

“And we know that well-coordinated care is better for the patient,” he continues, “and results in better patient satisfaction.”

Robert O’Toole is a Meadow Pointe resident who has been seeing Dr. Nawaz since he moved to Florida twelve years ago. “He was highly recommended to me by my daughter, who moved here about a year before I did,” Robert says. “She still sees (Dr. Nawaz), too.”

Robert says Dr. Nawaz provided excellent care for his wife until she passed away in 2005, and also for his mother, who just recently passed away at the age of 96.

“Dr. Nawaz is a wonderful human being,” Robert says. “He’s so much more than a doctor. He’s there to listen. He doesn’t just try to get you in and out quickly. He makes you feel at ease.”

Robert was touched by the compassion that Dr. Nawaz showed him and his mom, Leona, while she was in hospice care early this year, with visits and even weekend phone calls to check on her. “He’s just a phenomenal man,” says Robert.

Partnering With Specialists 

To further Dr. Nawaz’s vision of providing a wide range of services for patients, Point of Care Clinics rents space to specialists, including a dermatology group, kidney specialists and a cardiologist. Although they are not affiliated with Point of Care Clinics and there are no financial ties between the practices, Dr. Nawaz says this is another example of being able to offer convenience for his patients.

“I recently had a patient with a heart condition who needed to be referred to a cardiologist,” says Dr. Nawaz. “It turned out he could be seen at the same time he was already here by the cardiologist in our office building, so it was all taken care of at once.” Dr. Nawaz explains that there was no need for telephone calls or notes because he could personally talk with the doctor.

“That relationship is greatly enhanced because I have a rapport and a proximity to these specialists,” he says. “This makes for a very harmonious and cohesive practice, which is for the benefit of our patients.”

Laser Hair Removal & Aesthetics

In addition to medical services, Point of Care Clinics offers laser hair removal and aesthetic skin treatments; services that patients don’t have to go elsewhere to find.

These services are offered by Lynnda Mattmuller, a certified and licensed electrologist and laser aesthetician /practitioner, who began offering laser hair removal and skin treatments at Point of Care Clinics in 2013. Lynnda says that laser hair removal completely removes unwanted hair on both women and men in a quick, relatively painless treatment with a state-of-the-art laser.

The treatments disable the growth of hair follicles while they are in the growth cycle. Because not all hair is in the growth cycle at the same time, Linda says, a series of treatments is needed to completely remove the unwanted hair. After two or three treatments, patients should notice a considerable reduction in hair in the affected areas, and it typically takes six to eight treatments to completely remove all of the hair in an area.

In addition, Lynnda offers a variety of facial treatments to exfoliate the skin, slough off dead cells on the surface of the skin and reveal new, healthy skin, leaving the patient’s face radiant and glowing. Lynnda will help you determine which of these treatments best fits your skin type:

• Microdermabrasion — a mechanical exfoliation of the skin, using a diamond-tipped laser wand to remove dead skin cells.

• Chemical peels — offers similar results as microdermabrasion, with the application of an acid solution, removing layers of damaged or aged skin to reveal younger, clearer, more radiant skin and stimulate new skin growth.

• Enzyme facial — a mild, gentle treatment that uses natural exfoliators instead of chemicals. At Point of Care Clinics, Lynnda uses fruit-based enzymes, which smell incredible and deliver dramatic results.

Dr. Nawaz explains that he has plans to work in collaboration with the dermatology group that currently rents space in his office to offer even more cosmetic services in the future, such as laser rejuvenation to remove blemishes and redness of the skin, further enhancing the clinic’s partnerships and making more services available to patients and the community.

Point of Care Clinics Primary Care is located at 2106 Ashley Oaks Cir., Suite 102, in the Seven Oaks Professional Park. The practice is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m-5 p.m. Aesthetician Lynnda Mattmuller offers day, evening and weekend appointments for skin care and laser hair removal. For a medical appointment or for more information about the new laser hair removal service, call 994-8481. Learn more about the practice online at POCCPrimaryCare.com.