A Valued Leader in Urgent Care MedFast

In the past decade, urgent care medical services have experienced a consistent uptick in popularity due to the rising costs of healthcare, overpriced emergency room visits and long waits to see a physician.

For years, Space Coast residents have sought alternatives to emergency department visits that were not life threatening.

In 2007, Dr. David Williams, President and Medical Director, identified this growing need and responded by founding MedFast’s Urgent Care, which has grown to a burgeoning company with multiple locations for patients seeking fast and affordable urgent care services.

Williams previously served as Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Wuesthoff Health Systems, now Steward Health Care.

These days, he leads a talented team of board-certified physicians, nurse practitioners and medical technicians seeing patients of every age (from infants to seniors) in 12 locations. The offices are open seven days a week from 8 am to 7 pm and provide medical services for occupational health, workers compensation care, DOT and sport physicals, on-site pharmaceutical operations and a seemingly endless drop list of services that can help patients forgo many hospital emergency department visits.

“We are able to perform a wide range of minor procedures for a fraction of the costs associated with an ER visit.”
Dr. David Williams, President and Medical Director, MedFast Urgent Care Centers

The talented professionals at MedFast are highly trained in the fast-paced, ever changing world of urgent care medicine.

Each location is equipped to diagnose and treat an array of non-life-threatening medical conditions and ailments, and on-site diagnostics include the latest in digital x-rays and EKG technologies, as well as addressing the newly defined need to offer COVID 19 testing.

Accepting most insurances, the host of services is pretty impressive, and together offer a comparable alternative to a primary care physician or emergency room visit, he said.

The long wait times and costs associated with emergency department visits should be enough to encourage anyone to seek urgent care when appropriate. According to Consumer Reports, the number of urgent care centers increased from 6,400 in 2014 to 8,100 in 2018 and the number continues to climb, making it much easier to find an urgent care center in most markets.

As the largest urgent care provider on the Space Coast, MedFast oversees the care of over 100,000 patients annually, solidifying their important role in the continuum of local health care.

From the billing director to the marketing director to the clinicians on the front lines, all employees come together to create and define a positive team approach for their patients.

“We are a seamless alternative for a patient in need of urgent care, with the ability to send direct referrals and outpatient diagnostics, to provide our patients appropriate coordination of care,” said Chief Operating Officer, Aimee Whitlock

So often, when an unexpected earache or ankle sprain happens, a primary care physicians’ office, usually already serving a packed patient schedule, isn’t able to treat an “add-on” appointment, making the urgent care visit an attractive alternative to a long, expensive wait in the local emergency room. Another attractive feature to MedFast Urgent Care is its ability to boast short wait times with a patient seeing a healthcare provider in less than an hour in most cases. “The confidence in ourselves – as an administrative team and the autonomy we enjoy, allow for us to make a lasting impact in the local health-care industry – and ultimately the overall success of each of our centers,” added Whitlock.

This sense of family and commitment is felt by the staff and trickles down to the patient, with the center consistently earning high marks in positive customer service experiences.

A highly respected physician known for his medical acumen by his peers, Williams is equally acknowledged by his staff for his compassion and patient commitment.

With an eye for talent, Williams has hired and developed a dynamic all-female administrative team whose enthusiasm for providing the very best to all MedFast Urgent Care center patients is admirable.

Marilyn Stevens, one employee in particular, happens to be one of William’s and MedFast’s biggest cheerleaders and has had a considerable influence on the practice since its inception. Williams said he values her commitment to the business and has grown to cherish her presence. He is known to get teary eyed when recounting all the accomplishments of his team over the years.

“When you try to explain the influence Dr. Williams has made in the community and to see what MedFast has grown to become, there are just too many examples to mention,” said Stevens, who serves as billing director at the company. Having been diagnosed with breast cancer years before, Stevens is currently working as she fights a reoccurrence of the disease. While Marilyn isn’t the face of the practice, she surely is the heart, and she’s all heart when describing her boss.

“He is such a fantastic person. His compassion is displayed in all aspects of his life, and I am forever grateful to him,” she added.

MedFast Urgent Care Centers are conveniently located at 12 locations around the Space Coast. Remote visits are available, and many insurance plans will cover the cost. For more information, call 321-MEDFAST(633-3278) or visit online at medfastcare.com