What is primary care medicine?  Primary care encompasses the medical fields of internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and family medicine.  These are the physicians trained to meet your healthcare needs day to day.    



 What is Family Medicine or Family Practice?  Family Medicine physicians are primary care doctors with a broad range of training including general medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, geriatrics, dermatology, sports medicine, and preventive health.  They specialize in YOU! 



How do I find ideal Family Health?  Check the contacts page.


Do you see children?  Yes.  We see children of all ages. HOWEVER, we do NOT do immunizations for children under 5 years of age.

Do you do physicals and sports physicals?  Yes.

Do you do skin procedures?  Yes.  We are trained in wart removal, skin biopsies, laceration repair, abscess drainage, ingrown nail removal and much more.

Do you do home or work place visits?  Yes.  We can arrange to see you at either place.

Do you have lab and X-rays?  We have some simple labs in our office (blood sugar, strep test, urine test).  However, we have access to all labs at discounted prices for cash customers from Quest Labs here in Anderson. As for X-ray and other radiology test, we have access to very good cash-only pricing from Anderson Radiology.  

What about pain management?   Chronic pain is a very serious medical problem and needs special treatment from physicians trained in this area.  We do NOT have the training to treat chronic pain but will be happy to assist our patients with referral to a pain management specialist.

 What insurances do you take?  None, at this time.  Because we keep expenses low, we can provide premium service for low fees paid at the time of service.  Our prices are usually half the price of most offices. If you do not have insurance, we recommend checking into obtaining a high deductible plan for protection should you have an emergency, need surgery or have to be hospitalized.   See why we don't take insurance and our prices.

If you do have insurance and want ideal health care service, we can still see you.  We can provide the proper forms so you can file the claim with your insurance company.  However, we can NOT provide services for Medicare patients as we do not participate in Medicare.

What if I need to be seen today?  We offer same day appointments.  We respectfully request NO walk-ins as we are using timed schedules to allow our patients enough time for each visit.

What if the office is closed or it is after-hours and I need my doctor?  Dr. Purcell is available 24/7, year round, for our full time patients.  Once you have retained our services, each family will be given phone numbers and e-mail to access the doctor if emergent need arise after-hours.  We are happy to provide after-hours services for a small additional fee paid a the time of service.   Obviously, if someone has a serious emergency such as severe bleeding, chest pain, shortness of breath, loss of consciousness, obvious broken bone, stroke symptoms, or the like please call 911 or proceed to the nearest ER.  While our focus is to keep you from having to waste time and money going to the ER, it remains the proper place for true emergency care.  

There will be times when Dr. Purcell will be out of town for vacation or on business.  Patients will still be able to reach him by cell phone or e-mail if the need arises.  Also, messages left on the office voice mail will be reviewed by Dr. Purcell daily and appointments scheduled even while the doctor is away.  In the event that a patient can not wait to be seen, arrangements will be made with a local  physician to see the patient as soon as possible.

What about medication refills?  Refills for medication are done during business hours only.  Please allow 24 hours for refills.  No prescriptions for pain medications will be called in; all must be picked up from the physician during office hours.

Sometimes when I call during office hours I get the voice mail, why?  Ideal Family health is different than most offices.  We have NO staff and only one room, meaning the doctor and nurse do everything, including answer the phone.  This approach to medicine keeps our expenses down (which saves you money) and the focus on the patient we are with.  So, when you get our voice mail, we are probably with a patient or on the phone.  Leave us a message and we will call you right back.

What if I need to see a specialist?  While we pledge our best to you, at some point we admit patients will need to see specialist for more in-depth evaluation and treatment.  We will be right there with you.  We will arrange that appointment as needed and speak to the specialist physicians as appropriate for you care.   

What if I need to be hospitalized?  At Ideal Family Health, our specialty is out-patient, preventive family medicine.  So in the event that a patient requires hospitalization, we have made arrangements with Anmed Health Hospital and Hospital Medicine Consultants to provide in-patient care.  They provide board certified internal medicine specialist that are trained to provide up-to-date hospital medicine.  But we will not forget you.  We will right there for you, too.  We will be kept up to date on you progress and will take over your care once you are released from the hospital.  

I think I have a cold.  Can I get an antibiotic?  No.  "Colds" or upper respiratory infections (URI) are caused by viruses and DO NOT respond to antibiotics.  URIs usually last a week to 10 days accompanied with congestion, runny nose, stuffy head, low grade fever, and cough.  If your symptoms persist (greater than a week), a bacterial infection could arise and an office evaluation is warranted.  Until then, the best treatment is rest, lots of fluids (chicken soup), Motrin and nasal saline spray.  If you do not have hypertension (high blood pressure), Sudafed can help with congestion.

What is an access fee?  This is a small, yearly fee paid to provide 24/7 access to our physician via phone and/or e-mail.  It also covers any paperwork, lab reviews, reminders, or phone calls we may provide the patient or their family during the year. You may choose NOT to pay the access fee and receive discounted service "pay as you go" without having 24/7 access to our physician.   See pricing.