Dr. Ati Hakimi Pioneering a New Path for Healthcare By Betty Boyd
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r. Ati Hakimi, a family practice physician based in Las Vegas received her medical degree from Northwestern University in primary care and after practicing for fifteen years, she is proud to open her own practice, Vegas Direct Primary Care located in Henderson, Nevada. The Vegas Direct Primary Care model charges members a flat monthly fee with total access that includes telemedicine services. “It’s like the Netflix of healthcare”, she explains. It is extremely important to Dr. Hakimi that everything is transparent, with the focus on each individual member. “Healthcare is about respect, honesty and the building of relationships. I hold my members accountable when it comes to their health. This is called good old-fashioned medicine!” She does wellness checks to make sure that her members are doing proper nutrition, exercise, hydration, and other areas that can affect a person. Her primary goal is taking care of the medical wellness of the people she serves. Dr. Hakimi even offers home visits for those who are extremely ill, an incredibly rare benefit offered in today’s healthcare. Leading and Giving Prior to opening Vegas Direct Primary Care, Dr. Hakimi took some time to invest in personal development and to give back. She participated in the Vegas Chamber Leadership Las Vegas program which is a community leadership development program in Southern Nevada that brings together 60 executives and accomplished professionals from a wide-range of industries and local businesses who want to make a positive impact in the community. Through the 10-month program,
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class members develop a deeper understanding of the region and its challenges and opportunities to become more effective leaders. Dr. Hakimi states, “Las Vegas is an amazing city with so many incredible leaders and I’m happy to make it my home.” During this time, she also got involved with Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada where she was able to sit down with patients and to develop wellness plans for them. Her greatest inspiration is working with people and this is best epitomized through her time serving at Volunteers for Medicine. Dr. Hakimi shared, “This experience brought my soul back to life and reminded me that this is my calling.” Dr. Hakimi feels humbled and blessed to be able to help people. Coping with COVID-19 Of course, our team was eager to hear about Dr. Hakimi’s thoughts on the virus that has impacted the entire world. Vegas Direct Primary Care offers telemedicine appointments, a platform that allows her to visit with her members from the privacy of their own homes so she is able to check in with all of her members through this virtual platform and lower the risk of spreading the virus. Hakimi shares, “My fellow physicians who are facing possible death and risking bringing it back to their families, these are the real heroes!” With the onslaught of the COVID-19 virus, Dr. Hakimi insists that an assessment should be done first in order to prevent unnecessary heavy traffic at the hospitals. She shares, “Currently, our world is upside down. The COVID-19 virus is similar to the common cold, but we are having a problem keeping up with it because it is so aggressive. We were not prepared for this, resulting in the lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the health care providers. Social distancing is so important in minimizing a person’s exposure. The virus can live on various surfaces, such as
