Spotlight Series with Dr. Darrin Vanscoy

Spotlight Series: Talking with the Best Hormone Therapy Center in the Hurricane area.

 

Our interview with Dr. Darrin A. VanScoy, from Total Health Pros, discussing health, physical therapy, upcoming events in the Hurricane area.

Transcript

Hi, this is Dr. Darrin A. VanScoy here with Total Health Pros of Ascent Health. We’ve got a special guest today, Faith Farley with Faith In Motion Physical Therapy. We brought her in to talk a little bit about physical therapy, physical motion, and the effect of physical activity on health. Faith, introduce yourself and talk about yourself a little bit.

Like you said, my name is Faith. I am Faith In Motion Performance Therapy here in Hurricane, just right down the street from Ascent Health. I’m a pretty physically active adult myself. I like to run and work out, and I created a physical therapy business that kind of tailors towards the more active adult and youth athlete versus just the traditional post-op setting.

Cash pay, yep. We, as well at our office, are cash pay. The thing I’ve noticed too with our patient base is that cash-pay-based patients seem to be more motivated to get well and better, which has been a benefit we’ve seen in our practice. How about you?

Oh, yeah, absolutely. I just had a meeting with my staff CEO today, and we were talking about how not draining it is when you get in the healthcare setting and work with people who are motivated, who show up to their appointments, and who want to get better. It motivates you as a clinician and makes you excited to go to work every day. In some settings I’ve worked in, it’s just like no-shows and cancellations, begging people to do what you ask them to do, to be compliant. They don’t want to be there, and it just is draining. It’s tough.

It is very tough. We have patients almost overdoing it now, trying to get better. They’re calling us about supplements, asking what else they can do. It’s a whole different ball game. I never get up and go to work thinking, “Man, I don’t want to go to work today.” It’s a breath of fresh air when you have patients who are really motivated to get better and listen to you.

The thing is too, it’s really not demographic-based. We’ve got patients, and people say, “Oh, only wealthy people can afford that.” We’ve got patients putting their care on credit cards because they know you can’t replace health.

Right, for sure. People are really starting to accentuate the level of health they need to fully go to work, do their jobs as moms, dads, and so on. We’ve got patients coming in, putting it on credit cards, doing whatever they’ve got to do to get better because they know in the long run they’ll be able to make more money, be more effective, and do all things. You’ve probably noticed that as well in your practice.

Absolutely. There’s been a bit of a mindset shift over the years. People are definitely trying to eat healthier, care about chemical products in their cleaners and skincare products. Fitness and healthcare go hand in hand with that. You only get one body and one shot at life on Earth, so you better take care of it.

Faith and I are both fitness junkies. I was a CrossFitter before I became a bodybuilder. Faith is still an avid CrossFitter. Fitness is huge in our lifestyle, and we try to carry that through to our patients. I know your facility is beautiful. Describe it a little bit and the services you offer.

When you walk in, to the right, we’ve got three separate treatment rooms for physical and massage therapy. The rest of the center is an open gym with wall-mounted squat racks, pull-up bars, kettlebells, dumbbells, cardio machines, and any type of free weight you would want. We use those heavily with all our clients, getting them back into whatever activity they want to do. We’re not a lot of passive modalities; we get you in, get you working, and do a lot of hands-on.

Faith’s office is one of those dream offices for me. Ours is a little too small right now to have all the stuff you’ve got, but it’s a beautiful place. If you get a chance, check it out. We are really noticing a paradigm shift. People are looking at becoming healthier and seeking out providers who are more comprehensive in nature, addressing the whole person. Your facility is set up for that. I think you’ve even added a sauna or infrared services.

Yes, we have an infrared red light sauna. We push it for recovery and mental health; you just feel really good when you get out of it.

I’m a big advocate. Infrared sauna is massive for health. At 130 degrees, four times a week for 40 minutes, it decreases all-cause mortality by 40%. That’s heart attacks, cancer, viruses—everything. If you don’t have one or can’t afford one because they are expensive, we have one at our house, and I use it all the time. Huge advocate for it. You feel phenomenal when you get out. Do you sell memberships for yours?

We have a single session rate and an unlimited monthly membership for $89. We tried to price it reasonably, making it cheaper than financing one yourself. Clients can come in and use it as much as they want. We have clients that come two to three times a week.

A new sauna can run you $8,000-$9,000 for a good high-quality infrared sauna. $89 for a package is not a bad deal considering the health benefits. If you’ve been thinking about it, I would advise you to consider it. What about nutritional work in your practice?

I’ve given some people off-the-cuff advice from my personal experience, but I try to refer to other experts in that field. I stay in my lane with what I know. I have basic knowledge on macros and calories, but if someone is looking at inflammation and food sensitivities, I refer them to experts. We do some diet work and training with clients, more on the exercise side. If they want me to look at their meal plans, I give suggestions.

We feed back and forth with our patients. Faith does a great job. I’ve known her forever. We trained together in CrossFit. The girl’s in shape. You don’t want to challenge her to any fitness assessments or challenges because you’ll probably lose. I respect her a lot. Talk about some of the training you’ve been doing and your experience in CrossFit competitions.

I grew up locally, played soccer and softball, and went to Coastal Carolina for soccer. In my last year of college, knowing my soccer season was ending, I wanted to stay in shape and scratch that competitive itch. That’s how I fell in love with CrossFit. I wanted to learn and get as good as possible. I was never a super elite CrossFitter, not on TV, but I did a lot of local competitions in Miami and London. I’m not a paid athlete or getting sponsorship, but I still work out a lot and push my clients. I’m not competing anymore, focusing more on running my business.

Running your own business takes a lot of time. That’s one of the things I like about our practice: we motivate our patients into physical fitness and diet. We try to set the example. I’ve never been a believer in telling someone to lose weight if I’m not setting the example myself. Lori and I work on setting the example for our patients, showing them it doesn’t matter how busy you are; you can find time for physical fitness. We emphasize walking 30 minutes a day. Walking is such an underrated exercise.

Some patients say they don’t have time. I have a farm, a practice, and I’m a pro bodybuilder. If I can find time to stay in shape, the average patient can too. It’s about discipline and prioritizing time. We emphasize scheduling and working with patients on their schedules. With physical therapy, you see patients one to two times a week, right?

Yes, we don’t see patients as frequently as the insurance-based model. We give them a robust home exercise program to follow. When they follow up, we alter and progress it. Our patients are self-motivated, and we do a lot of one-on-one care.

We schedule 30 minutes to an hour for our patients. When talking about medications, hormonal balancing, and thyroid issues, it’s not something you can rush through. We spend a lot of time with our patients, providing value by being a cash-based practice. We see a big difference in the results and attention patients get with one-on-one care. We’ve seen patients paying upfront and getting reimbursed by their insurance. Have you seen the same?

Yes, certain insurances are good about reimbursement. TRICARE reimburses 80%, and PIA is really good. Some insurances have zero out-of-network benefits, and we try to tell people we can’t guarantee the amount they’ll get back. If anything, it goes towards their deductible for the year, which is still a benefit.

The model is definitely shifting. Patients seek out facilities like ours for one-on-one care, willing to pay for it because they know you can’t put a price on health. If you ask anyone if they’d take a million dollars to die in 15 days or live a robust life for the next 40 years, they’d choose the latter. People absolutely emphasize their health but don’t always look at their daily spending habits and time. We see a lot of detrimental daily habits impacting health.

We are seeing a good shift in people seeking out practices like ours and yours, willing to pay for it. We have people who aren’t wealthy but know the benefit and need to get better. They’ve been to other places, didn’t get good care, and know they need something else. You’ve probably seen that too.

Yes, we see a lot of people who weren’t referred to physical therapy or spent 8-10 weeks at another clinic and are still in pain. They try our route and get better.

We have a health fair coming up at your facility, Faith In Motion. Talk about that.

July 16th, a Tuesday, we’ll have several healthcare providers from the community we know and respect. We want to shed light on the healthcare providers in the Teays Valley and Hurricane community here to help you. Many people don’t know about these services.

Most of the providers are top-tier. If you’re interested in the services available, stop by. What time will it be?

From 4:00 to 7:00. We’re working on advertisements. It’s completely free. You can show up, hop around to different booths, and win some free stuff from each provider. There will be food options too, so it should be a good evening.

Your office is in a great central location in Teays Valley. Our practice will be there, and we’re working with LabCorp to have some blood draw stations for a basic panel. It’s definitely something good for the community. People can come out and see what all is available.

You also have massage therapy in your office. How can someone schedule a massage?

Everything is scheduled through our central phone number. Anna Lynn is our massage therapist, working two days a week, Tuesday and Wednesday. You can text, email, or call us. We also have a link on our website, Facebook, and Instagram pages to book directly for a massage or sauna.

You have a lot of services: massage, sauna, PT services. You have another physical therapist or athletic trainer?

Yes, another athletic trainer who is there all the time.

You also offer gym memberships for select clients?

We don’t advertise it, but we offer it to clients needing a place to do their home exercises or those not comfortable at a Planet Fitness or CrossFit gym. It’s a low-key, quiet gym.

Let’s talk about CrossFit. It’s a lot of fun. I love the competitive nature and camaraderie. That being said, I wouldn’t advocate it for beginners. Establish a fitness base first because it’s intense with a lot of Olympic-type lifting. What’s your opinion on that?

I’ve seen it go both ways. If you’re not intimidated and the CrossFit gym has a good onboarding process, it can work well. Some gyms throw you into a class with no guidance, but good ones teach movements and modify workouts for beginners. I used to give new members a different workout and guide them through the process. People like the class environment and not working out alone. It’s easier to stay motivated.

I got addicted to it. The only reason I left was to try bodybuilding, which turned out well. I started CrossFit to train for Spartan races, got onto the Spartan Race Pro Circuit, and then into bodybuilding. I miss the CrossFit environment, the competition, and the support. Everyone pulls for each other. It’s competitive but supportive. You’ve competed more in different boxes. What’s your experience?

I agree. People are intimidated by what they see on TV, but when they go, they find everyone is nice and wants them to be healthy. People help with things you’re not good at. If you don’t show up for a few days, people message you, holding you accountable. I traveled as a PT and found friends through CrossFit gyms. It’s a great community.

The environment is awesome. People from our gym still connect with me. The camaraderie and friendships are phenomenal. Any class-based workout like boxing or cycling offers encouragement and support. CrossFit is tough, but everyone is on the same level, struggling together, which bonds people.

We have patients really into it, but we also encourage any level of fitness. Walking into a gym with a plan is crucial. It’s about intrinsic motivation and knowing what to do. Some need more guidance, while others are comfortable on their own. If you have specific goals, find a trainer for direction on diet and exercise. It’s easy to get lost without guidance. CrossFit has built-in trainers, which is a benefit. It’s an upfront investment, but you get what you pay for.

Having a trainer helps people stay motivated and efficient with their time. There’s a lot of misinformation out there. People get intimidated, not knowing where to start. Trainers provide valuable guidance. I advise seeking someone with knowledge and working one-on-one for the best results. Online information can be hard to sift through. Having someone physically present to diagnose and guide you is invaluable.

We get patients who self-diagnose, but they’re often wrong. Google gives them all sorts of information. Do you run into that?

Yes, I try not to give people Google ammunition. I give them basic information to avoid them looking up and thinking they need surgery. I provide a roadmap for fixing their issues without overwhelming them with terms that lead to unnecessary stress.

You see patients of all ages, right?

Yes, from elementary school to retirees.

We see patients from around 17 to 85. We don’t have an age limit. If you’re motivated to get better, our facilities are a great place to seek help. Do you do free consults?

Yes, we do a free 15-minute phone consult to dive into their issues and see if I can help before they come in. We try to get everyone on the phone so they know what to expect.

How can people get in touch with you?

They can call 304-760-9664.

Our contact is 304-382-2080. You can find us on Facebook as Ascent Elite Health and on Instagram as Total Health Pros. What are your handles?

Instagram is FaithInMotionPT, and on Facebook, search for Faith In Motion. We’re here to help you. We love what we do. If you have any muscular-skeletal issues, give Faith a call. For hormonal balancing, testosterone replacement, health optimization, or nutritional issues, give us a call. Thank you, guys. Have a great day. God bless.