Dr. Joseph Wu, founder of Brightmark Health in Vestavia Hills, is board-certified in internal medicine and has been a primary care doctor in Birmingham since 2005.
In addition to this wealth of experience, Dr. Wu cares deeply about his patients.
“I really enjoy the relationships I develop with patients and being their go-to guy for the majority of their health concerns and being the person they call when they have an issue,” he said.
Dr. Wu opened Brightmark Health in July to avoid working in the corporate health-care business and to focus exclusively on providing top-quality, personalized patient care.
“This practice allows me to spend a lot more time with patients and be there for them when they truly need us,” Wu said.
The healthcare business focuses too much on profits and not enough on patients, Dr. Wu believes. That’s why Brightmark Health breaks the mold.
Dr. Wu and his staff offer membership-based, concierge-quality primary care with no insurance, co-pays or red tape – and at a lower cost than most other concierge practices.
Brightmark Health takes primary care back from the big corporate entities and insurance companies.
“I’m not owned or controlled by anybody,” Dr. Wu said. “I’m just here to give our patients great care for a fair price.”
When typical insurance pays for an office visit, it doesn't cover the full cost of giving the patient great care, he said.
“Our standard and premium memberships allow us to have the best people working with me to give you the best care possible,” Dr. Wu said.
Brightmark also offers transparent pricing.
“You know exactly how much you’re going to pay,” Dr. Wu said. “We have a price list, and we stick to it.”
Brightmark’s memberships offer patients another huge benefit.
“They allow us to have fewer patients, so we can get you in when you want to be seen,” Dr. Wu said.
Depending on the patient’s membership, they can get an appointment typically within 24 to 48 hours, and many times on the same day.
Brightmark remains dedicated to an old-school, personal approach in an age of apps, email and voicemail.
“When you call most clinics, you just get an answering machine, but when you call us, you get an actual person on the phone,” Dr. Wu said. “We’ll get you an answer within minutes, whatever your problem is.”
The care patients receive at Brightmark is customized to them.,
“We take the time to discuss all of the treatment options with the patients,” Dr. Wu said. “I believe in empowering the patients to make the best decisions for themselves.”
Dr. Wu received his undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University and his medical degree from The University of Alabama School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency at UAB and The University of Michigan.
His staff includes Reva Kelly, the Medical Assistant, and Shayna Gurley, the nurse and Clinic Manager.
For Dr. Wu, his practice all comes back to building genuine connections with patients and their families.
“It’s relationships that make my job amazing, because I get to touch so many people’s lives,” he said. “I know my patients really well. They are not just a number or a chart. They become my friends.”
