Victoria and Dr. Akash Bhagat are the powerhouse duo behind NeuMed Urgent Care and IV Therapy. Dr. Akash is a board-certified emergency medicine physician who has launched several innovative E.R. and urgent care facilities in Houston, bringing tech-enabled and hospitality-inspired care to life. Victoria is a board-certified Family Nurse practitioner with over a decade of experience across cardiology, urgent care and integrative medicine. She's passionate about prevention, hormone health, and bridging traditional care with personalized wellness strategies. Together, they're redefining the urgent care experience. Their clinic model is not only transforming patient outcomes but also setting a new standard for how functional medicine can be delivered in an accessible, scalable way. Together, we discuss running and scaling a new business, how Victoria and Akash have reimagined clinical care, and the lessons they've learned along the way.

I'm your host, Evelyne Lambrecht, thank you for designing a well world with us.

Episode Resources:

Victoria and Akash Bhagat - https://neumed.com/about-neumed/leadership/

Design for Health Resources:

Designs for Health - https://www.designsforhealth.com/

Designs for Health Practitioner Exclusive Drug Nutrient Depletion and Interaction Checker - https://www.designsforhealth.com/drug-nutrient-interaction/

Visit the Designs for Health Research and Education Library, which houses medical journals, protocols, webinars, and our blog.

https://www.designsforhealth.com/research-and-education/education

The Designs for Health Podcast is produced in partnership with Podfly Productions.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro.

02:53 Bringing NeuMed to life.

07:10 Transitioning from the ER to functional medicine.

09:08 Combining functional medicine with traditional care.

12:35 Creating a loyal customer base, billing insurance, and training providers.

19:51 Strategies for scaling while maintaining quality care.

22:18 Balancing work-life integration as married business partners.

25:13 Overcoming challenges with insurance and competing in the healthcare market.

32:41 Preferred diagnostic tools.

39:55 High-quality supplements and virtual dispensaries.

42:38 Designs for Health's support for NeuMed's clinical and business vision.

44:00 The future and expansion of the NeuMed legacy.

47:18 Supporting patient health and wellness.

49:21 First steps advice to curious clinicians.

51:48 Victoria and Akash's favorite supplements, favorite health practices, the importance of preventative health care and avoiding AI as final truth.