PRIVATE PRACTICE
Much more than an adored local health care provider, Clare K. Carney, MD, PhD, is also a member of the military, a busy mom and wife, and one of the most caring people you’ll meet. And, now, she’s on the move. Taking a leap of faith, she’s leaving big medicine and opening a private practice. Her goal? To offer all-encompassing services to meet the range of today’s patients’ needs—minus all the headaches. After all, who doesn’t dream of being able to get aesthetic services or weight loss solutions while getting a physical examination? Since time is our most precious commodity, Clare is offering logical solutions worthy of a standing ovation.
By Hayley Hill Photos Stevye Photography, StevyePhotography.com Hair Felisha Allen, HeadDress Salon, 251.689.7427
Makeup Tessa Moody, TessaRayMoody@gmail.com
Shot on location at The Driskell, 1410 Government Street, Mobile, TheDriskell.com Wardrobe provided by The Holiday, CK Collection, The Mix and Dillards
One of the Bay’s most beloved general practioners, Clare is shaking things up for the better. Aptly named Clarity Concierge, Clare’s new practice brilliantly, and conveniently, shares a location with her husband, Jack C. Carney, PhD, of Clarity Health. Specializing in a sea of services that include incredibly accurate and helpful psychological evaluations, his tests are designed to identify learning disorders, attention and impulsivity problems, mood difficulties, and personality styles. Since Clare often refers patients to him for everything from Adult ADHD to anxiety, this pairing will offer patients a tremendous and oh-so convenient benefit. One location for the mind-body connection? We’re in.
As for her new approach? “There will be three components to my new practice. The first is concierge services that will, first and foremost, offer excellent, as well as personalized and loving, medical care. With an emphasis on wellness and prevention, each patient and I will devise a plan in which we agree on an individualized menu of healthcare services and amenities. This essentially means each patient will face less of those time consuming and inefficient barriers, have direct access to me, and more time during appointments to ensure we resolve and address their concerns with little to no wait time. This option eliminates those scheduling hurdles with same day or next day appointments,” she shares.
““AS AN INTERNAL MEDICINE PHYSICIAN, MY JOB IS TO WATCH OVER A PERSON’S OVERALL HEALTHCARE. I MAKE SURE ALL THE PREVENTIVE CARE IS BEING TAKEN CARE OF PROPERLY, BUT I ALSO HELP COORDINATE CARE WITH SUBSPECIALISTS. I CAN ACT AS AN INTERPRETER FOR THOSE SUBSPECIALIST VISITS, PUTTING INTO REGULAR TERMS WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH.””
Being well-versed in the aesthetic service arena, this will be the second component of Clarity Concierge as patients have often asked to combine these services in one visit. For example, if a patient is coming in for a check-up, they may want their Botox injections at the same time. And, her private practice will allow for just that!
Committed to providing the best aesthetic options, Clare adds, “I’m a well-trained and a long-time provider of aesthetic services. I not only provide Botox and fillers, I will soon offer the Optimus platform. This holds the Morpheus 8 for face, neck and body tightening. It’s basically a non-surgical advanced needling treatment to promote collagen production and address the skins elasticity, wrinkles, lines, and sagging. I am also excited to offer the Lumecca—the most advanced technology that provides the fastest results. Using IPL, intense pulsed light therapy, I can improve the color and texture of your skin without surgery. I’m also offering DiolazeXL. This is an advanced laser hair removal procedure that safely and gently eliminates unwanted hair. Able to target the largest treatment areas, it makes treatments convenient and fast. The combination of efficacy, patient comfort, and speed make this a leader in laser hair removal.
Continuing on the whole-patient approach, her third offering will be focused on weight loss. Going hand in hand with health, this is not only a passion for Clare, it just makes sense. Refusing to send her patients away with no options for losing weight, she shares, “I’m offering an actual weight loss clinic. My goal is to dig deeper into the reasons for weight gain and help provide tools to overcome and successfully lose weight following guideline-based practices. This clinic will focus on obesity from several angles like diagnosing and treating underlying causes, behavioral tools, nutritional analysis, activity, and pharmaceutical options. Knowing a lot of people need help in this arena, I’ve made these prices very affordable as well.”
““AS FOR THE AESTHETICS, I KNOW MY PATIENTS WANT TO AGE A LITTLE MORE GRACEFULLY, THAT IS WHAT AESTHETIC MEDICINE OFFERS US. IT GIVES US THAT EXTRA CONFIDENCE BECAUSE, LET’S FACE IT, WHEN YOU LOOK IN THE MIRROR, IT’S NICE TO SEE A MORE RESTED, FRESH APPEARANCE. AND, I’VE FOUND IT PROMOTES BETTER SELF-CARE OVERALL.””
Driven by her innate need to provide real solutions, Clare shares, “As an Internal Medicine physician, my job is to watch over a person’s overall healthcare. I make sure all the preventive care is being taken care of properly, but I also help coordinate care with subspecialists. I can act as an interpreter for those subspecialist visits, putting into regular terms what they are trying to accomplish. As for the aesthetics, I know my patients want to age a little more gracefully, that is what aesthetic medicine offers us. It gives us that extra confidence because, let’s face it, when you look in the mirror, it’s nice to see a more rested, fresh appearance. And, I’ve found it promotes better self-care overall.”
Whether preventing diabetes or wrinkles, and knowing preventative care is the way of the future, running her own practice allows Clare to use common sense. Knowing patients can easily fall through the cracks of the increasingly complicated medical system, she shares, “A perfect example of falling through the cracks is medication reconciliation. This occurs when all the medications a patient takes are reviewed and updated. This is an opportunity to discover changes, side effects, compliance, and sometimes dangerous combinations. Sometimes, this is not done or not completed. Not to mention the exposure to illnesses in crowded waiting rooms, the endless forms, and so-on!”
To address these various challenges, it comes down to being independent and doing medicine her way. “I approach each patient as though they are a member of my own family. Even if I do not come from the same background or experiences, I try to understand people where they are and meet them there. I hope that they walk away with a feeling of being listened to and cared about rather than being shuffled through a tight schedule and system,” she concludes.
If Clare's new practice sounds interesting, reach out and she and her team will ensure a smooth transition. "I know switching health care providers can be anxiety producing to say the least! But, my team and I are ready and able to manage the transition for those looking for this personalized, patient-first care," she assures.
As for working in close proximity to her husband, Clare jokes, “This will be a bit of a balancing act on the home front as we are both quite busy. I really wish I could turn off Jack’s mind from time to time, but he goes 90 to nothing all the time! Now that we will possibly share more patient journeys, turning it off will likely be our biggest challenge!”
Interestingly, Clare returned from Poland not long ago where she served in Alabama’s National Guard for four months. Jack and their sons, Jacob (16) and Max (14), all managed in her absence. So, it’s safe to say, they’ve got this. As for Clare? “Poland definitely made me realize how lucky we are in America to have access to lots of different types of health care, even in smaller cities. This has made me more than optimistic that my new practice will not only be successful, but a welcomed practice, too. I began practicing medicine in 2016, and since then I’ve been nominated for best doctor in Mobile four times and won twice! I’m ready!”
Clarity Concierge | 2054 Dauphin Street Mobile | 251.435.4541
