Everyone loves a good love story with a fairy-tale ending and that’s exactly what Dr. Richard Wyderski and his wife Karen have to tell. But their love story goes beyond the scope of personal emotions that led them to marry after being friends for decades, to blending their passion for quality healthcare and opening their new concierge medical practice called Wyderski Health.
The pair knew each other as friends when they were married to other people and found themselves single at the same time. Karen, a registered nurse, was living in Vero Beach and working as vice president and director of VNA Hospice, while Rich was working as director of the hospitalist program and one of the rotating hospitalists at Mercy St. Joseph’s in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Rich visited Karen in Vero and took her to Disney World where they shared their first kiss in front of Cinderella’s castle. They married in 2009 and moved to Arkansas.
Ten years later, the Wyderskis moved back to Vero Beach and Rich joined Vero Internal Medicine with Cleveland Clinic where he cared for nearly 2,500 patients. The high volume of patients and administrative work at the hospital didn’t allow the time to build the therapeutic relationships with his patients that he wanted, so the couple founded Wyderski Health.
As a board-certified geriatric internist, Dr. Wyderski specializes in the care of elderly patients and takes great pride in establishing a close, collaborative relationship with his patients.
Geriatricians specialize in the unique health needs of the elderly including chronic diseases, nutritional problems, skin ailments, cognitive loss, memory impairment, adverse effects of medications, immobility and balance issues. His concierge practice allows his member/patients to reach him 24 hours a day, seven days a week via text, phone and email, and he takes as much time as necessary to answer all the questions and concerns about their health.
“Our bodies change as we age, and by the time we reach our 70s and 80s there is a whole new subset of health issues,” Dr. Wyderski explained. “We’ve got an aging population much like an inverted pyramid where more of the population is older rather than younger.
“In my private practice in the 1990s, most of my patients were middle-aged and now they are geriatric. I enjoy working with the elderly because I know that through our integrative approach to healthcare, which combines old fashioned self-care with modern medicine, I can improve their quality of life in their golden years.”
Wyderski Health is a Direct Primary Care (DCP) practice that is limited in size to about 300 members so that Dr. Wyderski can devote ample time to each patient. A monthly membership fee of $250 includes everything that can be done in the office, including physicals, drawing blood, administering cortisone injections and basic wound care. It also covers Dr. Wyderski’s time to visit and monitor a member’s care if they are hospitalized and to make house calls when medically necessary. His patients have unlimited access to him at any time and are seen the same day they call in most cases.
“While insurance doesn’t cover my office visits, I am approved by Medicare to order anything that Medicare covers for that patient,” Dr. Wyderski continued. “I will write prescriptions for medications and equipment, orders for lab work and medical imaging, and referrals to specialists. General internists take of most everything, but when things get complicated we often refer to specialists.”
Karen Wyderski brings Healing Touch therapy to the practice to further enhance patient health. As a Healing Touch therapist, she uses her hands to help restore balance and harmony by working with the human energy field. When a patient is stressed or ill, it is easy for their energy field to become unbalanced. Healing Touch practitioners clear, balance and energize the client’s energy field, thereby placing the client in a position to initiate or accelerate the self-healing process. Healing Touch therapy is offered to non-members of Wyderski Health as well as being discounted for members.
“I work with energy and follow certain techniques that have been around for hundreds of years,” Karen Wyderski said. “Most of the work is done off the body. Before a client gets on the table I ask them to tell me what is going on. They might be dealing with PTSD, anxiety or depression. We’ll talk about their higher power and set an intention for the session. I have been trained to move my hands and feel the energy of that person’s body to assess what they need.
“A lot of nurses practice Healing Touch in hospitals to reduce anxiety, reduce pain and promote self-healing. A practitioner completes five levels of education before being certified.
The key to the process is go into it with an open heart and the intention to bring in energy that will serve the highest good of the patient.”
Dr. Wyderski earned his medical degree from University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and his Master of Medical Management degree from University of Southern California. He completed his residency and fellowship in Internal Medicine at University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
The husband-and-wife team are now accepting new members at Wyderski Health located at 1245 36th St., Vero Beach. Visit WyderskiHealth.com or call 772-742-3799 to learn more about the practice.