Monte Atwell, founder of Concierge Phlebotomy, LLC, is betting people in Vero Beach are willing to pay a little more for the convenience of having blood drawn at their home or office instead of at a doctor’s office or lab.
Phlebotomy, (the drawing of blood for clinical or medical testing), is ordinarily done in a physician’s office or at companies such as Quest, LabCorps or the Indian River Medical Center’s Lab Express where, Atwell claims, waiting times can sometimes be long. Her vision is to offer clients a personalized “no-waiting” service.
Atwell, who grew up in Vero Beach, believes business people would rather not have to take time off from their busy schedules to drive to and from one of the local labs and then wait to have blood drawn, and that retirees would prefer to get an earlier start on a round of golf or to spend more time with family and friends.
Patients with mobility restrictions or limited transportation options also can benefit from her “concierge” service. She comes to patients’ homes or offices, draws the needed samples and delivers them to the facility the patient’s doctor designates.
A licensed clinical laboratory technologist, Atwell taught Phlebotomy and Medical Assisting courses at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce for seven years. Along with her personal credentials, she has a biomedical waste operating permit from the State of Florida.
Health insurance and Medicare do not cover her services, but Atwell says patients can pay the $50-per-visit out-of-pocket fee using cash, checks, credit cards or a personal health savings card.
Having started the business this past August, Atwell has already gained some admirers.
“I think it’s a brilliant idea,” says Dr. Marc Rose at Indian River Urology. “We currently offer our patients the option of using her service and the response has been very positive. I recommend her without hesitation.”
Brian Clemente of Indian River Shores calls Concierge Phlebotomy, “a fabulous experience.” He went on to say, “I just called her cold and when I got home 15 minutes early, there she was: waiting in my driveway.”
Atwell says the first name she goes by is short for Montigny. She was named after the Montigny Sur Crecy region of France, a place her parents had fallen in love with. But since “Monte” is easier to spell and pronounce, she has used the shortened version for as long as she can remember.
Concierge Phlebotomy can be reached at 772-913-1326 or via email at [email protected].
