Meet the dermatologist who is changing the medical model in Wausau
We sit down with Dr. Stephen Lewellis to talk about Above and Beyond Dermatology
Dr. Stephen Lewellis was a bit surprised when his contract was not renewed by Aspirus. Such a departure can be rattling. But Lewellis decided to turn the situation into a positive.
That was last year. This April Lewellis opened Above and Beyond Dermatology in Plover. And while the first office is in Plover so he doesn’t violate his non-compete clause, he says a large portion of his customer base will be from Wausau and that he eventually plans to open an office in Wausau too.
Lewellis told The Wausonian he built the Above and Beyond Dermatology practice to be on the cutting edge of dermatology medicine but while also keeping costs low for patients so people can afford it. He is also incorporating telemedicine into his practice which can save patients a lot of traveling time.
Lewellis says he values time spent with patients. In his own practice, he aims to spend the time needed with patients without any restrictions.
Lewellis, originally from the Allentown, Penn. area, says he initially went into research medicine. His medical college was funded through the National Institute of Health and he had been planning a career in research medicine.
But that wasn’t him, Lewellis said he realized. Watching his boss sit in a room all day writing grants or coming up with research ideas didn’t appeal to him. He found his passion when he got the chance to work with patients, so that seemed more to be his calling.
Dermatology appealed to him for a number of reasons, but chiefly because it’s such an important part of who we are. Lewellis says someone living a lifestyle that’s bad for the heart, for instance, might not be convincing, but someone with psoriasis won’t take much convincing usually to get it treated. “People really care about their hair, their skin, their nails,” Lewellis says. “I don’t have to spend a lot of time convincing people.”
Today, Lewellis says, the treatments for acne work really well, and he believes no one in Wisconsin should need to have acne. He just bought a new laser that treats acne he says is on the cutting edge of medical technology.
Lewellis also says one difference between his practice and many of the larger providers is that he’s committed to price transparency. Though a rule under the Trump administration required medical providers to display their prices, the penalties were low enough that many systems simply opted to pay the fine instead.
Patients will receive discounts for paying in cash, he says, and he also takes insurance.
Setting up a business is challenging alone - but setting up one in the medical field brings another layer of complexity. But Lewellis was determined and whenever he ran into a challenge, he researched and asked others with experience and tackled the problems head on.
Dr. Stephen Lewellis, MD, PhD and FAAD can be reached at Above and Beyond Dermatology, which is located at 3750 Corporate Avenue in Plover, in the Fi Fitness building. Contact Lewellis at 715-391-9774 or by email at drlewellis@aboveandbeyondderm.com. Or find his website at https://retinoids.lewellismd.com/
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