Church to open own practice in Supply Medical Campus

Dr. Lori Church, a general practitioner formerly with Sunset Beach Family Medicine, will open a practice of her own Sept. 9 at Supply Medical Campus, sharing a suite with cardiologist Dr. Jeffrey Seder.

SARAH SHEW WILSON

Dr. Lori Church, a general practitioner, will open her new office in the Supply Medical Campus Sept. 9.

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“I always had a desire and people were always telling my I should practice for myself,” Church said recently, as she busily prepared her new office in the main building on the campus.

Sunset Beach Family Medicine officially shut its doors June 11, after Novant Medical Group decided not to continue its partnership with the practice.

“Dr. Seder and I talked about it, and he’s got the experience with running his own practice. We felt like it would be an awesome combination. We have similar philosophies,” Church said.

“I felt like he would be a good mentor. It took the fear out of it.”

For his part, Seder said he was excited about having another doctor in the office to provide additional care for patients.

“She’s a great physician, and the community is lucky to have her,” Seder said.

The two doctors share overhead expenses on the office suite, but the businesses are separate.

Since placing an ad in The Brunswick Beacon last week, Church has been flooded with calls, mainly from former patients, and her practice is now booked for the first three weeks.

“Ninety-seven percent of my calls are from returning patients,” she said.

“I hope to provide a sense of continuity,” Church said of serving former patients. “I know a lot of the medical histories in my head.”

She’s also looking forward to having control over the time she spends with each patient.

“I’m not going by the clock,” she said. “It is a business, but sometimes patients need a little more time. I don’t want to run a business by the clock.”

Church will still accept Medicare patients, which have always made up a large part of her practice, and she’s also being approved for most major medical insurers.

Church says she will continue to provide well-woman care, for which many patients often seek female doctors. As a family practitioner, Church is also available to see children.

“My main focus is prevention,” she said. “With the right medical care, you can prevent major surgeries and improve quality of life.”