The House Doctor

Articles> Potrero Hill View

By Lori Higa

Justin Davis, M.D., grew up in a small community just outside Gainesville, Florida. He was educated at Jordan Glen, a private “hippie, liberal, progressive” school, where he became friends with Jon “Eron” Block. Davis’ father owned the small, 60-student school, at which he taught classes and directed theatre. Block’s father was a doctor. Through a strange twist of fate, Davis grew up to become a doctor, while Block is the director of a professional youth theater company based in San Carlos. They now live just a stone’s throw away from each other on Potrero Hill. “Even as a child, Justin was always so curious. I think I’m a better actor than Justin, but he’s definitely the better doctor!” said Block.

Davis practices medicine from his Kansas Street home. The bottom floor serves as his medical office. It’s a serene and soothing space, the centerpiece of which is a mirror that doubles as a waterfall. There’s even a children’s playroom, created from a former storage space, the walls of which display a mural featuring a whimsical, Finding Nemo-type underwater theme. The office was thoughtfully designed by Davis’ wife, Nadia, who works alongside her husband managing the details of his practice. Nadia's experience as a former flight attendant and in hotel management is reflected in her welcoming manner and attention to detail, serving this visitor tea, baked goods and five different kinds of plums plucked ripe from the garden.
While most of us have visited a hospital emergency room, few have had a doctor make a professional house call. Davis, a board-certified M.D. – he completed a residency and passed the associated exams in family practice – specializes in home visits, and has received rave reviews on such websites as Yelp.
“Last week, I got a stomach virus and was vomiting until I was almost delirious...Dr. Davis responded to an email and came right over. Having him come to my home and avoiding waiting in ER made it more bearable,” wrote Amy T. “I found his bedside manner very soothing. My fiancé was frantic…the dogs were barking, our small cramped home was a smelly mess, and there he was…calmly making a space for himself on the floor, projecting positive energy and going about the business of being a healer.”
Kim L., was also impressed with Davis. “Ever want medical care the old-fashioned way, where the doctor is available 24/7 and can make house calls, where you don’t have to wait an eternity… where the examination and treatment are granted more than 15 minutes, where the doctor actually cares and takes extra time and attention to your ailment, where you’re not just a ‘case’ being shuffled through the system? Well, I found it! Through an unfortunate accident where I severely injured my finger, I had to seek out emergency care. We found Dr. Davis through the Internet under ‘urgent care,’ and his service came up as TheHouseDoctor.com…Dr. Davis is a superbly competent doctor, with gentle hands to numb my finger…he delivered seven cosmetic-surgery quality stitches (think about it - seven stitches on a little pinky). Not only did he go the extra mile in time and stitches to ensure minimal scarring, he also put medical glue to further ensure a good closure. My little ‘Franken-finger’ is now on the mend.”
“It’s not a big deal for me to get a call at 3 a.m., and walk downstairs to my office, do a few sutures, then walk back upstairs to bed,” said Davis. “Being a doctor you’re always on call really, but that’s the give and take of life.” He feels he’s able to provide a higher quality of care than traditional providers, because he has more time for patients and lower overhead costs. “In my practice, there’s no waiting. I have more time, I’m more flexible whether I see people from my office, or on house calls. For example, in ER, you never see the same doctor twice. My practice gives me the ability and time to be personable. My clients love it; they know they can call anytime,” he said.
After graduating from medical school at the University of Florida and studying alternative healing in China and India, Davis moved to San Francisco to work in a clinic that offered house calls. It was hectic and stressful. “I didn’t care for the traditional medical practice. There are always too many patients, you’re always behind and you’re always having to look at the clock. It’s not why I’m in medicine. I love forming relationships with patients and taking the time to get to know them as people, not a number.”
Davis had been living in his cousin’s Potrero Hill basement for several years when a house on Kansas became available. The home had an unfinished basement, which was perfect for an office. City Ordinance Section 604.1 allows doctors, massage therapists and chiropractors to work from home, and permits them to post a sign advertising their practice. By this time Davis was dating Ganace; they moved in, built-out the basement and got married in the renovated space. Davis launched his solo practice last winter.
Davis’ practice is a throwback to a time when country doctors traveled with their black bags to visit the ill or infirm, but with 21st century technology. He offers a range of medical services, claiming that “we can do more in your home than most physicians do in their office, including urgent and primary care, physicals, blood tests, stitches, EKGs, IVs, pediatric, geriatric, gynecology, internal and travel medicine, infectious diseases, dermatology and pain management.” Davis is sometimes accompanied on his house calls by his well-groomed, apricot-colored poodle Bijoux. “Animals can be very therapeutic,” he commented.
Davis feels strongly that America’s “health care system is broken.” He doesn’t accept insurance. “My patients appreciate not being shuffled through the industry. Insurance restricts the time a doctor can spend with a patient.” He provides detailed invoices that include standard insurance codes so that a patient can submit bills to their insurer. “Reimbursement with insurance companies is iffy, as to when and how much you’ll be paid,” said Davis. “In this system, you have to see a lot more patients, you’re making less money, insurance might only pay a small percentage of your costs - $50 to $75 – you don’t know when you will be paid, you need to employ at least one person to make sure bills are done correctly, which equals more overhead. You lose a lot of quality time with your patients as well as access.”
Under Davis’ care, “clients may pay more up front, but they get a lot more in the back end,” he contended. Davis’ fees are based on the case’s complexity, how much time is spent on it, and whether it’s after 6 p.m.. “Fees drop down with established patients. Procedures are charged separately from fee-for-services,” he said. “Part of being a good doctor, I believe, is a role that is educative, rather than paternal. The Greek root for doctor means ‘teach.’ I came from a family of teachers, so I look at myself that way.”
Davis lived in India for nearly a year, where he traveled and learned about using yoga for healing at Vivekananda Kendra Yoga Research Foundation outside Bangalore. “My studies touched on ayurveda, but mostly focused on medical yoga, as a philosophy, a broad and encompassing way of life,” Davis said. While in India he wanted to see the countryside, so he “bought a camel and traveled around for a couple of months, going to places where people had never seen Westerners before.”
Davis has also studied acupuncture in Beijing, China. He lived for 10 months in a hutong, the little alleyways that radiate outwards like spokes of a wheel from the city center, where the emperors of old resided. While he doesn’t consider himself to be an acupuncturist, he incorporates acupuncture, moxibustion – the burning of a dried mugwort herb bundle – amd cupping – a technique employing small glass bowls vacuum-sealed by heat – into his practice. “Each treatment is tailored to the individual. I have some patients who absolutely refuse Western medicine and antibiotics,” he said. If a patient needs more complex herbal treatments, Davis will refer them to an acupuncturist or naturopath, such as fellow Hill practitioner Dr. Carl Hangee-Bauer, founder of San Francisco Natural Medicine.
In addition to helping run the practice, Ganace often supplements patient care with good nutrition. “Nadia is a fantastic vegan chef!” said Davis, her cooking is “creative, not bland, and she’s an experienced master baker of cupcakes!” he added with a smile. “We love inviting patients to dinner, so we can give information on nutrition and the importance of living in balance.” Family meals often include ingredients from the doctor’s garden, where he grows tomatoes and cucumbers. “I love gardening,” said Davis, “and now that I have more time, because there’s no need to commute to a job, I can spend time growing things…the quality of my life has improved immeasurably, too.”
“What I’ve always liked about Justin is that...he’s gentle, kind, helps a lot, genuinely cares,” said Block. “He’s from a big family, so he’s learned how to take care of others.” Block speaks both as a friend and from first-hand experience. “…[Davis has] come over when I’ve been delirious. His is a different way of practicing medicine, it’s a throwback to the old days. It feels more comfortable than sitting in ER for hours...which can be a terrible experience! Justin…thinks outside the box. He uses acupuncture, will take the time to understand and explain what you have, whether it’s food allergies or something else. Justin and his wife make a great team. It’s like the old mom-and-pop shop, where the doctor treats you well, gives you a good cup of tea, a warm environment.”
For more information contact Justin C.K. Davis, 1017 Kansas Street, San Francisco, CA 94107 www.thehousedoctor.com, 415.834.5364; DrDavis@TheHouseDoctor.com.