Interview with Dr. Meredith Irwin
Topic: Interview
Guest Name: Dr. Meredith Irwin
Guest Credentials: Owner and Pediatrician at Little Nest Pediatrics
Discussion Details: During this interview, we discussed Dr. Irwin’s:
Direct care practice model and how it works
What makes her pediatric practice and service unique from traditional pediatric care
specialties in child development, behavior, and lifestyle medicine
benefits to the child and parent when opting for direct care pediatrics
Benefits of Watching: You will learn more about Dr. Irwin’s unique practice model and how it can help your child thrive, as well as provide you, the parent, with the support you need when raising a child.
Address of Guest’s Business:
283 Main Street
Chatham, NJ, 07928
Tejal Ramaiya: Welcome to today’s spotlight series. My name is Dr. Telra Ramaya. I’m a physical therapist and owner at Body Mocha Physical Therapy in Chadam, New Jersey. And today we’re here with Dr. Meredith Irwin, who is owner of Little Nest Pediatrics in Chadam. Um she’s an expert in pediatric medicine and child development. And Dr. Irwin, welcome to our show and thank you so much for being here. She’s going to tell us all about her practice and what makes it so unique. So tell us a little bit about just firstly what made you decide to be a pediatrician.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Oh wow. What made me decide to be a pediatrician? I’ve like always wanted to be a doctor since I was a young kid. Um and in college I did toy with physical therapy for a hot minute but then I went back to the medical school idea and um when I started medical school I wanted to be a geriatrician. I had a lot of a lot of experience working in nursing homes in college and with elderly people. My dad always worked in nursing homes, so I was exposed to that. And when I was doing my rotations, I really like fell in love with pediatrics. Um there’s a lot of similarities in those two populations um healthwise and then also the dynamic of taking care of them. you know, you with elderly people, you often are dealing with their children, and then with children, you’re dealing with their parents. So, um, I had an attending in medical school who was like, “Do you want your patient relationships to end with the patient’s death or with the patient like going on to like live a wonderful life?”
Tejal Ramaiya: Um, that’s interesting.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Yeah. So, I I took that into account. That really stuck with me. And then also um I really loved the attendees I worked with in geriatrics, but um I really felt like I vibed more with the pediatric like staff, the nurses, the other doctors. I felt like they were more my people and so that was another um reason that I chose pediatrics and here I am.
Tejal Ramaiya: Very cool. That’s awesome. That’s really interesting. like I never thought that it would be like a similar type of you said there’s a lot of similarities in seeing both geriatrics and kids. Um and that’s true because like a lot of them are in both ways they’re dependent on someone whether it’s their parents or their kids or Yeah. Right. Um so what I know that you did regular traditional ped pediatrics before and then you transitioned into more of a concierge model which you currently have. So tell us a little bit about your practice just overall. Um and like tell us a little bit more about the concierge model.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Sure. Um so when I was deciding to go back to work after I moved to New Jersey from Kentucky, um which I did in 2022, I was kind of deciding, do I want to go back to traditional medicine, which I had done for eight years in Kentucky, um or do I want to try something different that might fit my family’s lifestyle a little bit better and give me flexibility? Um, and this model really does that so well um, for for myself and my family, but then it also provides exceptional care that I think everybody would really love to have from their pediatrician. Um, so in this model, it’s technically it’s called direct primary care. So in direct primary care, we don’t deal with insurance at all. Patients just pay me directly and then we that’s it. It’s very simple. There’s no middleman with the true definition of concierge is usually you bill insurance and then also take a monthly membership fee for that kind of concierge level of care. Um, so it’s a little more complicated. I didn’t want to deal with insurance at all. I just wanted to be like super simple, like old-fashioned. Before insurance was a thing, people went to their doctor and paid in chickens and eggs or whatever and whatever they could do. I wanted it to be like that. very simple. And so that’s what patients do. They pay me directly a monthly membership and that gets them access to me, my phone, they can call, text, email me whenever. Um, I am available to them always. Um, I can see people after hours, on the weekends, kind of be as convenient as possible for them. And my patient population is smaller. The average pediatrician in a traditional practice has about 2,000 patients.
Tejal Ramaiya: Wow.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Yeah, that’s a lot. And then if you’re working in a practice with five doctors, for example, there’s going to be 10,000 patients and you’re going to see some of those other kids, too, you know. So, when you go to see the doctor, the doctor probably doesn’t really know you, you know, but they’re looking at their computer and they they don’t, you know. Um, so I know all of my patients very well. I know their parents’ names. I’ll admit when I was practicing before, I never knew parents’ names. They were always mom and dad, you know, and now I like we’re on a firstname basis, you know, I know the whole family. Um, and um, you know, I’m just providing that super personalized uh, experience for them.
Tejal Ramaiya: That’s amazing because like as a new parent like you’re so unsure of so many things of like what’s normal, what’s not normal, like what’s going on to be able to like and this was not I think I’ve told you in the past like this was not really an option that I knew of when my kids were babies. And to have that at like my fingertips would have been amazing because I was just I remember sometimes just like I don’t know what to do. Like is this normal? Like my daughter just spit up. like I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s scary when it’s your first kid. Um, but yeah, it’s an amazing amazing option, I think, for new parents. And I would Can you tell us a little bit about I think that most people might assume because it’s not um covered by insurance like that the pricing might be out of their reach. Can you tell us a little bit about um you know, and I know that I’ve talked about this in the past and I do feel like it’s very affordable for what you get. Tell us a little bit about that.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Yeah. So, um the monthly membership is based on age. So, infants 0 to 12 months are my most expensive population just because I do house calls for the first two months. I don’t make the parents come into the office. The mom’s recovering from amazing from delivery. So, I come to them which is a lot of fun. Um and then they also are seen very frequently in that first year. So that’s $250 a month for babies. And then one to two, they also are being seen quite frequently. That’s 200 a month. And then everybody beyond that is 150 a month. So I think that it’s, you know, pretty affordable, especially when you’re considering you’re not paying any extra co-pays. Um, and I’m keeping you out of the urgent care or the emergency room as much as possible. Of course, some things are always an emergency no matter what. Um, but you know, there are lots of things. is I had a mom once reach out to me on a Sunday. She was like, “So and so woke up from a nap and he acts like maybe he has an ear infection. Should we go to the emergency room?” I’m like, “Are you kidding me?” No.
Tejal Ramaiya: See, amazing.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Yeah. Like, you’re not going to go to the emergency room for that or urgent care or whatever. And you never know what you’re going to get at those places. You know, you and how long you’re going to be there for. How long you’re going to be there, how many germs you’re going to be exposed to. is the provider um experience with children. Um you know, kids aren’t just little adults. So, a lot of people, nurse practitioners or other doctors are not, you know, as equipped to evaluate a child. So, in my practice, you’re always going to see me and um I’m going to be able to see you most of the time on a Saturday or Sunday if you need. And so I think in the long run I’m I’m saving people money that way or it’s at least balancing out to be even. I do use insurance to pay for vaccines. So the insurance isn’t like useless for patients. You know, we use insurance to cover vaccines. And then any labs that I might do out of the office are also going to be covered by
Tejal Ramaiya: Oh, that’s convenient, too.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: I do I do a lot of labs in the office. all of your basic like you know flu, COVID, strep, um I do a couple of blood tests, urine, that’s all in the office that I can do and that’s all included in the membership as well.
Tejal Ramaiya: Now, do you have anyone who’s also working with you a little bit just to kind of help you with certain things?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Nope, it’s just me at this point. I’m still able to to do it all myself. you know, if I get to a point where I I’m feeling overwhelmed and can’t manage it, then I will happily um look for some help. But at this point, I can I can handle it.
Tejal Ramaiya: Well, because then you always also know what’s going on. I remember when my kids were little and I had to take them to the emergency room for two separate things. Like my son was had like a really bad stomach bug and um like I ended up taking him to the ER cuz I was like, “You’re dehydrated.” And I mean being in the medical profession like I kind of had I knew what to look for but I don’t know if everyone knows that but like to be able to call a doctor and say this is what is happening. They could have told me to go to the uh ER but also like you know being able to know that I was just like super nervous about what could be going on. And then you’re also there for hours like I was there I remember my daughter had a really bad sinus infection. She must have been like two years old. We were there for like 4 hours.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Yeah.
Tejal Ramaiya: But to be able to avoid that like oh it’s so amazing. Yeah. Um so uh you probably already touched on this a little bit but just the way that your practices and like you know just overall pediatricians are just so important in parents’ lives overall especially like in those younger years. What sets you apart from other um pediatricians in your field outside of the concierge model or the direct care model?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Sure. I I do have a special interest in behavior and development, which I know is a really um not hot topic. Well, I guess it’s a hot topic. I don’t know. But um a lot of people deal with, you know, behavior issues or concerned about, you know, certain quirks that their child might have. I was trained in my first job um to diagnose autism in children from 18 months to three and a half using this particular um testing tool. It was like an initiative of the state that I was working in. And so I got very comfortable recognizing those kind of symptoms. Um, and in this model, I have the time to really observe a child and like really kind of know what’s going on. Um, so I have that background, which I think it every pediatrician does not necessarily have that background. Um, and then I’m also, you know, a mom. If if you have a pediatrician that’s not a parent, they don’t know what they’re talking about. I feel like I did it before. I I mean I practiced for like two years out of residency before I had a my first kid and oh my gosh some of the things I would tell parents I mean they weren’t they were like buy the book they were textbook you know but it’s like that was just so out of touch.
Tejal Ramaiya: Yeah. Well sometimes like the practical knowledge of just if you can uh I guess put yourself in the parent shoes and like
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Yeah. It’s just different. It’s different because you understand what they’re going what the parents are going through.
Tejal Ramaiya: Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. Oh, that’s that’s really interesting. So, um in terms of like um who would be an ideal patient for your type of practice, an ideal family for your type of practice?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: I think there’s a lot of um ideal families, especially family, new parents, first-time parents. Um, I think that I’m really uh a good fit for because I’m available and can answer all of the questions, which there are a lot typically. Um, I’m also a good fit for two, um, working parent households. They’re so busy and, you know, you might not always have time to run into the pediatrician for every, you know, sneeze or cough or whatever. A lot of times we can take care of things over the phone um in my practice or again like I’ve mentioned I’m happy to meet after hours and things like that as well. So there’s that convenience factor and then families that have you know more children with more complex needs as well. um you know, even older kids, you know, children with issues like ADHD or some depression, things like that, people that need kind of more uh frequent check-ins with their pediatrician. I think that I’m a good fit for those families as well.
Tejal Ramaiya: So, do you work with you mentioned depression and ADHD, do you work with other um behavioral specialists or psychiatrists or like how do you work with other providers to collaborate?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: I do have some connections in the community for more um complex cases um that I can reach out to. Uh in my first job in southern Indiana, just right across the river in from Kentucky, um I worked in a really it was a diverse population, a heavy heavily Medicaid insured population and the resources were just not there. So I got so much education and experience in treating things on my own or you know win collaboration with the other doctors in my practice. Um because we were the only option you know a child was struggling you can’t send them to the psychiatrist. There’s not a you know maybe a year down the road they could get in with a psychiatrist but there just wasn’t an option. So we just had to do it. Um, and I think um, a pediatrician that won’t treat any level of medical or of mental illness needs to do some work and and some education. Of course, there are certain cases that are beyond my scope, but there are certainly very um, we call breadandbut cases that I think that any good pediatrician should be able to handle.
Tejal Ramaiya: Well, that’s a good point because these days I feel like everything is so specialized that like having to go to multiple doctors for different things when it’s something that you know like one doctor can easily learn. I think it’s a like I mean just another generalization like I think all OBGYn should be really well verssed in menopause um treatment at least you know someone’s in perry menopause like because that’s something that is part of women’s health. So just like that I think mental mental health is such a big part of kids and teens that I agree with you. I think it’s being able to like at least have a conversation with your pediatrician can put a parent at so much ease rather than have to figure it out separately, right?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Yeah. I have a I have I tell parents, I have my toolbox. This is what’s in my toolbox as far as like medicines and things. And if we go through the toolbox and we’ve used everything and we’re out of out of tools, then we go somewhere else. But I think a pediatrician should always be the first stop. Um You know, like I said, I think any good pediatrician should should be able to to manage at least the most basic of those issues, right?
Tejal Ramaiya: No, I agree. I think that’s really really amazing. So, um, do you do any type of like prevent Well, I guess some of it is also preventative like traditional western medicine is not really preventative care. It’s more reactive care outside of I guess vaccines. Um, do you do any type of like preventative care or wellness or anything like that also or not so much?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Every checkup is preventative care. In addition to the vaccines, we’re doing we call it anticipatory guidance. So, you know, telling parents, okay, this is what we can expect for their development over the next six months before I see you again. And here are some things that you can do to encourage those developmental milestones to u you know, so I think a big part of pediatrics is preventative um medicine. And then of course we’re always counseling on diet and things like that. That comes with every checkup um as well.
Tejal Ramaiya: That’s good. Yeah, absolutely. I mean we I I was board certified I guess I didn’t mention that um this also kind of sets me apart. I was board certified in lifestyle medicine um during the pandemic.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Um and it is kind of what it sounds like. It’s all about the importance of lifestyle in promoting health and how you can really manage a lot of chronic illnesses like diabetes and high cholesterol and heart disease and all of that stuff with diet, exercise, avoiding uh smoking, alcohol, having social relationships, all of those things and how kind of important that is. So that is always a big part of what I talk about with families too.
Tejal Ramaiya: Oh, so a little bit of a side quest. Is that I haven’t heard of that as a specialty. So, is that something new?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: It is. It is. Um, it’s not um an ACGME like uh recognized specialty like you can’t do a residency in it. You might be able to do, I don’t know, some fellowships or something in it, but you can’t come out of medical school and become a lifestyle medicine doctor. Um, it’s kind of an additional It’s a good layer. Yes. Exactly. It’s just like extra education and one one thing that sets it apart is is putting an emphasis on plant-based nutrition um which is unique to I mean in medical school despite what some people in the government like to say we doctors are taught some about nutrition and you know the important of course it’s important to exercise and eat healthy and that kind of thing. Um, but this is like a bit of a deeper dive into the nutrition aspect of things and um, especially putting emphasis on plant-based nutrition um, is is there. So, I got a lot of education in that.
Tejal Ramaiya: Oh, that’s really cool because I feel like a lot of um parents that
do struggle with just with their kids eating, whether it’s when they’re at a young age, like my kids really picky or um you know, when they’re older and just eating disorders become something that become very prevalent or like a lot of kids who are in sports, which is like pretty much every single kid around here, like just what’s the proper nutrition to support their activities and the amount of training that they’re doing. I feel like that’s a really big part of I when and my kids are not at a direct care pediatrician. So like just comparing like you know a traditional pediatrician will generally ask like you know are you eating okay like what are you eating and are you eating protein? They’ll kind of just check it off the list but there’s not a lot of like coaching or guidance on that.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Right. So, it sounds like you have a little bit more deeper conversations about what would be good for someone like an athlete in high school.
Tejal Ramaiya: Sure. Yeah. And you know, I can’t I can’t say that I know it all off the top of my head, right? But I h in this model, I have the time um to go and read about it um and like look things up for a specific person and you know give them give them information about what they should be what they should be doing.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Yeah. And just kind of pulling that into what we do as physical therapists, we see a lot of injuries and a lot of the kids injuries can be prevented by proper protein intake and carb intake. So I think that’s a big conversation to have with and even like the adults that we see like the recovery a lot of the recovery is based on like are you eating enough? like some people just might not recover well because they’re not sleeping well and they’re not eating well because that’s what your body needs to improve tissue integrity. Um so we talk about that a lot too. It’s such a big part of it. So that’s really cool that you have that board certification in that. That’s awesome.
Tejal Ramaiya: So if someone was going to work with you, how does that generally happen? Do they find you on Instagram? Do they find you online? How do they reach out? What’s the process from beginning to becoming a patient?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Sure. Um, the simplest thing is to go to my website and I think it’s on every page at the top of the page. You can click on a link that says request a meet and greet. Um, and it’s just a quick a quick simple form, just a few questions. And when you send that to me, then I will reach out with an email and we’ll set up a time to talk. I meet with everybody before we um decide to partner together. Um, and it’s about a 30 minute conversation. they can ask me anything about the practice or about myself and um I find out about their family and then we decide if we’d be a good fit together and then I send a link to register and they register. It’s pretty simple after that. Um and then I can see kids, you know, the same day that they register if they if they need to. Then we we work on getting records and things like that, but that doesn’t inhibit me from seeing somebody um you know, if if necessary.
Tejal Ramaiya: Awesome. And then do they make their like next appointments when they leave their current appointment just so that they’re especially with the babies because they’re coming like at regular intervals?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Sure. Um what I usually do is what what has been working so far is I set a reminder in my system to reach out to them like a week before they’re due for their appointment, their next appointment, and then we set up a time. Um, okay. My schedule is really so open and available. So, you don’t have to schedule a month, two months in advance. You could schedule on a Monday to get a checkup on a Wednesday, you know?
Tejal Ramaiya: That’s also so convenient because I have to schedule my kids appointments like three months ahead of like I have to set a reminder at least three months before to make an appointment for when I need it. Right. And then if they’re like sick or some, you know, if they have to miss it for some reason, then you’re like, “Ah, how are we gonna get back in?” Like I know that’s true. That happens all the time.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Yeah. And people just text me. I’m one of those people that I to when they need to make an appointment, they text me and we just set it up that way. Um I’m one of those people that like if I get a text, I have to answer it immediately or because one, I’m going to forget about it and it just like bothers me. So, um, you know, for better or worse, I I I respond to people very quickly. You could ask any of my patients like they’re always like, “You don’t have to, you know, it’s Friday night. You don’t have to respond anytime soon.” And like, I answer like, “Sorry, couldn’t do it.”
Tejal Ramaiya: I know. And I do that, too, just because I know I’m going to forget. Either I can respond to them or I can make a note to respond to them. So, like, I’m like, I might as well respond to them.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Yeah. Exactly. Yes. Um, but also like I know that I’ve gotten stuck in situations where my kids had to have a physical before sports started and I couldn’t get an appointment with the doctor and it was like how am I going to get this physical form otherwise they can’t do like some fall soccer. So like to be able to get an appointment right away is so unheard of and so convenient, right?
Tejal Ramaiya: Um, so just um I’m just wondering if there’s any, you know, misconceptions out there about like direct care uh type of model. Are there any misconceptions that people might have about a model like this?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: One thing that I’ve come across is people wondering if I can prescribe medicines like any other doctor since I don’t like um you know partner with insurance. I’m not, you know, credentialed by insurance and no, I’m a I can do whatever. You know, I’m licensed, board certified. I can do anything your general pediatrician can do. We’re so used to jumping through all of these hoops and you know, doing these having these protocols like if you ever schedule a checkup a little too early, if it’s not been a full year, insurance might not cover it, you know, and so then every year it like gets a little later and a little later. That’s how it is. I’m my own personal doctor. Um, but here it’s like there are no rules like that. We make the rules. You know, if you need a checkup now, a week before they turn seven, then we’ll do it. And they’re almost seven. Who cares, you know? Um, so, um, yeah. So, I think it’s hard to get past the what has been so ingrained in us is the way things are supposed to be done. They don’t have to be done that way, right? We can make it very simple. Um so that’s I think a misconception and then also that it’s you know a waste of money um that insurance covers all medical care so why would you pay extra for this and um like I mentioned earlier I think it does save money in the long run um with no co-pays and no hospital you know fewer hospital visits fewer urgent care visits and that kind of thing and you know there’s value to it as well it’s just um you know a great relationship that you have. It’s like having a sister who’s a pediatrician, you know, that’s how I right kind of look at it for my patients. They can reach out to me. They know they can reach out to me whenever they need.
Tejal Ramaiya: No, I I completely agree with that. The fact that um you are available all the time, to be able to answer questions all the time via text, which is like one of the most convenient things to be able to get in to see you right away. Um, all of those things I think are just a big big big that’s just like so much value that it makes it so much worth it.
Tejal Ramaiya: Um, so uh we talked a little bit how you collaborate with other practitioners and things like that. So you have like do you ever do anything in the community anything in the community to connect with other parents or you know just getting the word out about your practice?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Yeah, I mean I’ve tried to do little events here and there. I I would set up a booth at the Fishawak Festival in Chadam this spring, but it rained all day, so I didn’t connect as many Yes, it was terrible. I didn’t connect with many as many people as I wanted to. Um I uh did a little event last week at Creekide Farm. There was um I don’t know, there were probably 40 45 kids and their moms there um with a group called Little Local Magic. Um and that was fun. Got to meet some local moms. And then I’m doing um a chat with take a moment um in November. I’m doing a session with them um yeah um just kind of I think do a Q&A with the moms. Um so you know I’m getting out there and and trying to uh Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
Tejal Ramaiya: Nice. So what would you say is like the most rewarding thing about your job?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Oh my gosh. getting to like take care of these little humans. Um, I just love it. They’re Oh my gosh, I just love it. They put a smile on my face and I get to hopefully make coming to the doctor’s office a positive experience for them. I have one patient who um you know the first time that he came here terrified like would not even get on the scale like so scared and then saw him again a few weeks ago and he didn’t want to leave. So, it’s, you know, it’s amazing um to get kids more comfortable with the medical um atmosphere and even though the office doesn’t feel very medical because I try to make it, as you can see, very fun and colorful and um anything but doctor. So, um yeah, I just love it. I love taking care of the kids and getting to know them and and and supporting the parents, too.
Tejal Ramaiya: Well, also, um, one big thing that I’ve noticed is just based on what you’ve been saying is it sounds like it’s more relationship based and like, you know, going to the pediatrician with my kids seems more just like very transactional. We go in, we do the appointment, we leave, okay, everything’s fine, whatever. Um, you know, like doctor doesn’t know me, they don’t really know my kids. They just checking things off the list. Like that’s huge for kids who are especially kids who are dealing with like autism or behavioral issues. Like you need to be able to connect with the child to be able to help them thrive. So I think that’s a really big part of um I mean what you do overall. I think it’s good for everyone. Like I’m wondering how my how it would be different for my kids if they had a different relationship with their pediatrician, you know?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Right. Even though I love my pediatrician growing up. Um, I went to a practice with several doctors, but there was always one that I just loved so much. Um, and have, you know, positive experience with with that. And I I don’t know, I think that that’s just set you up for success as you go on through life and encounter the medical field and hopefully take some of that anxiety away. Um, even as a as a grown up.
Tejal Ramaiya: Yeah. And it might even inspire them to be go into the medical field, which I think is like amazing.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Yes. Yeah, because they’ve had such a positive experience.
Tejal Ramaiya: Um, is there anything else that you want to share with us that we already haven’t talked about?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Um, I pierce ears.
Tejal Ramaiya: Oh, that’s that’s interesting because a lot of pediatricians don’t do that anymore. So, that also sets you apart from most pediatricians.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Yeah. And I do that for non-patients as well. So, you can see you can find that information on my website. Um yeah, that’s that’s been a fun little side gig um to do.
Tejal Ramaiya: That’s funny.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Yeah. That’s very cool. All the way down to um two months old. Um because especi some cultures pierce very early. Um and so I wanted to be able to do that because I know that’s not an option in a lot of you can’t go to Claire’s with a two-month-old and get your ears pierced.
Tejal Ramaiya: Right. It was I think a hard thing to figure out where to go because a lot of doctors stopped doing it.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Right. Exactly. Um, and I use equipment that is, um, you can only get if you’re a medical professional. So, you have to be a nurse or a physician. Um, it’s, you know, completely sterile. Um, and every everybody that I’ve done so far has been very happy with the results. Um, so that’s a little Yeah, that is a big plus.
Tejal Ramaiya: Yeah. So, do you do people have to come with the earrings or can they buy them from you?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: No, they’re they’re part of the they’re part of the Yeah, they’re part of the kit. They’re they’re sterile. Um yeah, so um it’s and it’s all included. Um you know, the cost for the piercing and the earrings and the aftercare is all just one package deal. And I do I do will come to your house to do it as well, but that is an extra a little bit extra fee. Um I’ve not done that yet. I do have one scheduled in November to do at uh somebody’s house.
Tejal Ramaiya: Very cool. Yeah. I love it. I love it. I love it. Do you know any other um pediatricians in the area that have a model like yours?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Um some that are similar. So I have met um a physician who I think most of his patients are still in Manhattan um right now because he used to practice in Manhattan and now he lives in Summit and so he’s starting to expand but his model is slightly different. um he only does house calls and um I think his is like an annual fee, not people pay me monthly and so you don’t have to, you know, commit to a whole year or whatever. Um and but he is amazing and he actually helped cover for me. I went away last spring break to Mexico and so he was kind of my backup if somebody needed to be seen.
Tejal Ramaiya: Um that’s awesome.
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So that’s nice that you can collaborate with someone else and work together like that, especially in your type of practice.
Tejal Ramaiya: Very that’s a good point because you know if you go on vacation like what do parents do if they have a question?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: So exactly. Um yeah, exactly. I have been out of town a few times when he wasn’t available and I was just, you know, available via I was still available. Yeah, exactly. Um, and of course if somebody had to be seen for a strep test or something like that, then they might have to go to urgent care, but I lead a pretty boring life, so that doesn’t I’m not gone very often. That doesn’t happen very often.
Tejal Ramaiya: No, but it’s good to be able to like take a break when you need to take a break, too. So, that’s Well, thank you so much. So, if you are a parent and you’re looking for someone who is having your back all the time, who’s always going to be there for you, um Dr. Irwin is definitely the place to go. Little Nest Pediatrics. Um you can follow her on Instagram. I know she’s always posting awesome tips that are super valuable. It’s Little Nest Pediatrics, correct?
Dr. Meredith Irwin: Yes.
Tejal Ramaiya: Yeah. Um so, it was a pleasure having you today. Thank you so much.