Your Doctor’s Prescription? Meet Her at the Gym

Imagine exercising next to your doctor. Not in a hospital or exam room, but in a fitness class your doctor designed specifically for a small group of her own patients — in a studio located inside her medical office.

Dr. Fields runs Bootcamp class for her patients three times a week.

Imagine the comfort of having your doctor right there beside you, lifting weights alongside you. You get the rare opportunity to spend time together outside the traditional office setting, sharing laughs, encouragement and maybe even a few high-fives along the way.

Dr. Fields holds a wall sit and a conversation with her patient.

And there’s something particularly motivating about knowing that your doctor believes movement is one of the best things you can do for your health — and then seeing her practice what she preaches.

At LSR Wellness, this isn’t just something to imagine. For the patients of LSR Wellness, it’s a reality every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, thanks to Dr. Jessie Fields and the Bootcamp program she created.

The Lafayette Hill office has a fitness studio inside the medical office.

I had the privilege to workout with Dr. Fields and her patients, and I learned what brings her patients back to Bootcamp at LSR. One patient, who has been exercising at LSR for two years, told me that “Jessie makes it fun and you get a really good workout.” A new patient said she joined the practice because of this class, and her and her husband exercise with Dr. Fields regularly now. A 3-year veteran of Dr. Fields’ Bootcamp told me that he “likes working out with someone who has a lot of understanding about himself.” And he feels comfortable exercising “with an expert not just in training but also in medicine.”

Fitness is just one of four pillars upon which LSR Wellness is built. Nutrition, sleep and stress management round out the practice’s holistic approach to health. But what makes LSR different is that its physicians don’t simply talk to patients about wellness — they incorporate it into their practice itself, making healthy living more accessible, convenient and approachable. In other words, at LSR they don’t just talk the talk. They walk the walk.

Wellness Beyond The Exam Room

Dr. Fields is one of five physicians who make up LSR Wellness, a concierge medical practice where patients join for primary care and gain access to a much broader approach to wellness. And Bootcamp is just one example.

LSR Wellness was founded by Dr. Lauren Rosen in Haverford, where three of the practice’s physicians currently see patients. A few years ago, Dr. Rosen met Dr. Fields and eventually merged with Fields’ existing practice in Lafayette Hill after discovering that the two shared a similar vision for patient care. Today, the Lafayette Hill office has two doctors. The two locations allow LSR to make care “as easy as possible for patients,” as Dr. Rosen puts it.

The Lafayette Hill office of LSR Wellness is inviting from the moment you step off the elevator.

The Lafayette Hill office has a dedicated fitness space, where patients from both offices are welcome to participate in Dr. Fields’ workouts. Dr. Fields is also a NASM-certified Personal Trainer, adding another dimension to her interest in helping patients incorporate movement into their lives. Patients who are based in Haverford can join the classes in Lafayette Hill, but they can also become members at Life Time in Ardmore at a discounted rate. Dr. Rosen says she “very happily sees many of her patients there.”

The philosophy is simple: If staying active is an important part of staying healthy, the practice wants to help remove as many barriers to fitness as possible. That philosophy is rooted in preventative care, which Dr. Fields describes as the “living piece” of medicine. She wants to understand what is happening in her patients’ everyday lives: How are they moving? How are they sleeping? How are they eating? How are they managing stress? “All the things that actually happen to you need to be addressed continuously during your medical relationship with your doctor,” says Dr. Fields.

A Different Kind of Doctor-Patient Relationship

The ongoing doctor-patient relationship is at the heart of concierge medicine. Because concierge physicians care for a smaller patient population, they are able to spend more time getting to know each individual patient — not just their medical history, but how they actually live.

For patients, that can create a greater sense of comfort and familiarity with their physician. It can also make it easier to bring up the little things that might otherwise be ignored or brushed aside. The result is often less in-person visits because the doctor ends up knowing the patient so well that a simple call or message can sometimes suffice.

At LSR Wellness, the process of becoming a patient often begins with a get-to-know-you meeting. Prospective patients have an opportunity to learn more about concierge medicine and decide whether the model is right for them. If they choose to enroll, they select one of LSR’s five physicians as their primary doctor — “their person,” as Dr. Fields describes it. That physician becomes the patient’s primary point of contact for visits and communication. At the same time, the other physicians in the practice are available to step in when coverage is needed.

The frequency of care is also highly personal. Some patients join primarily for the peace of mind that comes with knowing they can reach their doctor when they need to. Others want a more frequent, ongoing relationship. There is no prescribed schedule. “Nothing is forced or pushed. I let the patient lead the way,” says Dr. Fields.

Of course, sick visits and appointments for specific concerns can also be scheduled as needed. And when patients do come in, there is no race against the clock. “Visits will be as long as they need to be,” Dr. Fields says. An initial appointment can last 90 minutes or more, giving the physician time to understand the patient’s medical history, concerns and lifestyle in depth.

Creating a Community Around Wellness

LSR reflects this broader philosophy of wellness, as seen firsthand in the Lafayette Hill office. In addition to the fitness space, the office features a spacious, comfortable waiting area that doubles as a community space. It’s used for educational discussions, workshops and group sessions designed to support patients' well beyond their routine medical appointments. Recent topics have included empty nesting, with a therapist, and menopause, with an OB-GYN. The practice has also recently hosted a six-part series focused on insomnia. These programs are yet another benefit included with membership — and another way LSR Wellness extends the concept of primary care beyond the exam room.

An exam room at the Haverford office.

Membership includes in-house blood work, urine testing and vaccines at both the Lafayette Hill and Haverford offices. (After waiting several hours at LabCorp last week, I am more seriously considering LSR Wellness for myself.) Laboratory testing is processed through the patient’s insurance.

Blood draws can be done in the office at either location of LSR Wellness. This is the Haverford office.

Concierge membership is offered for a monthly or annual fee, with rates based on age and slightly lower pricing for patients under 40.

A Holistic Approach Under One Roof

The LSR Wellness philosophy doesn’t end with the services provided directly by its physicians. In the Lafayette Hill office, other independent businesses share space on the same floor and maintain a collaborative relationship with the practice. LSR patients regularly make use of these additional wellness services, which include two estheticians, a somatic healer and a massage therapist, and a licensed therapist.

Taken together, these offerings reflect the way LSR Wellness views healthcare: not simply as something that happens when you’re sick, but as an ongoing relationship centered around how you live every day.

And perhaps there is no better illustration of that philosophy than seeing a doctor step out of the exam room, put on her sneakers and pick up a set of weights alongside her patients. For Dr. Fields and the patients who join her at Bootcamp every week, wellness isn’t just something they talk about. They’re living it together.

*this post is sponsored but my thoughts, experiences and opinions are always my own and honestly shared — and that will never change!