SYLVANIA – Syrian-born doctor Georges Jabaly knows what it’s like to be less fortunate than others.

He knows what it’s like to not have insurance, or to not trust the medical system.

Dr. Jabaly, who has two offices on Holland-Sylvania Road – one for family practice and another for pediatrics - and one in Wauseon - is doing his best to let the public know they have a friend in the healing business.

Dr. Jabaly’s MN Angels Clinic offers acute care, preventative wellness programs, treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fibromyalgia and headache, in-office testing, physicals, pediatric health care, including vaccinations and sick visits, occupational therapy, psychological services and holistic and alternative medicine.

Dr. Jabaly goes out of his way to offer a caring approach. He makes house calls and has no issue with working with patients who have no health insurance.

“MN Angels is doing the cutting edge in medicine – adult care and pediatric care,” Dr. Jabaly said. “We do have all services that the whole family needs. When you look at the way medicine is going, we have multiple issues in medicine. Number one, people have insurance but (still) cannot afford to come to a doctor.

“If you don’t come to the doctor, how do you know about your health? The issue is, not a single person I ask knows what his insurance deductible is.”
One highlight of MN Angels is helping patients understand their deductibles and co-pays so they are not hesitant to go see a doctor. Dr. Jabaly advises maintaining care for his patients instead of having people put off doctor’s visits just because they are confused about how to pay for those visits.

“I say, why don’t we continue persistent care and do everything that needs to be done now, and next year will be simple maintenance and you can come twice a year,” Dr. Jabaly said. “I would like to educate my patients about this particular process.”

An example Dr. Jabaly used is a paitient who has a $1,500 deductible and has already done tests that cost $900.

“You still have to spend $600,” he said. “If you come to me and you spend it because of the necessity of your condition, everything else will be covered.
Next year, we don’t have to go through the whole process. The awareness of the savings, this is the issue – saving money for people. It’s huge.”

He also pointed out that he knows how to save on medication.

“If the medication is expensive, I give (patients) samples,” he said. “I can write 99 percent of the medication for anywhere between $1 to $4 per month … whether you have insurance or you don’t.”

Dr. Jabaly said the philosophy of MN Angels is to give patients the shortest route to the best recovery.

“The cure is our mission,” he said. “Sometimes you arrive at the cure, not by just medication and tests, you have to treat the human being. This ‘person’ problem is not only medical. There is an economy complication, there are transportation issues. If you bring your children and three of them need antibiotics and cough medicine, you’re talking about six medications. The co-pay would be $15 per medication. That’s the average.

“Now you gave six prescriptions for three children during flu season, and six times $15 is $90. Guess what? That person has to pay a $20 co-pay on each, plus $90. This mom left the office (minus) $150. That’s the average scenario.

“What happens in my scenario? The antibiotic and cough medication will cost the whole family $15.”

Dr. Jabaly said he is able to offer prescriptions at lower prices by going the extra mile for his patients.

“I take advantage of … offers from big firms, like Wal-Mart, Meijer, Giant Eagle,” Dr. Jabaly said. “Even if the patient goes to other pharmacies, like Rite-Aid, those pharmacies still match what other big pharmacies offer. Sometimes people get stuck on a brand name. Like paying for a shirt - I can get the same shirt, the same quality, for 10 percent of the cost if you don’t look for the name, like the Nike name.

“Let’s say a certain medication for diabetes can cost $90 a month. You can get it, easy, for $3.50. That’s what I’m doing. I look into what works for the patient best and I pick out the best.”

So why don’t all doctors get cheaper meds for their patients?

“It depends on the knowledge of the doctor,” Dr. Jabaly said. “Some people will accept to go and be humble and buy generic and accept that. All doctors are very knowledgeable about everything in medicine. In MN Angels’ philosophy, what does it mean to us if I give you medication that costs you $200 but you don’t buy it? What is the use? You will continue having high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high sugar.

“When I look at the economic factor, I explain to you and you trust what I’m telling you. You will see the effect of the medication, that it’s working, so why not continue on less expensive medication.”

The ultimate philosophy of MN Angels is to make medicine affordable.

“Food, clothes and medicine should be every family’s basic necessity,” Dr. Jabaly said. “For MN Angels, medicine is a necessity. If you need the fancy things that everyone pays $200 for, yes, we can write that for you no problem. If you want to pay it, OK.

“MN Angels has a mission to save people money. When I see how many people are not able to afford their medication and don’t’ take it - I’ve seen it. I feel how people manage and don’t take medication. I do holistic medicine, so I do the whole person. That’s what makes us unique. We take the time to think about everything. Other doctors don’t take the time.”

Dr. Jabaly said he has an advantage on many other doctors because of his extensive work overseas with MN Angels and his life experiences in general.
“I was not born as a rich man,” he said. “I’ve seen poverty in all ways. I was a poor man, a poor child. When you are poor, you feel inferior looking at everybody.”

Dr. Jabaly said “everybody knows” the current medical system is not working in the United States.

“It’s not a secret,” he said, adding that 60 million people in the U.S. have no insurance, including 60,000 in the Toledo area.

How can MN Angels help those people?

“We have a full protocol,” Dr. Jabaly said. “The visit is discounted according to Medicare guidelines. The lab tests are also discounted according to Medicare guidelines. If the person goes on his own to do a blood test, to assess for diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, on average it costs $850. With us, it costs $150.

“People are afraid of the unknown,” he added. “They say, “I have to go to the doctor. What is he going to charge me? I don’t have the money.’ With us, we make it known. You say you don’t have insurance, and you will have an answer from us. I won’t force you to do any tests. I would say, ‘Listen, I really recommend we do A-B-C.’ You say you don’t want that and I say, fine. If it’s really a life or death situation, we address it from that point.

“We are offering and making medicine very accessible and very approachable to everybody who is really looking to make a change in his life and making improvement on his health.”