Carol Ansley spent over two decades in the telecom business.

So how did she become the investor behind the new Doctors Express, which will open November 15th here in Lake Highlands?

"I was at Nortel when the .com bubble busted," she says. "I found myself in my mid-40's wanting to give back."

With a background that also included work at Medical City, Carol worked closely with the emergency room physicians to create centers called Acute Care Kids.

"It was basically urgent care," she explains.

"When I decided I wanted to start my own business, I started researching all the different franchises opportunities, and Doctors Express really jumped out at me because of my background at Medical City – specifically the Acute Care Kids program."

The model is one that Ansley's proud of, and for good reason.

"You'll always get seen by a physician, not an assistant," she says, "and the whole idea is to get seen in 20 minutes or less."

"This will be a high quality experience for patients. Everything is digital, from our patient records to our x-ray images."

Ansley has recruited the equivalent of ten full-time employees, three of whom live in the Lake Highlands area.

"All the x-ray technicians, medical assistants and physicians are certified or boarded in their respective practices," she says.

Dr. Philip Bronowitz, the new Medical Director for Doctors Express, is board certified in internal medicine and occupational medicine. Part-time physicians on staff are all certified in family practice.

Bronowitz originally hails from New York, but has been in Texas for the last 15 years.

"I didn’t know anything about Doctors Express when Carol approached me," he says, "but her enthusiasm for this rubbed off on me and motivated me to join the team."

According to Dr. Bronowitz, the model of urgent care is growing in our country and fills a very important need.

"My experience in emergency medicine certainly gave me plenty of evidence which suggests that quality urgent care facilities can meet the needs of many people."

"These are patients who, for whatever reason, don’t want to go to their primary care physician or perhaps end up at the emergency room when their needs can be met more efficiently here with us."

From Ansley's perspective, quality care in a comfortable environment is key.

"On the business side of things, if you give good customer service and excellent care, people will come back."

"Of course I'm the investor here, not the doctor. I won’t ever be providing any healthcare advice to patients, but what I am very proud of is the staff we have here and the level of service we’ll be able to provide."

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Doctors Express officially opens Monday, November 15th in the Royal Skillman shopping center at 9901 Royal Lane, Suite 106.

Patients can be seen during the soft opening on:

Wednesday, Nov. 10th from 8:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 11th from 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 12th from 8:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 13th & Sun., Nov. 14th from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

You can also visit them online here, or better yet, join them for their official grand opening on Saturday, November 13th at 10:00 a.m.

Beginning November 15th, Doctors Express will be open 7 days a week.

No appointments are needed and Medicare is accepted, along with most insurance plans.