Jenny Bell rethinks healthcare with Form & Function

In the years that Jenny Bell has worked as a nurse practitioner, she has become increasingly frustrated with the gulf that exists between higher ups and the staff members doing the real, on-the-ground work in clinics and hospitals.

“You always want to have the patient’s best interests in mind, and I think at a certain point, people in leadership positions, a lot of them lose that,” said Bell, who earlier this summer left her job with one of Columbus’ healthcare providers to begin her own primary care clinic, Form & Function Healthcare, which opened in Clintonville in June. “If you run something well and you run it ethically, and your heart is in the right place, why can’t you be successful? Why can’t I do this? And that [idea] is where things kind of started.”

Early on, however, Bell said the challenge of operating within the deeply imperfect U.S. healthcare system became clear, recalling the day the clinic received its first check from Medical Mutual, which included insurance payments for four patients, three of whom required complicated, multi-hour visitations. “We billed them $1,200 for those four patients and they ended up paying us $295,” Bell said. “And on the same day, we got the bill from the [plumber] who snaked the drain, and it was $300, and it just made me want to cry, like, what the hell are we doing here? And that’s not to say his job is not important, but … what other industry can you send a bill, and the customer can be like, ‘Nah, we’re going to pay this,’ and then there’s nothing you can do about it? The system is just so flawed from top to bottom.”

The moment served as a wakeup call for Bell and her business partner, a silent investor with a background in healthcare finance, leading the pair to add cosmetic services such as Botox. The clinic has also begun to develop plans for a concierge wellness service aimed at traveling entertainers and their crew members. “So, if musicians or the casts and crews of touring shows … need a strep test or need someone to prescribe them an antibiotic or give them a B12 shot, we can do that,” she said. “And hopefully those things can help pad the books a little bit.”

Bell’s interest in potentially serving touring entertainers stands as a natural extension of her initial intent for Form & Function, which she launched in part with the aim of providing affordable care for the city’s creative class, including artists, musicians, and entrepreneurs, many of whom lack insurance and/or the financial means to access healthcare.

“Anyone who wants to be an independent worker, anyone who wants to start their own business, be an artist, do something untraditional, they’re screwed,” Bell said of a U.S. system reliant on employer-provided healthcare. “And those people don’t get a checkup, and they wait until they’re sick-sick in order to get any help. And that’s not the way anyone should live. So, I want to make this a comfortable place for people who don’t want to go to those big chains, and for people who maybe don’t have the money to pay and don’t want to have those kinds of conversations, because they don’t know if those people will be kind to them. I want to make it a comfortable space where if you are struggling, just come.

“One of the biggest barriers is just getting people to show up and trust they’re not going to end up with a $300 bill being sent to their house, or their wages being garnished because they’ve been sent to collections. … I know what it’s like to struggle, and I can do a lot with a little and we can try to play the game to get you the services you need. I love Doc Baker from ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ where you make a house call and get dinner as a payment, or maybe someone gives you a concert T-shirt or something. I’m not sure how it helps keep the doors open, but hopefully karma comes back to bless you in a way.”

Bell, who is trained in family medicine, said the clinic’s services extend from preventative care (screenings for breast, colon, prostate, and cervical cancer) to treatments for common illnesses including colds, the flu, and strep throat. In addition, the clinic can help coordinate specialists when needed, provide gender-affirming care, and offer support and treatment for people with substance-use disorder, among other services.

“I’m sure there are other places in that world that are doing this, but I hope to make care more accessible,” Bell said. “And then hopefully we can grow and see more people in a community health way, because that’s what I want, and that’s my passion – population health and really building that community.”