Susan Lea-Makenny, MD, FCFP, ICD.D Integrative Family Physician

While at the current location since 2017, Dr. Susan Lea-Makenny has been a family physician since 1987, practicing rural and urban hospital, community and “executive” care with a holistic focus. Many of her current care team have been with her for anywhere from 5 years to 25 years. Our newest Primary Care Provider, Julie Bakko, is a highly qualified Family Practice Nurse Practitioner, with over 20 years of experience in Community and Private practice. She has been working with Dr. Susan in a variety of roles for approximately 7 years, and is eager to join the group to accept new patients! 

Our Integrative Health Program is designed to provide “best-in-class” comprehensive primary and integrative medical care, including Preventive, Predictive, Personalized, Comprehensive, Holistic, Active, and Responsive Care, delivered at your convenience and in a manner that works for your needs and schedule. In short, we aim to be your “Trusted Medical Advisors and Advocates”, and ensure your health care journey has no gaps and offers you the opportunity to achieve your optimal health for the life you imagine. 

Our annual fee covers all “uninsured services” that we offer, and as per all the appropriate authorities, is fully compliant with all rules and regulations. Our “insured medical services” (all those that are covered by the provincial health care plan) are not “private”, but are all provided through Alberta Health Care, BC Health Care, or your provincial health care through a reciprocity agreement between governments – Quebec may be an exception. It is the uninsured and extraordinary services which are covered in the fee. The services are considered “medical services” and we carefully document them, so that you may be able to submit them for tax or corporate health spending accounting. 

The uninsured medical services are fully documented and available at any time for your perusal. They include such things as forms completion (for insurance, travel, work absence, special services, etc.), telephone and fax prescription refills, driver’s medicals, and many others as they are “de-insured”. Additional uninsured services include onsite phlebotomy (get all your blood work done here), travel consultations, immunization consultation, international networking for consultations and prescription refills, personalized leading edge nutritional therapy, and longer and unhurried appointments that ensure a comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic interaction covering medical concerns, lifestyle and gut health factors, and significant mental health support. 

Annually (and more often if needed) we fully and completely review your health status – lab work, examination, all appropriate screening testing, immunizations and referrals needed. Throughout the year, in addition to all urgent and episodic needs, and scheduled coaching and follow up appointments, we will review your situation after your specialist appointments to ensure all follow up is complete and coordinated, and will fully notify you about results of any tests you have done. (We do not believe that “no news is good news”; you should know and understand all results from tests you have done.) 

Our office is essentially paperless, as we have the newest Electronic Medical Record system and are committed to keeping it current and absolutely secure, encrypted and on a secure off site server. We are connected to your provincial (Netcare) records (hospital, urgent care, specialist consults, imaging, lab, pharmacy and immunization) so that we can coordinate your care and see all your relevant history. Your EMR will be fully populated with all your information so that it is available to you and to the care team whenever needed. The Portal is a secure messaging system which allows two way communication of sensitive medical information – every patient has their own access; it also allows on line appointment booking. 

In addition to your Primary Physician/Nursing Practitioner Provider, you will have a designated Medical Office Assistant and Health Care/Nursing Assistant that are your “medical executive assistants”, available to schedule appointments for tests and visits, liaise with you through our portal or by phone, respond to all health care needs and questions in a timely manner, and ensure any concerns are directed to the member of the team who can respond the best. 

Because of the setup of the clinic we are fully functional for virtual care (wherever in the world you are), we do house calls, provide palliative care, and liaise closely with the hospital or any other care facility - during office hours and around the clock as needed. We have an extensive network of providers (both in the public and private systems) within the Alberta and BC health care systems, as well as across Canada and in the USA and internationally, with whom we consult for optimal advice and care. Either Dr. Susan or NP Julie - are available, with access to your full file, 24/7/365 for after-hours phone calls and services when needed. Now, both Dr. Susan and NP Julie are also licensed in BC, as well as Alberta, so can access records and specialist care, and provide virtual care and care coordination in both provinces. 

Future: In keeping with our philosophy of providing the very best of care, we are constantly exploring leading edge information in diagnostics and therapeutics to offer better, more personalized care for your optimal health. We are currently exploring such topics as genetics and genomics, longevity research, regenerative medicine, Artificial Intelligence, wearables, new oncology theories, formal functional medicine, microbiome research and others. It is an exciting time to be helping in this health care journey!