Internal Medicine in Albuquerque
Expert care for patients with more complex medical needs, with a focus on thorough evaluation, precision treatment, and long-term health planning. Your care is led directly by Dr. Andrew Hemmen, a board-certified internal medicine physician who has served New Mexico since 2008.
What Is Internal Medicine?
Internal medicine is a specialty branch of medicine pertaining to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management of diseases affecting adults over the age of 18. Doctors who practice internal medicine are known as internists and often serve as a patient's primary care provider. Internists may work together with other physicians to ensure patients are getting comprehensive care that transcends a specific symptom or health condition.
Dr. Andrew Hemmen earned his medical degree from St. George's University School of Medicine in 2003 and completed his Internal Medicine residency at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York in 2006. He has served New Mexico since 2008 and brings more than 20 years of experience caring for hospitalized patients, including serving as Chief Hospitalist during the opening of Presbyterian Rust Medical Center in 2011.
After years of treating people when they were sick enough to be in the hospital, Dr. Hemmen decided to practice medicine further upstream. Body1MD was built to give patients more time with their doctor, faster access, and a proactive plan designed to help keep preventable problems from becoming serious ones.
An Internist May Be the Right Fit If You:
- Are an adult looking for a physician to partner with on long-term health, prevention and screening
- Live with more than one chronic condition, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or heart disease
- Take several medications and want one physician reviewing how they fit together
- Have symptoms that cross body systems and have not been explained by looking at one organ at a time
- See several specialists and want someone to put all the pieces of your health together
- Want a physician who manages long-term disease and also treats sudden, acute illness
What to Expect
- Initial and follow-up visits designed to last up to an hour, so complex histories get the time they deserve
- A head-to-toe review of your history, medications, symptoms and goals
- Testing ordered when it will answer a real question or change your care
- Imaging and results reviewed together on large-format displays in the exam room
- Coordination with surgeons and other specialists when you need them
- Direct access to Dr. Hemmen by phone and text between visits
Our Approach to Internal Medicine
Thorough evaluation, precision treatment and long-term planning, led by one physician who knows your whole story
Thorough Evaluation
We begin with a comprehensive consultation, looking at your health from head to toe, so we can fully understand you, your history, and your goals. Dr. Hemmen reviews your records, medications and prior results, examines you, and orders the testing that will actually answer the open questions.
Precision Treatment
Internists do not treat one part of the body in isolation. Dr. Hemmen weighs how each condition and each medication affects the others, then builds a treatment plan that fits your physiology, your preferences and your daily life, and adjusts it as results come in.
Long-Term Health Planning
Your health isn't a one-time visit, it's a continuous journey. Beyond managing today's problems, we plan for prevention, screening and the habits that keep preventable problems from becoming serious ones, and we revisit that plan as your needs change.
Benefits
A Physician Who Sees the Whole Picture
It is common for patients to have a different doctor for different diseases or symptoms. Internal medicine physicians are the specialists who put all the pieces of your biological puzzle together, so you have one physician who understands how your conditions connect.
Hospital-Tested Experience
Dr. Hemmen spent more than 20 years caring for hospitalized patients, including serving as Chief Hospitalist during the opening of Presbyterian Rust Medical Center. That experience with serious illness now informs a practice built around prevention.
Time to Think It Through
Initial and follow-up visits are designed to last up to an hour, giving Dr. Hemmen the opportunity to understand your health, answer your questions, and develop a personalized action plan.
Coordinated Specialist Care
Internists know how to work together with surgeons and other specialists to coordinate your care. When you need a referral, Dr. Hemmen explains why and stays involved afterward.
Timely Access
With a deliberately limited patient panel, Body1MD offers same- or next-day appointments in most cases, and members have direct access to Dr. Hemmen by phone and text.
No Insurance Hassles
Body1MD operates outside of traditional insurance models. Membership is $100 per month under age 50 and $150 per month at 50 and older, month-to-month, so your visits are shaped by your needs rather than billing codes.
What to Expect as a New Patient
Comprehensive Consultation
Your first visit is designed to last up to an hour. Bring your medication list, recent records and test results, and the questions you most want answered. Dr. Hemmen reviews your history from head to toe and examines you.
Testing and Results Review
When testing is needed, Dr. Hemmen orders it and then reviews the results with you, often together on the exam room's large-format display, so you understand what the numbers mean.
Your Personalized Plan
Together you build a plan covering current conditions, medications, preventive screenings, and lifestyle steps such as nutrition and exercise.
Ongoing Partnership
Follow-up visits, direct phone and text access, and regular refinement of your plan keep you moving forward. If you need a specialist or hospital care, Dr. Hemmen helps coordinate it.
Did You Know?
Internal medicine physicians complete at least three years of residency training after medical school, focused on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases that affect adults. Not to be confused with interns, internists have a comprehensive understanding of the entire body and the systems inside it.
It is the internist's job to evaluate all of a patient's medical concerns and symptoms, not just those pertaining to a specific area of the body or medical specialty.
Why Internal Medicine Fits Direct Primary Care
Complex care takes time. In a rushed, insurance-driven appointment it is hard to untangle several conditions at once. Body1MD keeps a deliberately limited patient panel and visits designed to last up to an hour, so Dr. Hemmen can stay closely involved in each patient's care.
The membership is month-to-month with no annual contract, and there is no annual concierge retainer. You can request a visit online at body1md.com/book, with no account or login, or call (505) 645-5451 to get started.
Common Questions About Internal Medicine
Should I visit an internist?
Everyone should have a primary care provider. If you are an adult age 18 or older, consider making an appointment with an internal medicine provider to discuss your current health and long-term wellness goals. If you are healthy, your internist will be your partner in maintaining your health, preventing illness, and screening for disease. If you are sick or experiencing symptoms, your internist will work to minimize your symptoms and restore your overall health.
What types of conditions can I see an internal medicine physician for?
Internists do not treat specific areas of the body; rather, they treat patients as a whole. They are equipped and trained to manage chronic disease, as well as treat sudden, acute illness. The internist understands both physical and mental health and can treat issues often managed by other specialists, such as reproductive, neurological, dermatological, ear, nose, and throat problems. Though patients are sometimes referred to other types of specialists, the internist serves as a first line of defense when issues arise.
What is the benefit of seeing an internist?
It is common for patients to have a different doctor for different diseases or symptoms. But internal medicine physicians are the specialists who put all the pieces of your biological puzzle together. They are lifetime care providers who do more than perform check-ups or write prescriptions, and they know how to work together with surgeons and other specialists to coordinate your care.
Is internal medicine the same as family medicine?
Both are primary care specialties. Family medicine physicians train to care for patients of all ages, including children. Internists focus on adults, with in-depth training in the diagnosis and management of adult disease, including complex and chronic conditions. Dr. Hemmen is board-certified in internal medicine.
How does internal medicine work in a direct primary care membership?
Body1MD is a direct primary care practice and does not bill insurance. The primary care membership is $100 per month under age 50 and $150 per month at age 50 and older, month-to-month, with no annual contract and no annual concierge retainer. Members get visits designed to last up to an hour, same- or next-day appointments in most cases, and direct access to Dr. Hemmen.
Related Services
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Chronic Disease Management
Ongoing, coordinated care for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and other long-term conditions.
Related
Adult Physicals
Unhurried annual exams with age-appropriate screenings and a clear plan for the year ahead.
Related
Preventive Care
Screenings, risk assessment and lifestyle guidance designed to keep preventable problems from becoming serious ones.
Ready for a Physician Who Sees the Whole Picture?
Schedule a comprehensive consultation with Dr. Hemmen at Body1MD in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque.
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