Zion Asher Family Physicians, Inc.

07/29/2026

🚨𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞🚨

We've received several questions about the recent levothyroxine recall, and we wanted to help explain how medication recalls work for medications dispensed directly from our office.

When we dispense medications, our pharmaceutical supplier notifies us immediately if a recall affects a medication and specific manufacturer they have supplied to our clinic.

𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙮𝙧𝙤𝙭𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙪𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙.

𝐎𝐟 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: The current recall is for Levothyroxine made by Major Pharmaceuticals was because the medication tested subpotent, meaning they contain less active ingredient than required and may be less effective.

Medication recalls can understandably be concerning, and it's always a good idea to check the label on any medication you have at home to compare the manufacturer with information provided in the recall notice.

𝐈𝐟 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐝, 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫.

If you ever have questions about a medication you received directly from our office, don't hesitate to reach out. We're always happy to help.

*𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘺, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶.

07/24/2026

07/22/2026

𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 – 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬
At our monthly Journal Club, our group of local doctors (all practicing in Direct Primary Care clinics in the area) recently reviewed a major new clinical practice guideline on adult sinusitis. This comprehensive update was published in July 2025 in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the official journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNSF) – written by ENT specialists to guide better care.

𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨? 𝙒𝙚’𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙨 𝙨𝙮𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙨.

Many “sinus infections” are actually viral (like a bad cold), and they get better on their own. The new guideline strongly recommends watchful waiting for most uncomplicated cases – often waiting up to 10 days (or reassessing in 3–5 days once diagnosed) before considering antibiotics. Jumping straight to antibiotics just because someone reports sinus-like symptoms isn’t always the right move anymore.
Instead, the focus is on supportive, anti-inflammatory care that helps you feel better faster and safer.

This approach reduces unnecessary antibiotics, lowers side effects, helps fight antibiotic resistance, and still gets great results for patients.

As DPC doctors who see acute issues like this in same-day appointments all the time, we spent a lot of time discussing how these updated strategies will look in real-world practice. Our goal is always to provide the most evidence-based, patient-centered care possible – and staying sharp through journal club helps us do exactly that.

If you’re dealing with sinus symptoms, don’t hesitate to reach out for a same-day visit. We’ll work with you to figure out the best plan based on the latest guidelines.

07/21/2026

Same-day/next-day availability for appointments.
Cost of testing: $23.25
Cost of treatment: $1.01
No co-pay for members

07/18/2026

🚨 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄 🚨

We need your help settling a very important question.
Dr. Lyman is in the office one day each week and uses a giant TV-sized monitor for charting.
Starting 4 weeks ago, we have been secretly placing ONE tiny duck on top of his monitor each week.

Currently on week #4 🐥🐥🐥🐥

The challenge: How many ducks will accumulate before he finally says something?

Drop your guess in the comments. Closest guess wins eternal bragging rights. 🏆

(𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵.)

We'll post updates as the duck population grows. 🦆

07/16/2026

🌟 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧, 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐞! 🌟

If you've been in the office recently, you may have noticed a new face! We'd like to introduce Kate, who is spending the summer with us as our student intern.

Kate is from the Monett area and will be a sophomore at College of the Ozarks this fall. She plans to pursue a career in nursing after completing her prerequisite coursework, and we're excited to be part of her journey into healthcare.

You'll most often see Kate in the office on Thursdays, with a few additional days throughout the week as needed. During her internship, she's gaining hands-on experience by learning:
🩺 How an independent medical practice operates
💓 Taking vital signs
🧪 Drawing blood and processing lab work
📝 The art of taking a thorough patient history
💊 Becoming familiar with commonly prescribed medications
…and all of the many behind-the-scenes tasks that keep a medical practice running smoothly.

When she's not in the clinic or studying, Kate enjoys helping her family with their cattle operation and spending time with their horses.

We're grateful to have Kate with us this summer and are excited to help mentor the next generation of healthcare professionals. If you see her around the office, be sure to say hello and help us give her a warm Zion Asher welcome! 😊

07/08/2026

💡 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫...

Many people assume that 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚.

But that's not always true.

Insurance is an important financial tool, especially for 𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚, 𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙨 like hospitalization, surgery, cancer treatment, or serious injuries. Those are exactly the kinds of events that can become financially devastating without coverage.

However, many routine healthcare services have transparent cash prices that are often much lower than people expect. Office visits, lab work, medications, imaging, dental procedures, and even some outpatient procedures can sometimes cost less when paid directly than people assume.

The important takeaway is this:
𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

You may be surprised to learn that paying cash is possible and in some situations, it may even be the more affordable or straightforward choice.

MRI with insurance: possibly thousands
MRI without insurance: $400-600 (in our area)

Healthcare isn't always "insurance or nothing."

At Zion Asher Family Physicians, we believe patients should understand their options and know the cost of their care whenever possible. Our goal is to help you make informed decisions—not just assume that insurance is the only path to receiving quality healthcare.

𝘌𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘳: 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭, 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯'𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭. 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴.

07/07/2026

🤔 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫, 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧, 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲, 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠:
"𝘐'𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵. 𝘈𝘭𝘴𝘰, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵, 𝘐'𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦."

You'd probably get laughed out of the room.
𝐘𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤.

For those who aren't familiar, a prior authorization is when an insurance company requires your doctor's office to complete extra paperwork, make phone calls, submit records, and justify a medication or treatment that your doctor has already determined you need.

The interesting part? Insurance companies don't pay physicians or their staff for this work.

Years ago, a physician got so frustrated with this arrangement that he sued over the time spent completing prior authorizations. In Gibson v. Medco Health Solutions (2008), the court agreed that physicians should not be expected to perform work for free and awarded compensation for the physician's time and costs.

We happen to agree.

So beginning January 1st of this year, we started sending invoices to insurance companies for prior authorization work completed by our office.
Current score:
💰 Invoices submitted: Many
💰 Invoices paid: Zero
📬 Insurance companies confused by receiving an invoice: Several
📞 Insurance company employees trying to figure out why we sent a bill: More than a few

In fact, we're preparing to send a couple of insurance companies to collections because, believe it or not, we expect to be paid for work we perform.

Now, before anyone thinks this is about the money—it really isn't.
Our goal isn't for insurance companies to pay us for prior authorizations.

𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞.

If an insurance company knows every prior authorization request generates a bill, maybe they'll decide it's easier to simply approve the medication your doctor prescribed rather than creating more paperwork, delays, frustration, and barriers to care.

We'll keep advocating for our patients, pushing back against unnecessary bureaucracy, and looking for ways to make healthcare a little more sensible.

Because your healthcare should be decided by you and your doctor—not by whoever designed the latest paperwork form. 🩺

07/06/2026

🌟 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 🌟

𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝 𝙄𝙨 𝙐𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙐𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚

If you've ever tried to lose weight, build strength, improve your health, or break an unhealthy habit, you've probably noticed something...

The right choice is often the harder choice.

It's easier to hit snooze than go for a walk.
It's easier to grab fast food than prepare a balanced meal.
It's easier to keep scrolling than go to bed on time.

Our brains naturally seek comfort and conserve energy. That's how we're designed.

But our bodies also have an incredible ability to adapt.

Muscles become stronger when they're challenged.
Our heart and lungs become more efficient when we move.
Healthy habits become easier the more we practice them.
Even our brains build new pathways as we repeat better choices.

Growth isn't about finding the easiest path.
It's about choosing the worthwhile one.

If you're working toward better health, don't be discouraged because it feels difficult.

Sometimes the discomfort you're experiencing isn't a sign you're failing...
It's a sign you're growing.

Keep taking the next step. 🌱