FAQ

Esse Health is an independent group of more than 100 physicians who practice in 43 different locations throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area. Our doctors specialize in asthma, allergy & immunization, family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, radiology and urology. Our doctors are in private practice. They work together, meeting regularly to monitor and improve patient care. As the area’s largest independent physician practice, Esse Health is able to work with insurers as a group. This allows our physicians to manage the care of their patients with less of the outside intervention that is currently prevalent in the managed care industry. Our philosophy is summarized in our mission statement: Leading the health care community by placing patients and their physicians at the center of health decisions.

No. Esse Health doctors participate in a number of HMO’s, including some Medicare HMO’s. Our independence allows each of our patients to choose an insurance plan best suited to his or her needs.

Neither. Unlike many physician groups, our doctors are not employed by a hospital or health system. Each Esse Health doctor is on staff at one or more of the major hospitals in his or her geographical area. This means your doctor can work independently with you in choosing the best hospital for your healthcare needs.

Our doctors, all practicing in the St. Louis area, own 100% of Esse Health. This ensures that our company’s goals and objectives are based on what our doctors see as best for our patients.

Esse Health doctors participate in nearly all major insurance plans. Click here for more information regarding participating plans. Search your insurance plan’s website to determine if your health care provider is on the plan. If you cannot find the information on your insurance plan’s website, please call the office of your provider.

Our physicians practice at hospitals throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area. However, we are an independent company and are not affiliated with any hospital or hospital system. You can view the hospital/hospitals at which a particular doctor sees patients by first going to the Find a Doctor section of this website. Select any Esse Health physician, and view the corresponding hospital/hospitals listed.

In accordance with its mission statement, Esse Health has established various services to facilitate patient care management. These unique services include the following:

• Gateway Asthma and Allergy is dedicated to finding the cause and outlining a comprehensive treatment plan for patients suffering from asthma and allergies.
• Excel Imaging is a full-service imaging center with a customer-service focus.

Esse Health wants to make health care accessible and convenient for our patients. Adult patients can get most blood work and other lab testing done right in the doctor’s office. Many of our offices also provide routine X-rays. Some locations dispense common medications, such as antibiotics, saving patients a trip to the pharmacy.

Most Esse Health physicians are Primary Care Physicians (PCPs). Specialists, such as allergists, rheumatologists, and urologists are also members of Esse Health. To locate a specialist in your area, search in the Find Your Provider box on the upper left part of this page. When you need a specialist, your primary care physician will work with you to identify the best specialist for you. Because we are an independent group, you are not limited to specialists associated with a particular hospital or health system.