Blog
★★★★★
My Awesome Mom
My awesome mom helping patients deliver healthy babies during the deadly pandemic in India ⭐ This mother's day month 🙏 I salute mom!
She has been serving this rural community for 30 years
Patients need her now more than ever amidst pandemic
She gears up and goes to serve her people
To deliver their babies safely
To keep the moms healthy
Free Online classes
Learn from home and master new skills. With us it is possible!
Medical terminology
Explore career options in medical specialties
Challenging medical ethics based mock scenarios
Direct Primary Care Introduction Entrepreneur Skills
One-on- one monthly mentorship with Dr.Deepti
Explore affordable healthcare for the community
Free Online Mentorship for Pre-meds
Covid-19 has reduced opportunities to gain shadowing opportunities so MyHappyDoctor is offering free career counseling and mentorship sessions.
Covid-19 Vaccination in San Diego
Here are the links to check which vaccination phase you belong to and how to make an appointment for vaccination.
Success Stories
My Happy patient lost 14 pounds in 2 months, normalized blood pressure and the high cholesterol has reversed to normal. I will be stopping medicines one by one. 🤩🤩🤩 #successstory #directprimarycare
“A successful team beats with one heart.”
Gout-friendly foods
Foods that can help prevent gout flares
Low Fat Dairy
Low fat milk and yogurt
Gout friendly
Cherries
10-12 cherries a day
Gout friendly
Vitamin C
Vitamin C fruits and supplements
Gout friendly
Fish
Salmon, Tuna, Rainbow trout, Herring
Trout for Gout
Fiber
Dietary fiber
Gout friendly
Common Health Topic Interviews of Dr.Deepti
Insider - Health
Healthy Vegetables
Explore the various tasty vegetables that bring abundant nutrients.
A Dream Career
Published on www.dpcnews.com Feb 18, 2021
Hello!
Remember when you were younger and the times you were asked – “What do you want to become when you grow up?” The choices seemed endless back then. If you are reading this, you probably chose to be a physician and are studying to be one. Maybe you are still exploring what your dream career could be. How exciting! I will tell you a story about my journey as a primary care physician – with plenty of ups and downs, difficult choices and decisions, new friends and mentors leading to an exciting dream career.
New horizons
The year 2020 was my first year as a primary care physician fresh out of residency. I wanted to live in beautiful San Diego and found an exciting job opportunity in the outskirts of the city. The beach was a 20 minute drive, work was a 30 minute drive and everything seemed perfect in my life. My first job was important to me. I was finally not a trainee anymore. I was Board Certified in Internal Medicine and the possibilities were endless. During residency training, I completed a fellowship in Primary Care Psychiatry to equip myself with skills to treat mental health illnesses. I was prepared to step out into the primary care universe. My first couple of months went well in the insurance-based world. Then gradually things took a turn for the worse.
Downhill course
It all began when I started seeing twenty patients a day. My patients could only communicate with me directly if I called them after-hours and then only if they were lucky enough to hear the phone ring. Thus began the phone-tag diaries. Insurance denied simple medications like metformin and my patients’ health worsened until they were able to tell me about the denial two months later. Insurance denied life saving CT scans that could diagnose cancer. Meaningless and redundant paperwork piled up and handling the influx of phone tags regarding important health matters was getting harder and harder everyday. Meanwhile, my employer wanted me to see more patients in a day to meet the goal RVU (a number that decides how much money I bring in as profits to my employer).
Eyeopener experience
One evening in the month of March 2020, when a patient bullied me repeatedly for being a female physician, I quit my job. This event may seem benign in the big scheme of things. To give some perspective, I had already received enough disrespect on a daily basis in various forms of shaming including insurance companies doubting my assessment, medical assistants doubting my skills since I was obviously new to the common insurance denials, an office manager keeping score of the number of patients I am able to see in a day. Profits at the expense of poor quality of care to patients, at the expense of patient deaths from missed diagnoses seemed unconscionable… yet somehow the other physicians in the clinic had accepted their fate in corporate medicine. I had not seen this coming.
One door closes
By now I was dreading the health outcomes of my patients who had received such poor care during my first six months due to the systemic problems. Within six months of my first job, it felt like I had failed terribly. I had failed to survive corporate medicine. Was it my time-management skills? Was it my interpersonal communication skills? Even though it felt disheartening to quit my job, it was the only practical option to keep my sanity. After quitting, it took me a month to realize that I was not a failure and the healthcare system had failed me. I was a tool in the toolbox. I was a means to profit in the business of medicine.
An inspiring phase
I looked everywhere for support. My family stood by me. I heard about Direct Primary Care (DPC) for the first time through physician friends on social media. I watched Ted talks by DPC physicians and then I did not look back. Prioritizing the quality of medical care I provide over the profits I make – was an easy choice for me. Choosing DPC was a no-brainer because the starting costs are low. July 2020 I launched myhappydoctor – a direct primary care practice in San Diego, California. No one said practicing medicine is easy. I wasn’t looking for something easy. I was looking for an honest doctor-patient relationship. Now I can look my patients in the eye and say that I will do my best for them.
MyHappyDoctor Diaries
😍Was another awesome day at work. 🔥💯% work is real medical work thankfully at 💝MyHappyDoctor. 😣But..... ☝️occasionally we have to deal with the world🕵️♀️ outside myhappydoctor for medical records department 🏬 lab codes 🧪 etc We step into 🤖🤖🤖 call centers and 🐌 wait-times zone 🗣️ Here goes 🙄😒😒 🐧waiting on hold 💁♀️20 mins for medical records 🐠 Faxing back and forth 5️⃣ times for med records 🧐 Reading 300 pages of medical records which have only 5 useful pages because rest is information repeated multiple times 🔁🔂🦜🦜🦜🦜🔂🔁 ✍️ Filling useless insurance billing codes on different papers 🧻📝multiple times #systemissues #brokenhealthcaresystem #fixourhealthcare #insurancecodes But! 🙏 Thank God for #directprimarycare I love myhappydoctor world which is as freeeeee 🆓from redtape 🚧 as a medical clinic can ever be. We are ⭐doc-patient team vs 🥱healthcare system Today my patient saved $6000 that insurance quoted for a test 🥺 ⭐ because I found $600 option for testing. (10 times cheaper)🙌👏🙌🥳 Best part 🤩 is I make new friends who help my patients everyday. 😍The Jazzy Doc is our local telepsychiatrist 😍Richa Kaushal MD FAAP is our local tele kids doc 😍Best Care Pharmacy helps deliver meds, vaccines 😍Auto-Ness Therapies next-door physical therapy 😍Dr. Heather Johnson next-door psychologist All solo-specialists self employed and trying to fix a broken system by providing direct care.... 😍😍😍🤩🤩🤩🗺️🌍🌎🌏⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 😍🤩 myhappydoc.com #dpcnews Checkout more success stories at www.dpcnews.com
Future of Outpatient Healthcare
A smart-watch is not a necessity. Oftentimes, physicians like Dr.Deepti rely on heart rate to modify doses of heart medications or blood pressure medications and a single heart rate measurement does not provide sufficient information to confidently recommend dose changes. This is when a smartwatch may be useful. Posted: Feb 10, 2021
A Smartwatch to enhance remote heart monitoring
Apple watch series 6 comes with heart rate notifications. This watch checks for unusually high or low heart rates in the background, which could be signs of a serious underlying condition. This helps myhappydoctor and her happy patients to identify situations which may warrant further evaluation. If a patient’s heart rate is above 120 bpm (beats per minute) or below 40 bpm, the patient will receive a notification. Patients can adjust the threshold bpm as recommended by Dr.Deepti. All heart rate notifications — along with date, time, and heart rate — can be viewed in the Health app on iPhone and you can allow Dr.Deepti to view the heart rates so that she can recommend changes in medication dosing based on consistent patterns in the heart rates. The irregular rhythm notification feature and ECG pdf generated by the ihealth app has been granted De Novo classification by the FDA for users 22 years and older in the U.S. with no prior history of atrial fibrillation.
Single lead ECG is not the same as a 12-lead ECG
The EKG app in a smartwatch is not the same as a 12-lead EKG we use to detect heart attacks in clinical settings. This single lead EKG does a decent job with common rhythm problem detection like atrial fibrillation. Dr.Deepti will recommend ECG in clinical setting if there is any suspicion for heart rhythm abnormality based on her comprehensive assessment. The smartwatch would not be used as a sole diagnostic tool but rather as a means to identify irregular rhythms before they cause life threatening stroke or heart failure.
Oxygen saturation remote monitoring
Fitbit and Apple watches can detect oxygen levels in your blood which is especially useful during Covid-19 pandemic. Covid-19 disease is notorious for causing low oxygen concentration in blood before showing symptoms that might require hospitalization. There are devices or monitors that can check your oxygen concentration in blood intermittently when you attach your fingertip to the monitor. However, a smartwatch is able to monitor more frequently on-the-go using blood oxygen sensor. On-demand measurements can be taken while the user is still, and periodic background measurements occur when they are inactive, including during sleep. Heart Rate and Blood Oxygen, could serve as early signs of respiratory conditions including influenza and COVID-19.
Sleep monitoring
Healthy sleep improves and maintains both physical and mental health. Dr.Deepti always explores sleep patterns and strives to maintain healthy sleep for her patients. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea helps prevent or reverse weight gain, anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, migraines, heart attacks and strokes. At myhappydoctor we believe in treating the cause of disease first while cautiously using medications only when they are appropriate and withdrawing medications when health is restored after tackling the causative factor. Throughout the night, Apple Watch sensors monitor body movement and heart rate during sleep. Tracking devices can definitely be useful for helping you recognize patterns in your sleep habits. The app will show graphs and reports which make it easy to spot trends.
Seamless Communication
“Communicating with Dr.Deepti is easy. All members can text or call directly.”
Read Dr.Deepti Mundkur's interviews on common health topics
Dr.Deepti Mundkur has been interviewed in 2020 by Business Insider Magazine.
Covid-19 Vaccine Update: Jan.12.2021
Vaccine is here for healthcare professionals and will be available to the community soon:
Today is a special day! 🤗🤩🔥
I got a chance to beat Covid19 💛💪
I will still Mask up 😷
I will still socially distance with telemedicine 🤳
Get your vaccine when you can! 🔥
A Patient's Review
"My wife & myself are on Medicare insurance and have an advantage plan too. But, we were struggling to find a Doctor who can take personal interest, understand our health status & guide us on medications that we really need. And we are both so very delighted to finally connect with Dr. Deepti Mundkur on phone, an independent practitioner, who was so patient in listening to out health condition, very meticulously went through the details & guided us on what we should be doing. It is really great to have such a Doctor, to take care of your health, in the current uncertain situation. I am sure you too would feel very supported & comforted to connect with Dr Deepti & have her as your Doctor. As her website www.myhappydoctor.com suggests, she certainly is a Doctor who can make you Happy & is always Happy to take care of you!! 😄"
A Member's Experience
Enrollment, primary care visit and medicine delivered within 3 hours. December 2020.
Patient messages about interest in membership.
Enrollment link sent to patient via SMS.
Patient requests appointment.
I receive email notification that new patient enrolled.
Appointment scheduled for 10:00am.
Extended 1 hour telemedicine appointment.
Medications hand-delivered to patient's home.
Patient education information and tools emailed. Questions answered.
Personalized nutritious food for you
I received a large basket full of fresh veggies and fruits at my doorstep. 🍓🥕🍇 🍄🫑🍎🥑 🥦and more (December 2020)
Gift of Health
Explore a variety of your culinary skills while cooking nutritious food. Just like you get concierge-style direct medical care from your physician at myhappydoctor, you can now get produce from the farm to your table at a low cost.
Fresh Produce
Healthcare begins with our choice of food. My friend gifted me the "Farm Box" this holiday season. It was a treat for the eyes when the box arrived with tons of veggies and fruits. We sliced the fresh Zucchini, spiced it lightly, fried it oil-less in the air-fryer, and relished it.
The San Diego Concierge Medicine Experience
What would your reaction be if you found out that concierge medicine is affordable in San Diego? Myhappydoctor is all about meaningful, lifelong relationships with patients. Dr.Deepti wants to deliver personalized medical care and show you how to live a healthy life. We focus on...
Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) Diet
Dr.Deepti helps educate and support people looking to live a healthier lifestyle. Eating as many healthy plants as possible, indulging in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes while avoiding processed foods is key to a healthy diet.
WFPB Food Choices
Improve Heart Health
Reduce Cancer Risk
Reduce Diabetes Risk
Healthy Weight
Improve Energy
Want to buy Dr.Deepti's art or be her patient?
Physician and Artist Dr.Deepti is at your service.
Serene Jellyfish
Calm Koi
Bee Well
Paradise Joy
Now accepting Medicare-eligible patients
Dr.Deepti is now accepting Medicare-eligible patients. Dr.Deepti retains privileges with Medicare insurance to order blood tests, specialist referrals and imaging requests but she will not claim any reimbursement from Medicare for her appointments or visits. Call her to find out more. Medicare doesn't cover membership fees for concierge care.
What is heavy smoking?
Heavy smoking means a smoking history of 30 pack years or more. A pack year is smoking an average of one pack of cigarettes per day for one year. For example, a person could have a 30 pack-year history by smoking one pack a day for 30 years or two packs a day for 15 years, or 3 packs a day for 10 years and so on.
Who should be screened?
In 2013, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended yearly lung cancer screening with Low Dose lung CT scan for people who: Have a history of heavy smoking, and Smoke now or have quit within the past 15 years, and Are between 55 and 80 years old.
What are the risks of screening?
False-positive results, over-diagnosis or risk of cancer from excess radiation can be risks of screening. That is why lung cancer screening is only recommended for adults who are at high risk for having lung cancer. If you think you might benefit from screening, talk to Dr.Deepti now. Lung cancer screening is not a substitute for quitting smoking.
Is lung cancer screening right for me?
A decision aid for people considering lung cancer screening with low-dose CT scan of lungs
Lung Health
Are you looking for a primary care doctor in San Diego? Join us now.
World Menopause Day
Swipe and click on icon to see the 10 ways to cope with menopause. October 18 2020
Eggplant Bhaja
My Grandma's Recipe for October 2020
Large Eggplants
Pick two large eggplants and slice them length-wise into two pieces
Step One
Make slits
In a grid-pattern make slits
Step Two
Mix dry masala
A teaspoon of dry garam masala, coriander & cumin pwdr, turmeric, salt
Step 3
Spice & shallow fry
With a spoon apply masala in the grid cracks & surface. Fry two sides.
Step 4 - more the masala, the spicier.
Garnish
Then garnish with tomato, onion, cooked mushroom, cheese and mint.
Final Step - Pick a fork and dig in!
Are you depressed?
Life has taken a 360 degree turn with Covid-19. Mental health suffers. Check if you are depressed by finding out your sadness score. Get help to stay healthy.
Rescue ourselves
The harmony of our daily lives has been disrupted by the virus. Some of us have noticed debilitating difficulties in our daily lives. Please use Generalized Anxiety Disorder (7 item) scale to screen for anxiety. Contact me if you need a psychiatrist.
Gratitude
Appreciation for what we are fortunate to have. Feel the goodness and warmth of simple gifts of life. Studies show that we can cultivate gratitude which will bring positive changes to the prefrontal cortex of our brain in turn reducing anxiety.
Daily Fruit Energy
Know what's in your favorite fruits. Posted: Oct 4, 2020
Tangerine
Excellent source of Vitamin C and phytonutrients.
Cholesterol-Free, Low-Fat, Sodium-Free
Figs
Figs contain small amounts of Vitamin K, B6 and magnesium
Cholesterol-Free, Fat-free, Sodium-Free
Pineapple
Pineapple contains Vitamin C but it is high in sugar and carbs.
Cholesterol-Free, Fat-free, Sodium-Free
Strawberry
Rich in fiber, Vitamin C, potassium
Cholesterol-Free, Low-Fat, Sodium-Free
Papaya
Rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, folate and potassium.
Cholesterol-Free, Low-Sodium, Fat-Free
Breast Cancer Screening
Find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat.
The goal of screening tests is to find cancer at an early stage when it can be treated and may be cured.
Mammogram
A mammogram is an x-ray picture of the breast. Mammography may find tumors that are too small to feel. The breast is pressed between two plates. X-rays are used to take pictures of breast tissue. Mammography exposes the breast to low doses of radiation. There may be pain or discomfort during a mammogram. Talk to your doctor about your risk of breast cancer and your need for screening tests.
MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be used to screen women who have a high risk of breast cancer. MRI is a procedure that uses a magnet, radio waves, and a computer to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body. This procedure is also called nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI). MRI does not use any x-rays and the woman is not exposed to radiation.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is useful for looking at some breast changes, such as lumps (especially those that can be felt but not seen on a mammogram) or changes in women with dense breast tissue. It also can be used to look at a suspicious area that was seen on a mammogram. Ultrasound can also be used to help guide a biopsy needle into an area so that cells can be taken out and tested for cancer. This can also be done in swollen lymph nodes under the arm.
Are you looking for a primary care doctor in San Diego?
Fight Song
This is a song of hope. Every woman who is facing cancer is going to want to belt these strong words out.
Colors of fruits
Try to eat a rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables every day to get the full range of health benefits. Sept 21, 2020
Achieve a Healthy Lifestyle
Join our membership and build healthy habits! Sept 21, 2020
WORKOUT
Regular exercises help you control your weight and prevent chronic diseases.
Flu season is here and Dr.Deepti wants you to protect yourself.
Here is some useful information about flu vaccine during this pandemic. Posted Aug 27, 2020
Mild Covid-19 patients should take the Flu vaccine after completing isolation.
For persons who never develop symptoms, isolation and other precautions can be discontinued 10 days after the date of their first positive RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 RNA.
Take the Flu Vaccine during Pandemic
For the upcoming influenza season, influenza vaccination will be very important to reduce the impact of respiratory illnesses in our community and resulting burdens on the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please contact your doctor to speak about your flu vaccine.
Health and age increase your risk of complications from Flu.
Dr.Deepti Mundkur is your neighborhood Scripps Ranch family doctor. She is accepting new patients and provides affordable and accessible healthcare.
Just you and your Doctor
Our doctor Deepti is the only person you interact with during every experience with our medical practice. No medical assistants. No schedulers. No nurses. No nurse practitioners. No call centers. Right from enrolling to become a member - to every single interaction. I know right?
A Doctor that is on your side
Our doctor Deepti has been working in the insurance-based system for years and knows how to navigate this complicated system. She will not make excuses for insurance or any healthcare system, instead she will provide you with information about all options available so you can make the most affordable choice for your health.
A Doctor that's different
She works for you! She doesn't work for any large healthcare system. She has trained at world-renowned UCSF and UCSD among others. But, she soon realized that her values of providing easy access to her patients and ample time with every patient were not compatible with the bottom-line of most large healthcare systems.
A Happy Patient Story
A member's experience
Concern phase
Goes without saying - If urgent care is closed and Emergency Room is the only option, expenses and wait-times can be concerning.
Calm phase
Knowing the assessment was by a physician and with appropriate treatment, my happy patient was able to sleep with peace of mind.
Physician accepting new patients in San Diego
My Happy Doctor aka Dr.Deepti Mundkur MD is now accepting new patients in Scripps Ranch and neighboring areas. You are going to love this! She has a very unique practice. She blends concierge medicine with affordability. It is rare to find a practice like this. She will make home-visits and telemedicine with same or next-day appointment for all patients on her panel for a monthly membership that costs less than your cellphone bill. Signing up takes barely five minutes and you will receive a welcome email with her phone number to text for any needs that you may have. No call center, no middlemen, no waiting to hear from your doctor for weeks anymore. Dr.Deepti's training from University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, University of California San Diego and University of California Irvine blended with her compassion for patients has led her to make this breakthrough with 'My Happy Doctor'. She is bringing you access to a doctor like never before. Sign up before she fills her panel of 150 patients. She will not be seeing 2000-3000 patients like insurance doctors do in order to make profits. Don't miss this golden chance.
50
Openings available Now
12
Home visits a year
No limit
on Telemedicine visits
No limit
on Text, email access
Become a Happy Patient Now
Scripps Ranch Doctor accepting new patients in Scripps Ranch, 4S Ranch, Poway, Rancho Penasquitos, Rancho Bernardo.
Happy Doc Omelet
Chop a tomato, onion, green chilli, spinach, asparagus. Beat eggs, add veggies, salt and turmeric. Fry in pan.
My Happy Doctor's Summer Playlist Top 3 tracks
"Bright, cheerful music can make people of all ages feel happy, energetic, and alert, and music even has a role in lifting the mood of people with depressive illnesses." - Music and Health, Harvard Medical School
Learn something new every day!
Medical Facts to beat myths!
To mask or not?
Masks prevent COVID-19 spread – if worn properly. To prevent spreading infectious particles, keep your mask over your mouth and nose. If you drop your mask to talk, you will spread droplets. If you’re having trouble making yourself heard through the mask, speak up. Don't touch your mask. Masks when worn appropriately - don't have any concerning side effects.
Treat Covid or not?
There are currently no drugs licensed for the early treatment or prevention of COVID-19. The best way to protect yourself against the new coronavirus is to keep at least 1 metre away from others and to wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. It is also beneficial to maintain a balanced diet, stay well hydrated, exercise regularly and sleep well.
GET IN TOUCH
We'd love to hear from you and answer any questions you may have!