Now in its third year, Bulloch Family Practice is continuing to grow while keeping its focus on personal, hometown medical care
Mark Anderson, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, ENP-C, BC-ADM, said the practice is busier than it was a year ago, but he still has a little room to accept new patients. Bulloch Family Practice, located at 112 Hill Pond Lane in Statesboro, provides primary care for patients, including routine visits for preventive and chronic care and same-day appointments for acute illness
For Anderson, the growth of the practice has also been tied to the reason it opened in the first place
He said Bulloch Family Practice was opened to be one of the few locally owned private practices in the area and to give patients a different experience than what he believes has become more common in healthcare
“Some of the trends in healthcare are driven by corporatization of medicine and this leads to an assembly line that produces profit at the corporate level,” Anderson said. “I knew going into this that I would never ‘get rich’ but that I could see patients with fewer ticking clocks prompting me to move to the next room at the patient’s expense for the company’s profit.”
Anderson said that allows him to practice in a way that gives more time to the problems patients are dealing with, rather than focusing only on moving from one appointment to the next
His approach, he said, is centered on prevention, lifestyle changes and helping patients make improvements that can last
“My focus is primarily on wellness through lifestyle modification,” Anderson said. “I disagree with the opinion that drugs fix problems. They can help and may even be necessary but they seldom work optimally without lifestyle changes.”
Anderson said that does not mean medication does not have a place. Instead, he said medication often works best when it is paired with changes in areas such as exercise, nutrition and daily habits
“This allows me to practice in a way that I want to, focusing on the problems I see, encouraging improvement in lifestyle and exercise with small pointers and advice versus ‘here’s your drugs, see you in 3-6 months,’” Anderson said
That approach may not be what every patient is looking for, Anderson said
He said some patients come in simply wanting just a prescription or for medicine to completely fix them. In those cases, he said, those patients may choose to seek care somewhere else. Furthermore, though he is supervised by a physician in accordance with state law, new patients looking to avoid seeing a nurse practitioner or PA will need to seek another outlet
Anderson said first visits are not only about an exam. They are also about determining whether the patient and provider are a good fit for a therapeutic relationship
“I am not going to be a good fit for everyone as a healthcare provider,” Anderson said. “First visits with me are as much about determining if we are a good fit for a therapeutic relationship as they are about the exam.”
One area Anderson is especially focused on is diabetes management and metabolic health
Anderson is board certified in Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine. In January, he also earned a new board certification in diabetes management
The topic is personal for him. Anderson said diabetes took his father and caused several strokes in his family, making metabolic health something he cares about both professionally and personally
“Metabolic dysfunction is something I care about,” Anderson said. “However, I am up front, it is not something I can manage for you but something we have to manage together.”
That collaborative approach is something Anderson said new patients should expect
“So any new patient coming in, expect this to be collaborative and expect to be assigned homework,” Anderson said. “I don’t, can’t and simply won’t do the job for you.”
Anderson said his own health journey has also shaped how he talks with patients
In 2020, he weighed 320 pounds. At the time, he said he did not expect to run again and did not start with a major goal. He simply wanted to begin making improvements
Over time, those small changes led to bigger ones
Since opening Bulloch Family Practice, Anderson said the practice has sponsored the Heart Run in Statesboro each year since 2024. He has also run in the event himself, with the 2024 race serving as his first 5K
“It was my first 5K,” Anderson said. “Talk about couch to 5K!”
Anderson said the same process of taking small steps also helped him work through a fear of heights
He said he first learned to climb ladders by getting into deer stands in the dark. He later progressed to flight lessons in his early 20s before stopping. As his weight increased, Anderson said his fear of ladders returned and worsened
Eventually, he decided to start pushing himself again
“I can climb a ladder now because I went ahead and started really pushing it, I became a skydiver to push it further,” Anderson said
Anderson said those experiences help him relate to patients who are dealing with health issues connected to age, weight or long-term habits
“I’ve been on the side of every person that comes in with problems due to age and weight and I know that it’s something that can be improved with small changes over years,” Anderson said
Anderson was raised in Screven County, attended Georgia Southern and then South Universities and now lives in Pembroke with his wife. Outside of work, he enjoys skydiving, running, rowing and yardwork
At Bulloch Family Practice, Anderson said the goal is to continue providing local care while giving patients time where it is needed
The practice offers care for chronic medical conditions, acute illnesses, wellness exams, preventative care and other primary care needs. According to the practice, same-day appointments are often available for acute conditions, and Anderson is currently accepting new patients
For Anderson, the patient relationship is one of the most important parts of the work
That may include medication. It may include lifestyle changes. It may include homework. But he said the process has to be something the patient and provider work on together
“We opened in order to be one of a very few local privately owned practices in the area and are succeeding with that,” Anderson said. “It allows us to avoid just moving our patients through like an assembly line and give time where it’s needed.”
Find Us
Bulloch Family Practice is located at 112 Hill Pond Lane in Statesboro. The office can be reached at 912-259-9633
