New health center to open in Holland, prioritizing shorter wait times, in-depth care

HOLLAND, MI – A primary care clinic in Grand Rapids plans to bring more in-depth care with shorter wait times to Holland-area patients.

Exponential Health of Grand Rapids plans to unveil its second medical center on Nov. 11 at 3299 N. Wellness Drive, Suite 230, in Holland.

The Holland center will be led by Dr. Gerry Witherell, who had been practicing family medicine for nine years in Holland before joining Exponential Health two years ago.

The 3,500-square-foot suite will also have one registered nurse and one licensed practical nurse on staff. There will be five exam rooms, two lab draw stations and potentially an IV station.

Witherell said he's looking forward to bringing Exponential Health's preventive approach to primary care to his Holland patients.

"I had a pretty significant patient base (in Holland) that was interested in this style of practice, so they were patiently waiting while coming to Grand Rapids," he said.

Prior to working with the Exponential Health, Witherell said he, at one point, saw as many as 4,500 patients, which forced him to ration his time providing care for each of them.

"Here, we typically cap it out at somewhere between 250 to 300 patients (per provider) so we can have much more time to pay attention to their needs and stay on top of them," he said of Exponential Health.

While Witherell will be the only physician on staff to start, the Holland office is set up to grow and bring on more providers once he hits his patient cap.

With the shortened patient cap among providers, Exponential Health offers flexible scheduling, guarantees same-day appointments and allows up to an hour for physicals.

On-staff dietitian Jody Koutz said Exponential Health focuses on preventive care by running more comprehensive tests that help providers catch potential health risks before they become urgent.

"If things do pop up that we couldn't anticipate, you've already established that relationship, so we know best how to handle it for that individual patient versus suddenly just trying to squeeze someone in wherever you can," she said.

Exponential Health does not take insurance, but rather uses a membership-based care model that ranges from $1,000 to $4,000 per year.

"People would still utilize their insurance for services outside of the office, like if they were to need a specialist visit at a cardiologist, but within our office, the care you receive is all part of the annual fee," Koutz said, noting the Exponential Health model also benefits patients with chronic health issues.

"When you have a lot of conditions going on, it can be hard to get specialties to overlap," she said. "So, with a smaller patient load, our doctors are able to really be an active participant in everything that's going on."

If patients need more advanced care, the center then would help them navigate the broader health care system so they can find the right physician for their needs.

Members also have access to special tests on top of their standard medical screenings, including tests for cardiovascular health, genetic risk for cancer and body composition tests for potentially unhealthy weight loss.

"Sometimes people just fixate on losing weight and thinking that's great, but if they're losing more muscle than fat, then they're not helping out their situation at all," Witherell said.

Exponential Health's other practice is located at 2155 East Paris Ave. SE, Suite 220, in Grand Rapids. The practice was previously affiliated with Trinity Health before it spun out with its own brand in December 2023.

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