Dream Practice: Check-ups and check-ins

Not too many doctors make beds in the course of a workday. And while it isn't a part of her normal routine, Audrey Jones, DO, occasionally helps out at the Alamo Inn, the bed and breakfast run by her husband, Keith Hackland. She wouldn't have it any other way.

They originally set out to buy a farm, but a "For Rent" sign on the side of an old building started their entrepreneurial wheels turning. Audrey had always wanted to own an inn and they knew the wildlife refuge in Alamo, TX-which draws thousands of bird and butterfly watchers annually-would supply an ample guest roster. They bought the building in 1997 and, after lots of construction, the 4,000-square-foot clinic stands next to the nine-room Alamo Inn, two blocks from the converted farmhouse they call home.

There's some crossover between the businesses: Keith, a CPA by training, handles the business aspects of the practice, and Audrey helps out at the Inn, straightening up sometimes and handling the occasional check-in. She also treats guests if necessary-once, a heart attack victim, but mostly those suffering from earaches and colds.

Do you have a dream practice?

Tell us about it, and we may feature it on the pages of Medical Economics. Send your information to jsabatie@advanstar.com
clearly marked "Dream Practice," or mail it to 5 Paragon Drive, Montvale, NJ 07645.