It’s not insurance
Simple memberships billed every 3 months. No fees for visits. Keep your insurance for hospitals and specialists.
Welcome to the neighborhood
Family medicine, the way it used to be.
Unhurried primary care for ages 6 and up, in Crestview & Brentwood.
When we’re open and he isn’t with a patient, Dr Fardal answers the phone himself.
Three ways to be seen- Membership — direct primary care. $90 a month for an adult. Unlimited weekday visits, nothing charged per visit, and an hour for first visits and annuals.
- Medicare. Traditional Medicare billed directly, with the ordinary Part B deductible and coinsurance. Medicare Advantage PPO plans billed out of network. No membership fee. An hour for first visits and annuals.
- Self-pay, per visit. $90 for a sick visit, in-office testing included. You know the price before you come in.
- Actual same- or next-day appointments with Dr Fardal - not marketing talk
- Open at 7 a.m. on weekdays, and evenings until 7 p.m. two days a week
- Open weekends for sick visits and first visits, member or not
- 30-minute visits
- The same doctor every time
A simpler way to get care
Longer visits, fast scheduling, simple pricing
Direct primary care cuts out insurance middlemen so you get more time, more access, and prices you can actually see.
More time with your doctor
Longer, unhurried visits and a real relationship with Dr. Fardal — not a different face every time.
Transparent pricing
Know what things cost up front. No surprise bills, no insurance claims, no guessing.
For kids and adults
Preventive, chronic, and sick care for kids, teens, and adults ages 6 and older.
Why smaller is better
You’re a valued member,
not a name on a long list.
A doctor’s “panel” is simply how many patients they care for — it decides how much time and attention you actually get. The average U.S. primary care panel is about 2,300. I'm deliberately keeping ours a fraction of that.
2,300
patients on the average U.S. primary care panel
vs
280
about where I’ll cap Brentwood Family Practice
That smaller number is why it works. It’s what creates room to see you today or tomorrow, what makes a 30- or 60-minute appointment possible at all, and why you’re someone I know — not a chart I’m trying to remember out of 2,300 other charts.
What we do
Everyday primary care, done well
In-office testing
On-the-spot testing for strep, COVID-19, flu, and urinary concerns — results while you’re here.
Telehealth visits
Secure video or phone visits are available for medical concerns that don't need to be evaluated in person.
ADHD
Evaluation and ongoing management for adults and children 6 and up, including appropriate medications when indicated.
Weight management
Medical weight management, including appropriate medications when indicated.
Back & neck pain
Hands-on osteopathic treatment for low back and neck pain — gentle technique, nothing that pops or cracks.
Acute & sick visits
Same- or next-day visits when you need one.
Preventive & wellness
Annual visits, screenings, and personalized guidance to keep you healthy.
Chronic condition care
Thoughtful, ongoing management of conditions like blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, and more.
Good to know: Your membership covers the primary care we provide here. Care we don’t provide — hospital and ER visits, specialists, imaging, and outside labs — isn’t included, so we recommend keeping health insurance for those.
If you came looking for concierge
What this is, and where it differs from concierge
Concierge medicine and direct primary care are aimed at the same problem — not enough time with your doctor — and they go about it differently. If you searched for a concierge doctor, here is what this practice actually is, so you can tell quickly whether it is what you were after.
The usual concierge arrangement
You pay an annual retainer for access. The practice still bills your insurance for the visits themselves, so the copay, the deductible and the coinsurance are all still yours on top of the retainer. Panels are smaller than a standard practice — often a few hundred patients.
How this practice works
You pay a monthly membership and it covers your visits. Nothing goes to insurance, so there is no copay, no coinsurance and nothing charged per visit. One number, and it is on this page. The panel is capped at about 280.
The access is the part they have in common, and it is probably what you were looking for. The weekend is the most concierge-like thing here — we are open Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., and during those hours you are seen if you are acutely sick, member or not. Here is what a membership includes, in full.
Where this is not concierge: I am one doctor, not a concierge service. There is no 24/7 line — when we are closed, we are actually closed. I do not make house calls, and I do not admit or see patients in the hospital. If those are the things you are paying a retainer for, a concierge practice will fit you better than I will.
Simple, transparent pricing
Membership plans
Every membership includes unlimited weekday visits — no copays, no coinsurance, nothing else to pay.
On Medicare? The prices on this page do not apply to you — on traditional Medicare or a Medicare Advantage PPO, your plan is billed for the visit. When you book, choose the Medicare visit rather than a membership one. Here is how Medicare works here.
Same- or next-day appointments, M–F
Unlimited scheduled appointments
Weekend appointments if you’re sick
Early-morning and evening scheduling
30-minute visits — 60 for annuals and first visits
No copays, coinsurance, or per-visit fees
That is Standard membership. Weekend Scheduling adds the ability to schedule routine weekend care — annuals and routine follow-ups — into a Saturday or Sunday slot. First visits and sick visits are already available on weekends to everyone; what this tier buys is the ongoing routine appointment.
Every tier gets the same medicine. We’re open weekends too — we see sick visits during those hours whichever tier you’re on, member or not, and anyone can book a first visit into a weekend slot whatever way they’re being seen. Billed three months at a time. No contracts — cancel anytime.
Standard
Weekday care — mornings and afternoons, Monday–Friday
Two adults
$160
per month
billed $480 every 3 months
Child
$20*
per month
billed $60 every 3 months
Adults can join online. Children join through an enrolled parent, and two-adult memberships are set up with me directly — call or email and I’ll take care of it.
Weekend Scheduling
Everything in Standard, plus scheduled weekend appointments
Two adults
$380
per month
billed $1,140 every 3 months
Child
$30*
per month
billed $90 every 3 months
Adults can join online. Children join through an enrolled parent, and two-adult memberships are set up with me directly — call or email and I’ll take care of it.
*Children join with a parent or guardian who’s also a member; up to three children per family, additional children free.
Members
No per-visit fees — your membership covers your visits with us. No copays, no per-visit charges, no surprise bills.
Not a member? Single visits
| Visit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Sick visit, new or returning (about 30 min), in-office testing included | $90 |
| Office visit — first visit, annual or follow-up (about 30 min) | $180 |
Paid at the time of the visit. A sick visit is for a new problem; refills and routine follow-ups are office visits. Every non-member visit fee is credited toward your first membership bill if you join. When the schedule is tight, members come first — and the hour-long first and annual visits are for members.
Membership is not insurance and is not a substitute for it. Prices shown are current rates and may change; see your agreement for details.
Medicare
Medicare, billed the usual way.
If you have traditional Medicare, nothing about the billing will feel new. We bill Medicare for each visit, you owe the Part B deductible and the usual 20 percent coinsurance, and a Medigap plan picks that up if you carry one. There is no membership fee — membership is a separate arrangement and it does not apply to you.
What is different is the practice, not the paperwork. 30-minute appointments, 60 for annuals and first visits. The same physician every time, in person. Same- or next-day appointments, because the panel is small enough to allow it. Open at 7 a.m., Monday to Friday. Weekends work the same way they do for Standard members: if you are acutely sick during weekend hours, you are seen — and your first visit can be booked into a Saturday or Sunday slot. After that, routine appointments are weekdays. Time for everything on your list in one visit.
Medicare Advantage: PPO yes, HMO no. I am not in network with any Medicare Advantage plan, and I do not intend to be — contracting with them brings back the prior authorizations, the networks and the administration this practice exists to work without. What that means for you depends on your plan type. A PPO covers care outside its network, so I can see you and bill your plan directly as a non-contracted provider; you owe your plan’s out-of-network cost share, which is higher than an in-network visit would be. An HMO generally does not cover out-of-network care at all, so I am not an option for you — that includes dual-eligible (D-SNP) plans. Some HMO-POS plans do cover out-of-network care; if yours does, the PPO answer applies.
Not sure what you have? The red, white and blue Medicare card means traditional Medicare. If your coverage runs through a private insurance company, that is Medicare Advantage, and the question becomes whether it is a PPO or an HMO — your card or your plan documents will say which. If you are still not certain, call and read me what your card says.
We are accepting Medicare patients now. You can book online — choose the Medicare visit rather than a membership one, so you get the right paperwork. Or call and I’ll get you scheduled: (512) 363-9043.
Meet your doctor
John Fardal, DO
Board-certified family physician caring for the Crestview & Brentwood community.
The DO is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine — the same licence and residency training as an MD, plus manual medicine. What that actually means for your care.
“I started Brentwood Family Practice to practice medicine the way I think it should be — with time to listen, fair prices, real relationships with the families I care for, and no insurance companies doing insurance company things.”
How I practice
I listen, give options, then you decide
I usually spend about 80% of a visit listening. When doctors are stuck having to do quick visits, they have to decide diagnoses quickly - sometimes missing things. My practice allows plenty of time to get things right.
“I listen, give options, then you decide”
My job is not to tell you what to do. Once we've got a diagnosis, I’ll walk you through your options, what the evidence says about each of them — the real risks and benefits, as best I know them — and then you make the decision that fits your life. Only you know that. If you need more information to make that decision, that’s exactly what I’m here for. Information is much more accessible now than in the past, so you may have seen something new that I don't know about - please let me know. I'll always be honest about what I do and do not know - I'm not a god doctor who has to be right all the time. After we talk, you'll decide what's best for you. It's your body, your decisions.
Rooted here
Proud to care for Crestview & Brentwood
Brentwood and Crestview have seen a lot of changes over the years, especially since 2005 when Dr Fardal first moved to the neighborhood. You are likely to run into him at the Little Deli, HEB, or walking on Arroyo Seco. We’re a neighborhood practice in the truest sense: local, familiar, and here for the foreseeable future.
A note for Medicare patients: We accept traditional Medicare and bill Medicare directly, with the ordinary Part B deductible and coinsurance — a separate arrangement from membership, not an addition to it. We are not in network with any Medicare Advantage plan: we can bill an MA PPO out of network, at your plan’s out-of-network cost share, but an MA HMO will not cover care here. Either way, book online and choose the Medicare visit, or call and we’ll get you scheduled.
Questions, answered
Frequently asked questions
Is this health insurance?
No. Brentwood Family Practice is a direct primary care practice. You pay us directly — a simple monthly membership billed quarterly — and we don’t bill insurance. It’s not a health insurance plan, and it doesn’t replace one.
Do I still need insurance?
We recommend it. Your membership covers the primary care we provide here. You’ll still want health insurance (or another plan) for things we don’t provide — hospital stays, emergencies, specialists, imaging, and outside labs. Many members pair us with a high-deductible or catastrophic plan.
Do you accept Medicare?
Traditional Medicare: yes. We bill Medicare directly, and you owe the ordinary Part B deductible and 20% coinsurance. That is a different arrangement from membership — membership fees do not apply to it, and it is not an add-on. You can book online — choose the Medicare visit rather than a membership one, so you get the right forms. Or call and I’ll schedule it with you.
Medicare Advantage — PPO yes, HMO no. I am not in network with any MA plan and do not intend to be; contracting brings back the administration direct primary care exists to avoid. But being out of network is not the same as being unavailable. A PPO covers out-of-network care, so I can see you and bill your plan as a non-contracted provider — you owe your plan’s out-of-network cost share, which is higher than in network. An HMO generally covers nothing outside its network, so I am not an option; that includes dual-eligible (D-SNP) plans. An HMO-POS that covers out-of-network care gets the PPO answer.
Medicare Advantage — PPO yes, HMO no. I am not in network with any MA plan and do not intend to be; contracting brings back the administration direct primary care exists to avoid. But being out of network is not the same as being unavailable. A PPO covers out-of-network care, so I can see you and bill your plan as a non-contracted provider — you owe your plan’s out-of-network cost share, which is higher than in network. An HMO generally covers nothing outside its network, so I am not an option; that includes dual-eligible (D-SNP) plans. An HMO-POS that covers out-of-network care gets the PPO answer.
Do you offer telehealth?
Yes. When it’s appropriate for your concern, you can be seen by secure video or phone. Some issues still need an in-person visit, and we’ll tell you when that’s the case.
What ages do you see?
We care for patients ages 6 and older — kids, teens, and adults.
Do you manage ADHD and weight, including medications?
Yes. We evaluate and manage ADHD and offer medical weight management, which may include appropriate medications at the provider’s discretion. Some of these are controlled substances and involve a short treatment agreement and monitoring.
Can I be seen on a weekend if I’m not on the Weekend Scheduling tier?
Yes. Weekend hours — Saturday and Sunday, 9a–3p — are open for sick and urgent needs whether you’re on Weekend Scheduling, on Standard, or not a member at all. Nobody gets turned away during those hours for being on the wrong tier. First visits can be booked into weekend slots too, by anyone — membership, traditional Medicare or self-pay. The usual limits still apply, weekend or weekday: ages 6 and up, and MA PPO rather than HMO. Outside those hours we’re closed — that part is the same for everyone too.
What Weekend Scheduling buys is the ability to plan ahead on an ongoing basis: routine care — a physical, a follow-up — booked into a weekend slot in advance, month after month. Those booked appointments hold; an acute visit won’t bump someone who scheduled.
The two hours work differently on purpose. Weekday hours are for the unplanned thing — a sore throat, a rash, a kid who woke up wrong — caught before work or school, or after. Weekend Scheduling is for the planned thing you’d rather not build a workday around — an annual physical, a follow-up that needs a real half hour.
What Weekend Scheduling buys is the ability to plan ahead on an ongoing basis: routine care — a physical, a follow-up — booked into a weekend slot in advance, month after month. Those booked appointments hold; an acute visit won’t bump someone who scheduled.
The two hours work differently on purpose. Weekday hours are for the unplanned thing — a sore throat, a rash, a kid who woke up wrong — caught before work or school, or after. Weekend Scheduling is for the planned thing you’d rather not build a workday around — an annual physical, a follow-up that needs a real half hour.
What about after-hours or emergencies?
We’re an outpatient primary care practice, not an emergency room. If you have a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest ER. For non-urgent needs, reach out and we’ll get you in.
How do I become a patient?
You can book your first visit online — that sets up your chart and your appointment. Choosing your membership tier and completing the onboarding forms happens alongside it, and we’ll walk you through it. If you’d rather talk to a person first, just call. See “Becoming a patient” below.
No commitment
Not sure yet? Come meet me first.
Choosing a doctor is personal, and you shouldn’t have to commit to a membership before you know we’re a good fit. So I offer a free, no-obligation meeting — a chance to meet me, learn about the DPC model and how we implement it, and ask anything you’d like. It’s not a medical appointment - those require a bunch of legal forms. I just set aside a half hour so we can chat.
Schedule a meeting
Becoming a patient
Getting started is easy
- Book a visit, join, or both — in whichever order suits you. Booking a visit online sets up your chart and your appointment, and we can sort the membership when you come in. Or join first and book whenever you like. The two are independent. Or call or email to say hello, ask questions, or set up a free, no-commitment meeting with Dr. Fardal first — no forms, just a half-hour chat.
- Choose your membership tier. Standard for weekday care, or Weekend Scheduling to add scheduled weekend appointments. Adults can join online; children join through an enrolled parent, and two-adult memberships I set up with you directly.
- Complete your forms. A few onboarding and legal forms before your first visit.
- Come in. Dr Fardal will be waiting to see you.
Ready to start? Book a visit, become a member, or both — either one first. Or reach out directly to ask a question or set up your free meeting.