Experience the Difference of Personalized Medicine

Welcome to
Larew Internal Medicine

Proactive, preventive care tailored to you
at Eastern Iowa’s first concierge medicine practice

My goal is to offer the best of modern medicine with a return to the old-fashioned virtues of a small private practice. Patients receive the highest quality, personalized care in a comfortable, welcoming environment where they are treated with the utmost respect and compassion. I believe this is the standard of care patients deserve. 

At every visit, you will be seen by me, the doctor who knows you best. Visits are extended and unhurried. I take all the time needed to address patient concerns and questions. We go beyond treating illnesses with a highly individualized plan for prevention and overall wellness.

Should you need to be hospitalized, I am on staff at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City where I will personally admit and oversee your care.

I am dedicated to developing a strong, enduring relationship with each patient – a bond that has always been, and will always be, at the heart of the best medicine.

Larew Internal Medicine is currently the only practice of this kind in Eastern Iowa. 

Please call my office line to learn more about my concierge medical practice (319) 338-1535

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Meet Dr. Larew
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Patient / Office Line: (319) 338-1535

My Philosophy

My practice philosophy is to provide the best care to every single person who walks in the door and treat every patient with the utmost respect.

-Dr. Larew

What Is Concierge Medicine?

Concierge medicine, also known as membership medicine, is a relationship between a patient and a primary care physician in which the patient pays an annual fee or retainer. In exchange for the retainer, doctors provide enhanced care, including principally a commitment to limit the number of members in the practice to ensure adequate time and availability for each patient.
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Benefits of Concierge Medicine

The difference is evident from the moment you call our office.

  • 24/7 direct communications

    After hours, for urgent issues you can reach me by personal cell phone, email or text message.

  • Mercy Hospital Affiliation

    If you require hospitalization at Mercy Hospital, I will serve as your attending physician.

  • Longer, unhurried appointments

    Your Comprehensive Annual Health Assessment will be scheduled for 60 minutes and all other appointments for approximately 30 minutes. You will be seen as early as the same day, for acute visits.

  • Strong focus on preventive medicine and wellness

    We conduct a thorough assessment of your health which serves as the basis of your personalized wellness plan.

  • Real people to take your calls

    During office hours, calls are answered live, with no phone prompts or buttons to press.

  • Same-day appointments

    You will be seen as early as the same day, for acute visits.

Learn more about the Benefits of Concierge Medicine

Insurance

For your convenience, Dr. Larew is an in-network provider with most major health insurance plans and Medicare.

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Telemedicine Now Available

I am pleased to offer my patients the easy to use telemedicine option called Doxy.me as a convenient alternative to in-office appointments for check-ins, prescription refills and other routine matters. Doxy.me is accessed through a simple link that I’ll send by text or email before our virtual visit. All you need is a smart phone or computer with a webcam. While we can handle many issues via telemedicine, please note that symptoms such as chest or abdominal pain may require a physical exam. Please call my office first so that we may determine if a virtual visit is the best option for you.

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Larew Internal Medicine

Larew Internal Medicine

- Longer appointments with no wait.
- Calls answered live
- 24/7 access to your physician
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Are You Protected?Essential Vaccinations Every Adult Should ConsiderPart One:Preventing the painof shingles Dear Members, Friends and Family of Larew Internal Medicine:While most discussions of vaccines have historically centered on children, the need for preventive immunizations doesn’t end in adulthood. New vaccines developed to prevent or minimize shingles, tetanus, influenza, pneumonia and COVID-19 in adults bring numerous benefits, as I share in this three-part series. I encourage all to consider scheduling these immunizations, which are essential to avoiding serious complications of disease…an ounce of prevention is indeed worth a pound of cure. In this blog, I focus on Shingrix, a fairly new vaccine that helps reduce the likelihood of shingles, a very painful rash that can last days, weeks or months. Shingles can be quite uncomfortable on your skin, but more dangerous if located in the eye (can cause blindness) or ear (can impair hearing). Hopefully, Shingrix will keep you from getting shingles, but if you do get it, the duration and severity of your symptoms will be lessened as will the risk of contracting herpetic neuralgia, a common, long and painful complication of shingles. What causes shingles?It is caused by reactivation of the chicken pox virus (varicella zoster). Prior to the development of the first chicken pox vaccine in 1984, almost 100% of all children exposed to chickenpox became infected with this very contagious illness. The rapidly spreading rash ranged from mild to severe, with symptoms including nausea, achy muscles, headache and fevers, and affected children from head to toe. Unfortunately, many people who had chicken pox did not entirely eradicate the virus organisms from their body, and they lived quietly in the dorsal root ganglia of their spinal cord or cranial nerves for many years. At a later date, usually decades after the initial illness, the dormant cells reactivate and move along the nerves into nerve endings in the skin. These produce painful, fluid-filled blisters that look just like chickenpox blisters, and are filled with live virus particles which are contagious. Keep in mind that if you have shingles you can transmit chicken pox to someone who has never had chickenpox and never been vaccinated. However, you cannot give someone else shingles; it’s only activated by you, in your body. The first shingles vaccineIn 2006 pharmaceutical company Merck came out with a new, live attenuated vaccine called Zostavax, and claimed a 50% reduction in the rate of shingles reported in clinical trials. I was dubious of this claim then, as it didn’t seem possible to prevent a virus spreading from yourself to yourself. I also didn’t think their numbers would be borne out in real world clinical experience. As it turns out, I was wrong in that regard. Not only was the 50% reduction rate true, but people who got shingles experienced much less severe symptoms and for a shorter period of time. However, Zostavax did not prove to be an enduring solution as a significant drop in its efficacy was seen after five years. Boosters were going to be needed, but the release of Shingrix at that time provided a better solution. Shingrix enters the sceneIntroduced in 2017, Shingrix is a recombinant vaccine that provides greater than 90% efficacy against both shingles and post herpetic neuralgia, the long-lasting complications that can occur afterwards. It is given in two doses spaced two to six months apart. Unlike Zostavax, the efficacy of Shingrix appears to be maintained over time, in part because of an “adjuvant” component that boosts the body’s immune response. Unfortunately, for some people this can also cause an unpleasant reaction to the shot itself, but be assured it is nothing serious. You can’t get chickenpox or shingles from the vaccine; the only downside is that you might experience a sore arm or a day or two of flu-like symptoms. Overall this is a very good, effective vaccine. Who should get the Shingrix vaccine?I recommend it for most of my patients over 50, unless they have a known allergy to one of the ingredients. People often ask: “If I already had shingles, do I need the Shingrix vaccine?” The answer is a definite “yes” because those who previously had shingles are at greater risk of developing a second episode of shingles. I encourage members of Larew Internal Medicine to call the office to discuss whether Shingrix is right for your individual health situation. Next week: DTaP, a new way to prevent the age-old dangers of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussisSincerely, Dr. Rick Larew ... See MoreSee Less

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