MyCatholicDoctor.com: This may be your solution.

By Dr. Jeff Mirus ( bio - articles - email ) | Mar 10, 2020 | In On the Good

CatholicCulture.org received an email from Kathleen Berchelmann, MD to let us know about MyCatholicDoctor’s national Catholic telehealth response to the Coronavirus. This was actually how I became aware of the existence of MyCatholicDoctor, an online medical practice which provides consultation, diagnosis, and prescriptions in the United States, in accordance with Catholic principles.

Obviously it is not possible to diagnose and treat all medical issues at a distance, so MyCatholicDoctor also maintains contact with trusted “local” physicians—doctors around the country who practice medicine in accordance with Catholic moral principles. To cite just one example of the Catholicity, we can use the question of “birth control” as a litmus test. On its website, under the heading of Family Planning, MyCatholicDoctor states:

Avoid or achieve pregnancy using fertility awareness. Our team of certified fertility awareness educators, nurses, and physicians use scientifically validated methods to help with everything from child spacing to infertility. Learn more.

If you live in the United States but have had difficulty finding good doctors who both practice medicine morally and address patient concerns in the context of sound Catholic spirituality, then MyCatholicDoctor might be an excellent solution for you. The organization uses video-based consultation, maintains a referral network of “faithful healthcare professionals”, and offers a financial model which accommodates a significant variety of healthcare payment methods.

MCD is really a hybrid of a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (which enables it to be supported partially through gifts) and a professional limited liability company (which enables it to bill for medical services in states which otherwise restrict that in non-profits). MCD also maintains a separate California provider group to comply with California’s unusual state laws. Dr. Berchelmann—a pediatrician—is the President of the Board of Directors, and Sr. Marysia Weber, RSM, DO, MA—who is board certified in psychiatry—serves as Chair of the Board.

The list goes on. The Board’s Vice-Chair is Ann Nolte, MD, a family practice physician who specializes in women’s health and NaPro Technology and the Executive Director of the National Gianna Center for Women’s Health & Fertility. The Board’s Secretary is David Nordin, MD, an orthopedic surgeon who has served extensively as a medical missionary. The Treasurer is David Wagner, a banker with an MBA; and the successful IT entrepreneur who serves as the organization’s CTO and CFO, clearly overseeing technological development, is Greg Berchelmann.

The discerning reader will recognize that the prime movers here are the husband and wife team of Kathleen and Greg Berchelmann. It is worth mentioning—as just one more reason for trust—that they have seven children. Kathleen and Greg have been developing MyCatholicDoctor only since 2018, so the project is still quite young. And to Grandpa Jeff, of course, the founders also look impossibly young. But that is a very good thing indeed, because it will take high energy to fully realize these important Catholic goals.

Conclusion? The more people who try out MyCatholicDoctor, the better. For this entry in our On the Good series, the ceiling is extraordinarily high.