Bret McFarlin, D.O.
Written by Juliet Bascom
As a young man, Dr. Bret McFarlin was always interested in Health issues. He started out in Public Health, he returned to school and studied Community Health & Preventative Medicine and through those interactions became increasingly drawn to Clinical Medicine. His role models in the community, along with his intellectual appetite led him to take the opportunity to provide “hands on”care and become a physician.
Dr. McFarlin completed his residency at Iowa Methodist Hospital, and was a graduate of the College of Osteopathic Medicine & Surgery in Des Moines. He did his graduate training at the University of Iowa. “I chose Internal Medicine because it is fairly diverse in its expression, so you find that you have a lot of opportunity to tailor your practice to suit your skills and interest,” states Dr. McFarlin.
Dr. McFarlin is one of three internist, or as he likes to call himself, a “hospitalist”, at Broadlawns Medical Center. With 11 years of service, Dr. Bret McFarlin is a hard working and dedicated physician in the health care needs of the poor and uninsured. He, along with two of his associates take care of the majority of the non-surgical inpatient care including Critical Care and ICU patients, and the Walk-In Clinic at Broadlawns.
Broadlawns is a Primary Care level hospital, or as Dr. McFarlin states, a “Safety Net” Hospital for the less fortunate, underserved and uninsured. Dr. McFarlin is concerned with the growing number of uninsured employed as well as the core group of underserved patients that rely on Broadlawns. “Broadlawns has been in the news recently, in regards to the financial plight of the public hospital and is a wise and efficient use of public resources. During my career at Broadlawns, I would say that we currently have a most disciplined and mature administration. We take a frank and open look at the difficulties we face, trying to prepare for the future and how we can continue being good stewards with finite resources. I have never been more optimistic about the future of Broadlawns. Forces are bearing down on us and as the larger system starts to affect more of the middle class, society as a whole will have to make some difficult decisions in health care,” he states.
Broadlawns is one of more than 100 hospitals across the country that provides uncompensated care. Urban hospitals may provide ten to fifteen percent of uncompensated care. A “Safety Net” hospital may provide twenty five percent of uncompensated care. Broadlawns provides greater than fifty percent of uncompensated care, which is the largest of any “Safety Net” hospital in the country. Broadlawns hospital is not only an acute care facility, but has also taken great measures to assist patients in preventative medicine.
Dr. McFarlin and his wife, Kathy, of 32 years, have three grown sons, Jason, Shawn and Che. He loves bicycling, swimming, gardening and the arts, both visual and performance. His primary passion is bicycling. An avid rider, he and his wife have gone on many rides over the years. “I have gone on RAGBRAI a number of times, however the longest journey was from Jamestown, VA to home,” said Dr. McFarlin. He & his wife biked approximately 1,200 miles in 30 days and he said “We would ride about 50 miles a day with a couple of days off, depending on the weather and terrain.”
Dr. McFarlin is also becoming more politically active and states “as the medical climate has changed, I have found myself drawn increasingly to political interest especially with the caucus season coming up. It seems to have turned into an outlet for some of what I perceive to be urgent needs for Health Care Policy change, and the need for comprehensive universal coverage.” He is an active member of Physicians for National Health Policy (PNHP).
Dr. McFarlin has a unique ability to balance work and home. “When problems present themselves to the community, such as Hepatitis or Tuberculosis, those problems seem to bring themselves to Broadlawns, I have learned to adapt to that, so I seem to be able to handle that without stress. Part of working in the County hospital means being good stewards with public resources, but at the same time we have to be the safety net for all the health care needs of the county,” he states. Dr. McFarlin is a valuable asset to his peers and our community, as well as a loving husband and father to his wife and children.
