Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie McFarland.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have provided healthcare for over 28 years to the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland with the majority of the time, 24 years, at the small rural McCready Hospital in Crisfield, MD. Here is where I moved through the transitions of nursing assistant, registered nurse, supervisor, administration, then returning to bedside nursing while completing my Family Nurse Practitioner degree in 2015. At this time, transitioned into primary care at a small private practice, Everest Medical Center in Pocomoke, MD. Between my son completing high school and personal life changes, in 2022, I transitioned to Salisbury University (my two-time alum) full-time to teach undergraduate nursing students, in part of this transition it is expected to continue to practice remaining up-to-date and maintain certification, so I continued to practice once a week. However, later to find out that traditional office routines are no longer viable to maintain a healthy work-life balance for such an educator life. Throughout this new career path, I built peer relationships at the university and found similar issues were concerning among other practitioners. This is how the idea for the integrated care practice became a discussion. As part of the plan for the new office, faculty could continue to practice on a contract basis with flexibility to promote provider schedule independence as well as a team approach to patient care. Being exposed for many years to our community, I was well versed on the needs of the patients and had recently seen the benefits of mental health care personally, so all the more reason for the two to be a perfect combination as well. With the support of my husband, Mike and our combined four boys as well as family and friends, Bayborne Health Center was created in July 2025, leased in October, and opened in January 2026. (continued in Your Work section)
Due to my busy work life, I find my own peace in providing care to the dogs are the Humane Society of Wicomico County. I have been a core volunteer for couple years now and find that this has such a mutual benefit for us both. Many of these animals just need patience, love, attention, compassion, food, potty breaks, and time to have the ability to begin to trust humans again and in providing that, it gives me a type of pet therapy. I recommend any person that loves animals to volunteer some time at your local shelter to walk the dogs, sit with the cats, or take the dogs on days trips.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been many challenges along the way. First, is the lack of funding available to new very small business owners. I had an excellent credit score but was unable to get even a small start-up business loans as they all want to see 1-2 year’s worth of revenue. I am not sure how to produce that when you are applying for start-up loans. Due to this, I had to be the only employee for months unable to hire. Next is the credentialing process in Maryland for private practice primary care providers as this process can take 2-6 months and, in that time, you cannot bill for any of those patients if you choose to take them on as new patients. Maryland MCOs have been the hardest as I repeatedly received a suspected algorithmic automatic denial to be part of their network which means I cannot provide services to many of my already known patients who will lose that continuity of care after 11 years. When provided with references showing them this is a medically underserved Medicaid population, I was then told that Salisbury had too many primary care providers. I continue to apply monthly. Even more intriguing is that the behavioral health side was approved to be in-network with all Medicaid plans, but the primary care side has not been. Alternatively, the behavioral health side has been denied in-network status with some major commercial plans when the primary care side is approved. Being an integrated health center, this defeats the mission of our practice, and frankly parts of the Maryland State Health Initiative Plan (SHIP). In this plan, there are specific goals for the need to reduce wait time for primary care visits and increase the number of behavioral health providers accepting insurance. This is making it nearly impossible to improve access for our underserved populations of lower Eastern Shore as many patients are driving more than 30-40 miles to the closest in-network providers.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
At Bayborne Health Center, our team of local healthcare professionals are dedicated to providing primary and mental health care to our community. We offer comprehensive care for individuals typically aged 14 and over ensuring the opportunity for health and quality of life at every stage. Our primary care services are designed to provide preventative services and screening as well as diagnose and treat both acute and chronic conditions. Our team of nurse practitioners are trained to recognize conditions unique to our area related to occupational and recreational activities, as well as consulting with empathy on life’s challenging conditions such as menopause, chronic illness, and assisting with advanced care planning. Mental health is a crucial part of our care approach where nurse practitioners offer support for patients experiencing depression, anxiety, ADHD, trauma, and grief. While prescribed medications and supplements can be necessary components of an effective treatment plan, we believe in a comprehensive team-based approach encouraging patients to actively participate in their own care. The practitioners at Bayborne Health are also nursing educators at Salisbury University, making it part of our long-term plan to provide the next generation of healthcare providers and caregivers with a diverse learning experience in a supportive environment.
The logo I designed to encompass the qualities of our practice and has been trademarked as well. Personally, as a healthcare provider, my patients respect my transparency and dedication. They understand that, despite my best efforts to educate them, they have to right to make unhealthy choices but also know that I will be the first person to assist them in the reversal or recovery efforts. I have provided care for families that have three generations of patients that see me as their primary care provider and that, I feel, is the ultimate trust that any patient can grant you. Spending invaluable face-to-face time with patients and constantly advocating for them with insurance companies, my patients express my dedication is unlike others in the field. I am detail oriented which has allowed me to review old records for the minute details and have been able to provide patients with long awaited answers, treatment, and relief.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
do not wish to complete this
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.baybornehealthcenter.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582125211881
- Other: connect@baybornehealth.org
