Host Jeremy C. Park interviews Shannon Finks, Pharm.D., President and CEO of ZüpMed, who highlights the company’s innovative healthcare model, offering on-demand (urgent) and personalized medical care in Memphis, Tennessee. Shannon explains their healthcare model, which is a hybrid between concierge medicine and direct primary care, designed to provide relationship-driven care with an interdisciplinary team including physicians, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists. The model offers a membership option with same or next-day appointments for members, while also allowing non-members to access services when availability permits. Shannon emphasizes that their approach differs from traditional closed models by prioritizing members but still serving non-members, and notes that removing middlemen enables providers to offer more comprehensive care.
Shannon explains their healthcare approach, emphasizing that healing begins with the initial phone call and focusing on hospitality and patient experience. She describes their model as relational rather than transactional, with longer appointment times compared to traditional healthcare settings, where physicians spend an average of 12 minutes with patients. The practice intentionally keeps patient loads small to allow for 40-80 minute appointments, which Shannon contrasts with the typical 38 seconds spent discussing new medications in conventional systems.
Shannon explains that their facility has an in-house dispensary that can provide about 200 commonly prescribed medications for acute care, allowing patients to receive prescriptions without needing to visit external pharmacies. This service eliminates the additional step of going to a separate location and provides patients with a one-stop shop experience.
Shannon discusses the growth of her healthcare practice from four to twenty-two employees, describing how they pivoted to provide COVID care early in the pandemic before expanding to offer primary care, urgent care, and specialty services including weight loss, IV hydration, and menopause treatment. She explains their recent expansion into a larger space at the Laurelwood shopping center, which was completed with a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 20, 2026.
Shannon explains the next steps for potential clients interested in their primary and urgent care services. She suggests starting with the application on their website, noting that while membership is an option, they also welcome patients who may need care only occasionally. Shannon emphasizes that they would need to ensure they can meet each patient’s specific needs before providing care.
Shannon discusses their cash pay healthcare model, explaining that patients come to them after being unable to get needed care in the insurance-based system. She expresses excitement about finding answers for patients, improving health outcomes, and being trusted by colleagues as a doctor-patient. Shannon provided the website zupmed.com, social media handles @zupmedical and @zupmed, and phone number 901-701-7010 for people to learn more and connect with the service.
Visit https://zupmed.com to learn more and connect with ZüpMed.
