About – Whole Family Direct Care

Our Vision

AFFORDABLE, QUALITY,
ACCESSIBLE, PATIENT-CENTERED
MEDICAL CARE YOU CAN COUNT ON

Whole Family Direct Care is part of a new model to improve the relationship between the patient and their Primary Care doctor. It follows the Direct Primary Care model that removes insurance from the picture of your health care and replaces it with a low monthly membership fee. This allows Dr. Mark to reduce his patient panel size and remove many of the barriers and intrusions created by insurance companies and government plans like Medicaid or Medicare.

With a reduced patient base, Dr. Mark has the ability to focus on what is important, you the patient. The ability to tailor your care to more of your specific needs becomes possible. The ability to keep the simple things simple becomes possible. The ability for longer office visits to address all your needs becomes possible.

Whole Family Direct Care is all about getting back to basics. Dr. Mark’s goal is to re-invigorate the Family Doctor/Patient relationship that has been chipped away by the current medical system. He wants his patients to have better access than ever before so that your care becomes number one while working to keep your overall medical costs lower.

Contact us with questions or to enroll with Whole Family Direct Care.

Board Certified Family Physician

Dr. Mark Machalka

Dr. Mark grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. He earned his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois and his medical degree from Loyola University in Chicago. He completed a family practice residency at St. Vincent Health Center in Erie, Pennsylvania. He furthered his training with an obstetrics fellowship at Brackenridge Hospital in Austin, Texas. He joined Marshall Medical Associates in 2004 where he practiced under the traditional insurance model until early 2017. He opened Whole Family Direct Care in April of 2017 in an effort to bring back the traditional family doctor model. He is board certified in Family Medicine and a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians. In 2016, Dr. Mark became the Medical Director of Oaklawn Hospice in addition to working as a Family Physician. He resides in Marshall with his wife and three children where he assistant coaches swimming and soccer in his spare time.

Family Practice Physician Assistant

Tim Taylor, P.A.C.

Tim Taylor grew up in the suburbs of Chicago Illinois where he was very active serving the community, playing sports, and yes watching “Home Improvement”. He went on to graduate from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina with a bachelors degree in biology. He took a short time off after school where he worked in a family practice office as a medical assistant, phlebotomist, lab tech and x-ray technician. He eventually moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan to pursue a career as a physician assistant at Western Michigan University. He graduated in August of 2013 and later that month started working with Marshall Medical Associates where he worked for 5 years. He enjoyed his time there but realized the burden of modern insurance based health care and is excited to be joining Dr. Mark in his effort to bring back a healthier traditional family doctor model. He lives in Battle Creek with his wife, the women of his dreams, and four children. He enjoys all things sports, considers himself a family man, and yes, doing “home improvements”.

Family Nurse Practitioner

Sarah Elser

Sarah grew up in northern Michigan before moving to Indiana and earning an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from Tri-State University (now known as Trine University). She started as a CNA in 2008 and earned a nursing degree from Kellogg Community College in 2010. While enjoying a successful nursing career and starting her family, she continued to work her way through graduate school. She graduated from Spring Arbor University in 2018 as a Nurse Practitioner with a focus in Family Medicine. After beginning her career as a Family Nurse Practitioner at Marshall Medical Associates, she transitioned to Bronson Family Medicine in Marshall before joining Dr. Mark and Tim at Whole Family Direct Care in early 2021. Sarah is board certified by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and is excited to be able to practice in the Direct Primary Care model where she can give each and every patient the time and attention they need to meet their health goals. She takes an integrative approach to help each individual achieve their optimal level of health and wellness with a plan and tools to be successful in their own way. Sarah resides in Parma with her husband and three children, who keep her busy and entertained every day!

Medical Assistant

Tonya King

Tonya was born in Texas and moved to Michigan in middle school. She graduated from Olivet High School and then went on to Ross to get her Medical Assistant degree. She started working at Marshall Medical Associates and switched over to Whole Family Direct Care to work with Tim in 2019. She lives in Marshall with her husband and a mini dachshund. In her spare time, she likes to go on long walks, bake, and travel.

Medical Assistant

Taria Hamilton

Taria was born and raised in the Battle Creek area. She graduated from Harper Creek High School and then went on to Everett College to receive her degree as a Medical Assistant. She started with Marshall Medical Associates in 2004 and most of that time has been working with Dr Mark. Dr Mark and his patients were excited when Taria decided to join him at Whole Family Direct Care. In her spare time, she is a dedicated mother to four and running around from one activity to another.

Dr. Machalka is great to talk to and he really listens to what you have to say. He takes all the time you need. And he has a great sense of humor.

Yelp

I can not say enough GOOD things about Dr. Mark, I trust him with my whole family and have switched them all over to him. We all get a level of care that is above and beyond what we have ever experienced before and truly appreciate his ability to listen and work out a treatment plan. My husband and I are thrilled to be expecting a baby and to have Dr. Mark as our OB physician and then provide pediatric care to our baby. We trust him explicitly!

RateMds.com

My family and I have been seeing Dr. Mark since my daughter was born in 2008 and we love him. He is great with kids and he is very nice. He always remembers us when we see him out and about – it makes you feel like you are not just a number.

RateMds.com