The CORE Clinic: How a friendship sparked a mission for customized healthcare

We are all unique. Our bodies differ and it takes more than a “one-size-fits-all” approach to address our health concerns.

Unlike the conventional method of diagnosing and treating illnesses, The CORE Clinic takes itself a step further with personalized programs for every patient. Merging traditional medicine with scientific innovations, The CORE Clinic specializes in customizing treatments for patients based on their specific needs.

The humble beginnings of The CORE Clinic began with two friends. What once started out as a routine consultation sparked the idea of a clinic that not only seeks to treat a patient’s individual concerns, but also educate the public on health topics not widely discussed locally.

Dr. Sheree Bondoc is a board-certified Fellow by the Philippine Obstetrics and Gynecology Society (POGS) and a Certified Fellow in Metabolic, Nutritional, and Functional Medicine from the Metabolic Medical Institute (MMI) of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) and George Washington University. Managing Director of The CORE Clinic, Laurice Juarez, would be the clinic's first-ever patient.

Initially, Laurice approached Dr. Sheree at a time when it felt like she was running out of options. Laurice was going through several health issues such as weight gain, irregular menstrual cycles, and even low moods. Each doctor she went to only seemed to treat the symptoms individually, not recognizing that her multiple health woes had an underlying diagnosis yet to be uncovered. She found her answer after seeking treatment from Dr. Sheree, who was able to pinpoint the root cause of her symptoms, and improve her overall health and well-being.

While Laurice may have found her answer in Dr. Sheree’s treatment, she and the latter discovered that many patients have been facing similar health concerns that have not yet been addressed. In tandem, the two brilliant women embarked on this journey to launch The CORE Clinic.

‍Organic growth‍

Conceptualized in 2017 and launched in 2018, The CORE Clinic specializes in hormones and hormone balance—a concept formed from experiences that the pair went through.

“It really just snowballed. We didn't expect that kind of reception," Laurice said.

"We weren’t even sure about a market, most people generally didn't really know what hormones are," Dr. Sheree added.

"We didn’t even market that much, most of our patients are referrals. We just genuinely try our best to give our patients the best of what we can offer. It's all organic growth since 2018," Laurice added.

Going global

The first batch of patients that came in were mostly friends and family. Since then, the clinic has achieved success, but not without its fair share of obstacles.

“We were two years into it, it was going well then the pandemic hit. We were flustered obviously, but it actually opened more opportunities,” said Laurice.

Just like a lot of businesses, they had to think about their options when the pandemic hit. They had patients from Spain, Bali, Singapore, and the United States, but only realized the potential of their online market until they utilized Zoom for their business. Since then, it became a Zoom revolution! Patients no longer had to be physically in the clinic for consultations. So they were not only able to continue providing quality virtual consultations to patients from all over the country, but they were also able to reach a global demographic. ‍

Debunking myths and introducing hormone treatment‍

In making the clinic stand out, the CORE Clinic focuses on educating their audience about hormones and hormone health, debunking certain misconceptions like pills being the only option to treat Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). ‍

“With hormone treatment though, what we are doing is fixing what we'd call the root cause or the main problem on why the patient is having such hormonal issues. We also advise patients on proper lifestyle and not just give medications," said Dr. Sheree.

"For problems such as weight gain, most PCOS patients would make hasty generalizations and think it’s an ovarian problem… so we get to the root cause through consultation and diagnostics” she added.

Seeing no more than 4-5 patients a day for consultations is a must for Dr. Sheree because she makes sure that she is able to give everyone the same amount of focus. Communication is crucial, and she requires consistent checks and dialogues with patients.

Harnessing the power of personalized treatments, part of The CORE Clinic's procedures include meticulous diagnostics to determine what treatment each patient needs. No patient is the same, so neither are their treatments.

‍Breaking the barriers and going digital‍

Going fully digital took a lot of adjustment.

"Part of our service is that we deliver medications to the patients. They don't have to come over to get them. We had difficulty with mobility when the pandemic started because of the lockdowns and restrictions," said Dr. Sheree.

Payment and collection were also primary concerns.

“We were iterating the whole online thing. For payments, we used PayPal, bank transfer, GCash. Too many things to keep track of,” Laurice added.

PayMongo arrived at the perfect time. Dr. Sheree and Laurice found out about PayMongo and decided to give it a try after hearing about it from friends who use it for their businesses.

“It’s so easy to use for us and for the patients as well. It was a no-brainer choice for both parties,” said Laurice.

“We initially looked at another company but it took them too long to respond. It took 7 months before that company got back to us, it was highly frustrating,“ she added.

Through PayMongo Links and Pages, they were able to get into the groove of things. They shared that PayMongo was able to provide the convenience that allowed them to save time and pay more attention to their daily operations.

“PayMongo really helped a lot in streamlining payments and collection. Now I can just check on my dashboard to see what’s going on. It’s also very convenient and easy to use for our patients,” said Laurice.

“On the back end, tracking payments is way more convenient with PayMongo. If you have questions, customer support is so fast and responsive. And there are real people you can talk to instead of just chatbots, I remember the delight of speaking to an actual person from their customer support,” she added.‍

The power of social media‍

The CORE Clinic rose to popularity after being featured on actress and now influencer, Rica Peralejo’s vlog.

Other celebrities and personalities like Vanna Garcia and Teresa Herrera fully endorsed the clinic, which helped accelerate their online presence.

In the age of social media, celebrity validation can catapult you to popularity, but it takes core knowledge to maintain such top-of-mind status. It’s all about doing what you do best and building relationships that last.