Welcome to the Personal MD Orientation
Provider versus Nurse visits
At Personal MD, you can schedule a visit with your provider or with the nurse. You want to see your provider for acute, chronic, or preventive exams. During your exam, you will have plenty of time to visit your provider, evaluate your medical issues, and develop a plan. Each regular visit is scheduled for 30 minutes, and annual preventive exams are scheduled for 1 hour. Nurse visits are for tasks that you have already discussed with your provider. For example, we use nurse visits to schedule a blood draw, receive an injection ordered by your provider, or remove stitches. If you are unsure of the type of visit you need, our staff will help you figure out the best kind of appointment for you.
Type of visits we offer
At Personal MD, you can be seen in the office using a telemedicine visit (live screen visit) or a telephone visit. In some cases, the problem will dictate the type of visit needed; however, we are happy to work with you if you prefer an alternative to in-office visits. The Personal MD Medical Care program covers all three types of visits.
Unique qualities about our patient visits
A few unique qualities about our office are the length of our visits and that we never double book your appointment. When you have a scheduled visit, you are the only person scheduled at that time. We encourage you to notify our office if you have to change your appointment as soon as possible. Please see our no-show and cancellation policy on our website.
How to schedule an appointment
To schedule an appointment, you can call our office and speak to one of our staff members. We do not offer the option to schedule visits with your provider through our patient portal.
We look forward to seeing you soon.
Today I would like to introduce you to the medical staff that will be caring for you.
Nelson Simmons, MD
I was born in North Carolina and raised in San Antonio, Texas. My desire to become a physician started when I was 13 years old and my father had a heart attack. I distinctly remember the doctor coming down the hall to let my mother and I know my dad would be okay. At that point, I dedicated my life to medicine.
After finishing college, I attended Texas A&M medical school and trained at Scott & White in Temple, Texas. While in college, I met the most amazing woman and was lucky enough to marry her a few years later. This year we are excited to be celebrating our 25th anniversary. We have lived in McKinney for over 20 years and have genuinely enjoyed watching McKinney grow and raising our family here.
Jill Arnold, MS, PA-C
Jill Arnold, P.A. received her Physician Assistant degree from The Allied Health School at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Biomedical Science from The University of North Texas Health Science Center of Fort Worth and a Bachelor’s Degree in Science from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.
Since earning her PA license in 1999, she has practiced primary care in both Family and Internal Medicine. Jill lives here in McKinney with her husband, Scott, and four children, Kaila, Jake, Sydney, and Mason.
Kelly Simmons, RN
I am from Toronto, Canada. I graduated from nursing school when I was 20 and decided to move to Texas to graduate school. My original intention was to stay in Texas for three years and then head back to Canada. My father told me I wouldn’t be back, and he was right. I met my prince charming; as they say, the rest is history.
Over the past 20 years, I have worked as a registered nurse in multiple parts of a hospital, including medical, surgical, and cardiac floors. Today, I spend most of the time as the office manager at Personal MD. If you have any issues with our office, please let me know. Thank you for trusting us with your health.
Stephanie Pena, MA
I was born and raised in Waco, Texas, with my parents and sisters. I moved to Sherman in 2018 for a change of scenery. I decided to go to school to become a certified medical assistant (CMA) in 2011 after helping my grandma take care of my grandpa; she told me I had a knack for it, and I made her feel better because I always had a smile on my face. My hobbies include reading, journalism, cooking (or trying to), fishing, and hunting with my dad. I am a massive fan of anything in Texas, especially the Texas Rangers. I also love animals and currently have two cats and one dog.
Heather Gidney, MA
How to refill your medication
We understand that many people take medications to manage a medical condition. We also understand that your time is precious, so work hard to make sure you can get your medicine when needed. There are three ways to refill your medications.
1st: Call your pharmacy
Most pharmacies have an automated system for you to refill your medications. Check your bottle and call the pharmacy number listed. When prompted, enter your prescription number, and a refill will be requested. The pharmacy can communicate directly with our office if needed. Once processed, you will be notified by the pharmacy, and you can pick up your medication or have it mailed to your house.
2nd: Use the Healow App.
Our Healow app is a digital connection to our office. You can use the app to send our office a request to refill your medication. Please note that you can only request a refill on drugs we have prescribed at least once. I have created a short demonstration video here.
3rd: Call our office
If either of the above options doesn’t work for you, call our office and speak to one of our staff members. We are always happy to help you.
A few important things to keep in mind about medications
- It does take a few days for most medications to be processed and refilled, so don’t wait till the last minute to send a refill request.
- Each medication has a refill expiration date. Even if you have not used all the refills on your prescription, you can’t refill it at your pharmacy if the expiration date has expired.
- If you have changed insurance companies, our office may work with your new insurance company to approve your medication. Would you please notify our office if you have a new insurance plan?
- Controlled substances are unique and are governed by specific rules laid out by the FDA. If you are on a controlled substance, please talk to one of our staff members to make sure we get your medications entered and set up before you run out.
One of our passions is to keep our patients up to date. Sometimes, we update you about our office, such as new staff members, office closures, or a new service we have added. We also update you about new medical findings, medication recalls, or new medical guidelines. Our goal is to keep you updated about topics we think you would find valuable. Below are the four main platforms we use to communicate with our clients.
Patient Portal
We offer a HIPAA-compliant patient portal to communicate directly with our clients. You can send us private messages, check your medical record, and find out when you are due for your next annual exam. If you are not registered for our Healow Patient Portal, please click here or contact our office.
Email is one of the easiest ways for us to communicate with our clients. We offer email-specific topics such as weight loss, aesthetics, and hormone therapy. These separate lists keep you from receiving information that may not pertain to you. If you get an email about a topic, you could care less about, respond to the email and ask to be taken off that specific list. If you would like to be included, click on the link below to be added.
Add me to the Aesthetics email list.
Add me to the Weight loss email list.
Add me to the Hormone therapy email list.
Add me to the COVID email list.
Social Media
We try to stay active on Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok. We like to use social media to show off the fun side of our office, celebrate our employees and patients, and highlight anything positive (or negative) that happens in our office.
We keep our Google page updated as much as possible. If you are wondering about our office hours, holiday closures, or other office details, Google is a great place to check. Just type in “Personal MD McKinney,” and we should pop up on the right side.
