Direct Patient Care :: VMP Genetics

"Practice old fashion medicine for rare diseases

utilizing the latest technology when appropriate for the patient"

The most important people in the world consider us a "center of excellence", our patients. VMP is strictly a clinical practice focused on patient care for children & adults from around the world with mitochondrial disorders, ehlers-danlos syndromes, connective tissue disorders, rare genetic, metabolic, & inherited disorders. While we strive to arrive at a precision diagnosis, we support many patients that exceed the limits of science and testing.

We designed our care to be personalized and not institutionalized. We believe every patient should be approached as an individual and have access to the best care possible in the field rather than be limited to only those who work within the institution. We decided to reject the status quo to become completely independent from the politics of large institutions and removed from the conflicts of interest that having a laboratory can create. Then by being our own decision-makers not confined by committee meetings, we pioneered telemedicine in the field before there was the term "telemedicine".

Your time is valuable. We pride ourselves on a no-wait policy and being very punctual/prepared for your appointment. We do not overbook appointments so when an appointment is scheduled for 1pm, we mean 1pm without 20 other people coughing on each other in the waiting room. With this no wait policy we request that patients be considerate and provide us with 2 or more weeks of notice to scheduling changes as last-minute changes impact us significantly.

We recognize the stress our patients have been put through by the medical field in general, so we designed our offices and examination rooms to have a spa-like atmosphere. Many comment that they feel they are in someone’s home rather than a stale medical office. In addition, we incorporated subtle changes in our offices with our ASD patients in mind, such as reducing the stress that fluorescent lights cause them by eliminating them from our offices.

We understand advanced testing as few others since we owned one of the first labs in the country focused on rare genetic disorders. If testing is required, we capitalize on our flexibility by sending testing directly to whatever facility that may be doing the best, most cutting-edge work without having to gain approvals from committee to simply send the test out. By eliminating the hospital in the middle, the lab is freed to work directly with your insurance. Freeing the lab unleashes their PhDs to work on obtaining insurance approvals rather than relying on hospital clerks ill-equipped to use science and research papers to box in insurance. This approach lowers fees and deductibles, gains insurance approvals, and also avoids being invested in any single laboratory technology or technique but open to the most cutting-edge advancements that provide the best results and most cost-effective approach for our patients.

VMP Genetics would rather focus our skills and talent on providing the best in class healthcare than insurance. We do not employ a sizable staff just to deal with the myriad of issues that insurance companies propagate. We are a fee-for-service model much like a dentist's office where we provide the patient with a claim form (Form 1500) that they file directly with their private insurance for reimbursement. We understand that a fee for service may be difficult at times for some families; therefore, our patient advocates will be happy to discuss payment arrangements with you or to provide you with a GAP or In-Network request letter that you can file with insurance before the appointment which may increase the amount of your reimbursement.

The majority of our patients are seen face to face with Dr Fran Kendall in our clinical office just outside Atlanta, Georgia. While it is always preferable to have a face-to-face in the office appointment that lasts 60-90 minutes one on one with Dr Kendall, we understand that some of our patients may experience traveling challenges which makes "telemedicine" or remote second opinion an option for them. Click here to learn more about remote second opinions or telemedicine.

As important as testing and diagnosing may be, education is a large component of what Dr Kendall provides her patients. This provides a better foundation for them and removes some of the weight off their shoulders as they walk the path that they are on. Some of the services offered are evaluation, consultation, whole exome sequencing (WES), whole genome sequencing (WGS), biopsies, gene testing interpretation, medical record review, second opinions performed remotely, diagnosis, & ongoing management.

We will be honored to listen to your case and discuss how we may be able to help. To learn more or to have someone contact you, please email mjk at vmpgenetics.com, call 404.793.7800 ext 702, or use the Contact tab on this website.

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Frances Kendall, MD

Dr. Fran Kendall is board certified as a Clinical Biochemical Geneticist and has extensive experience in the diagnosis and management of children & adults with a wide array of inborn errors of metabolism, specifically mitochondrial, metabolic, and connective tissue disorders.

Education:

Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

Rutgers Medical School, Newark, NJ

Internship & Residencies:

Chief Resident in Pediatrics, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Philadelphia, PA

Resident in Pediatrics, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA

Intern in Pediatrics, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA

Clinical/Research Fellowships:

Fellow in Genetics and Metabolism, Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Research Fellow in Genetics and Metabolism, Tufts University, Medford, MA

Academic Appointments:

Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Assistant Professor, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA

Assistant Adjunct Professor, University of Georgia, Athens, GA

Board Certifications:

Clinical Biochemical Genetics, American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics, (Active)

American Board of Pediatrics Certificate, (expired)

Hospital Appointments:

Attending Physician, Department of Genetics, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite Center, Atlanta, GA

Attending Physician, Division of Genetics, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston Center, Decatur GA

Director, Medical Genetics and Metabolic Screening Laboratory, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta @ Scottish Rite, Atlanta, GA

Assistant Director, IEM-PKU Program, Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA

Attending Physician, Department of Pediatrics, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Boston, MA

Director, Mitochondrial Disorders Program, Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA

Attending physician, IEM-PKU Program, Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA

Assistant in Medicine (Genetics), Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA

Other Professional Positions:

Member, Medical Advisory Committee, MitoAction, Boston, MA

Founder, Co-Owner & Vice President, Horizon Molecular Medicine, Atlanta, GA

Co-Founder & Board of Directors, Foundation of Molecular Medicine, Atlanta, GA

Principal Investigator, Dichloroacetate Efficacy in Mitochondrial Disease Study, Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA

Teaching:

Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

Ponce School of Medicine, Ponce, Puerto Rico

Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, GA

Emory University School of Nursing, Decatur, GA

Department of Biochemistry, Georgia Campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Suwanee, GA

Lectures:

Dr Kendall has lectured to patients, students, and to healthcare colleagues at numerous conferences, grand rounds, or meetings around the country and world. Please contact us for a complete list.

Publications:

Dr Kendall has authored numerous research articles on various rare diseases including mitochondrial disease, an array of other inborn errors of metabolism and has a long term interest in research and clinical aspects of metabolic disorders, long distance medicine, and medical education. Please contact us for a complete list.