About Us
We understand that patients want more than just the run-of-the-mill doctor’s office experience.
Metro Medical Direct offers patients the best of both worlds. You get the personal touch of a bygone era, back when the family doctor made house calls – together with the convenience of modern technology that makes it easier than ever to stay in touch. Imagine that! Your days of wasting your precious time waiting at a doctor’s office could be over.
Convenient, compassionate, confidential, and comprehensive medical and psychiatric health care is just a click away – request an appointment now or call (917) 484-2709.
House Calls + High-Tech Communication
There’s no doubt about it. Health care doesn’t get any easier than house calls, which bring the medical attention you need right to your doorstep. It’s how Dr. Raymond Zakhari, NP, sees patients in Manhattan in New York City. Visits occur at your location – whether that’s your home, your office, or a hotel in the city.
For established patients of Dr. Zakhari, easy-to-use, web-based telehealth technology is available, which includes web-cam access and secure texting. It’s never been easier to ask questions, share information, or simply stay connected with your primary health care provider.
Metro Medical Direct was founded in 2009 by Dr. Zakhari.
Meet Dr. Raymond Zakhari, NP
Dr. Raymond Zakhari is a triple board-certified nurse practitioner trained and experienced in providing treatments for patients for a wide array of family health care and psychiatric-mental health issues.
He focuses his practice on concierge care, family health care, psychiatric mental health, drug and alcohol detox and addiction treatment, men’s health, and telehealth. He is also specially trained in sex therapy.
In addition, Dr. Zakhari is the host of a podcast called The Psychology of It All in which he explains the self-sabotaging habits of mind we all fall into from time to time.
I make medical house calls in Manhattan in order to practice relationship-based primary and mental health care. I want to hear your concerns and desires for your health. I want to know if you are afraid of a possible diagnosis or outcome. I believe we all do things for various reasons, and the fact that you have decided to get help now is admirable.
I am not here to judge you. I am here to help you achieve the best possible outcome, given the circumstances. I want this to be your best health care experience. I promise it will be unlike anything you have ever experienced in the past.
I have received board certification from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners in:
- Adult-Adolescent Health
- Family Health
- Psychiatric Mental Health
My education includes:
- Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP): Chatham University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Postgraduate Studies:
- Family Practice, Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, New York
- Family Psychiatry, Hunter College, City University of New York, NYC
- Master of Education (EdM): Teacher’s College, Columbia University, NYC
- Master of Science, Adult Nurse Practitioner (MS-ANP): Hunter College, City University of New York, NYC
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN): Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia
- Post Graduate Training Human Sexuality: New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY
Currently, I am appointed to the Department of Internal Medicine of Payne Whitney Clinic at New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s Weill Cornell Department of Psychiatry.
I am the husband of my wonderful wife Lisa and proud father of Zach and Elizabeth. I have lived in New York City for the past 20 years. I was deployed to Iraq in 2006 with the Air Force.
- Born in NYC, raised in central New Jersey
- The kitchen is where I relieve stress
- The purpose of health care is to help people live well
Why I Founded Metro Medical Direct
I founded Metro Medical Direct to simplify the delivery of health care because my experience (and the experiences of friends and loved ones) led me to realize the importance of putting the patient at the center of their own care and equipping them with a knowledgeable primary care provider dedicated to their well-being.
You see, I had the misfortune of being a patient for two years (after avoiding any medical care for more than 10 years). I went to see a highly recommended internal medicine doctor for a new symptom. He referred me to a top-rated specialist. The specialist performed an extensive number of tests requiring several days of outpatient visits and trips to radiologists over the course of a month. The doctors did not communicate with each other.
I spent hours in waiting rooms and on phone calls. I repeatedly told my story – with all its embarrassing details – to numerous medical professionals and dealt with impersonal staff, including a doctor who performed unneeded tests just because they were covered by insurance.
Eventually, it was my ophthalmologist who asked better questions and helped me arrive at a diagnosis. Unlike the other physicians, he was patient, concerned, and empathetic. That is what I aim to deliver with Metro Medical Direct.
I am often called upon to present timely information and the latest research in the areas of family health and psychiatric care. I publish in peer-reviewed journals, present at the national level, teach online, and guest lecture at various universities. I am currently working on a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) boards review book commissioned by Springer Publishing.
My published work includes:
- Attitudes toward evidence‐based clinical decision support tools to reduce exposure to ionizing radiation: The Canadian CT Head Rule by R. Zakhari, S.E. Sterrett for the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2016
- Pharmacogenomics: Shaping Prescribing by R. Zakhari for the Advance Healthcare Network, 2015
- Ethylene Glycol Poisoning: Resolution of Cranial Nerve Deficit by R. Zakhari for The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 2014
- Smoking: Harm reduction versus abstinence by R. Zakhari for the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2013
- Female sexual dysfunction: a primary care perspective by R. Zakhari for the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2009
Frequently Asked Questions
Dr. Zakhari at Metro Medical Direct frequently receives questions from patients and others interested in what his services can offer them. The most common of these are collected here for your reading pleasure. If you have a question that is not listed here, please call (917) 484-2709 and we will be happy to address it.
A nurse practitioner is a health care provider who offers patient-centric, relationship-based primary, acute, and specialty medical care.
NPs do not merely diagnose medical conditions, write prescriptions, and make referrals to specialists and rehab services. They treat the whole person by spending more time getting to know you and the context in which you live. NPs partner with you to offer prevention services and health education, and counseling to help you achieve your best life now. All of this takes more than the usual 5-8 minutes of a doctor's time you get in an office visit.
Nurse practitioners can do all of the following – and more:
- Diagnose disease
- Order and interpret diagnostic tests
- Prescribe medications, therapies, and assistive devices
- Offer medication management
- Help patients manage chronic diseases
- Treat acute injuries and illnesses
- Refer to specialists
- Sign advanced directives
- Pronounce death
Nurse practitioners provide many of the same services you might find at your doctor’s office such as the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions by ordering diagnostic tests, prescribing medications, and managing both acute and chronic illness.
In addition, NPs spend time building a trusting relationship with you in which you are encouraged to participate and ask questions and explore all your health care options without feeling rushed. The NP provides tailored information that allows you to make the best, informed health care decision based on your particular circumstances. In other words, the care you receive from an NP is more collaborative than paternalistic.
Because of their dedication to high-quality care, nurse practitioners are viewed as your partner in the journey to better health. NPs treat all of you – not just your symptoms. Patients often report a higher level of satisfaction after receiving care from an NP.
Nurse practitioners are cost-effective in the long run. Patients who utilize NPs as their primary care providers have lower medication costs, fewer instances of emergency room visits, reduced admissions, and shorter hospital stays. Patients save an average of 20 percent on visits alone when compared to being treated by a physician.
At this time, Dr. Raymond Zakhari, NP, delivers on-site health care for patients in their homes, offices, or in hotel rooms in Manhattan.
It’s obvious that individuals and families in New York City directly benefit from the medical and psychiatric house calls and telehealth provided by Dr. Raymond Zakhari, NP. Perhaps what’s less obvious is how other health care professionals can benefit from Metro Medical Direct services.
Health care providers can benefit in the following ways:
- Physicians: Do you have a patient you would like to keep out of the emergency room? Do your patients require a face-to-face encounter to qualify for home care? Triple board-certified family and psychiatric nurse practitioner Dr. Raymond Zakhari can make a home visit to ensure treatment compliance and promote independence.
- Hospital Discharge Planners: Do certain patients experience frequent hospital readmission? We offer a hospital diversion program focused on transitional care, to keep patients from being readmitted. Dr. Zakhari provides home care, managing chronic conditions and reducing symptoms to help prevent your patient from relapsing and requiring hospital care.
- Social Workers: Are you about to discharge a patient that is high risk for readmission? Dr. Zakhari offers an integrative primary care approach covering both psychiatric and medical care for optimum patient health.
- Mental Health Professionals: Are medical comorbidities complicated by mental illness for your patients? Dr. Zakhari can perform a thorough evaluation of your patient’s health history to help determine a comprehensive treatment plan targeting all conditions.
- Directors of Assisted Living Facilities and Supportive Living Facilities: Are there residents you’re worried may be headed for hospitalization or a skilled nursing facility? Dr. Zakhari offers on-site medical and psychiatric treatment to help manage patient health and reduce the likelihood of apartment vacancy or discharge to hospitals.
Dr. Raymond Zakhari, triple board-certified nurse practitioner, offers professional education and consulting services in a professional setting.
Dr. Zakhari is available for public speaking engagements at universities, medical practices, conventions, and other meetings in which his expertise in primary and psychiatric care is relevant.
To request more information or to invite Dr. Zakhari to your gathering, please fill out our quick contact form on this page, specifying the date, time, and location of your seminar, conference, or meeting, the intended audience, and the number of participants expected to attend.