Alan Furst, MD

From Urgent Care to Primary Care: Dr. Alan Furst Puts Patients First 

“My goal is to have every patient who walks out of my office feel a little bit better about at least one thing.”

Before urgent care was a reality, Dr. Alan Furst envisioned it. As the director of an emergency room physician group, Dr. Furst knew that a walk-in clinic that was open after office hours would be an attractive alternative to a hospital ER. He took that concept and opened the very first urgent care clinic in a rural area of New Jersey.

It took some time to build a following, but eventually the center was so successful that Dr. Furst and a partner opened two others. The early urgent cares operated differently than the clinics do today, establishing relationships with companies to perform corporate physicals and drug screenings as well as handling urgent care needs.

Over the years, urgent care transitioned into primary care for Dr. Furst, who enjoys the provider-patient relationships and the variety in family medicine. “I saw the advantages of working with a first-class primary care group run by physicians,” he said of his move to Vanguard.

“I have a very loyal patient base of people who have followed me from place to place, from Chester to Parsippany to Denville,” he said, crediting this to his unique approach. “I have a pretty informal style with my patients. I’m very open. We talk person to person, not doctor to patient. I’m just as interested in where they’re going on their next vacation as in their medical needs.” But his focus is to keep them healthy. “I’d rather encourage my patient to make a lifestyle change that will prevent plaque from building up in his or her arteries than treat buildup with medication or surgery.”

When he’s not working, Dr. Furst enjoys racing and breeding thoroughbred racehorses. He served as president of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, helping to find homes and alternate careers for retired racehorses. He also likes to remain active, skiing, golfing, playing softball and doing his own landscaping. In addition, he is a self-professed dog lover, and once considered becoming a veterinarian.

He lives with his wife, Amy, and dog, Lydia, in Morris County, and is most proud of his daughter, Morgan, and son-in-law, Dan, who live and work in San Francisco.