New-Patient Consultation
Sixty-minute comprehensive intake with Dr. Laforte. Full history, medication reconciliation, and a written care plan delivered within 48 hours.
$285
cash-pay
Galveston Island · Est. 2009
Galveston · --:-- CST
Medicine, measured in person.
Board-certified internal medicine on Galveston Island. Dr. Russell A. Laforte and his team practice slow, deliberate diagnostics — the kind of medicine that listens first, then orders the labs that actually matter.
01 — The Practice
A clinic built around one physician's judgment.
Dr. Laforte sees a deliberately limited number of patients each day. The result is longer visits, fewer unnecessary tests, and a medical record that actually reads like a person wrote it.
Consultation Room A
Galveston, TX
For sixteen years, Dr. Russell A. Laforte, MD has practiced internal medicine on Galveston Island — first within the Baylor system, and since 2018 from a single independent clinic on Mechanic Street. He is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and a fellow of the American College of Physicians.
The practice is deliberately small. Most new-patient visits run a full sixty minutes; follow-ups rarely under thirty. There is no mid-level provider routing — when you book with Dr. Laforte, you see Dr. Laforte. Charts are reviewed the evening before, not in the hallway five minutes before you walk in.
The clinic serves year-round island residents, the UTMB academic community, and a growing number of patients who travel from Houston and the mainland specifically for second-opinion evaluations.
16
Years on the island
60min
New-patient visit
1:1
Physician-to-patient
The difference is in the chart.
Drag the handle — left to right
Laforte chart
Typical chart
Left — A Laforte chart
Curated problem list. Labs ordered only when the result would change management. Each medication annotated with a reason and a stop date. The visit note reads as a narrative, not a checkbox log.
Right — A typical chart
Auto-populated templates. Standing lab panels repeated quarterly regardless of indication. Medications carried forward for years without review. The chart documents that care happened — not why.
02 — Services & Pricing
What we treat, and what it costs.
Transparent cash-pay pricing for uninsured patients. We accept most major PPO plans, Medicare, and Texas Medicaid. Lab work is billed separately by the performing facility.
Follow-Up Visit
Thirty-minute follow-up for established patients. Chronic disease management, medication adjustments, and lab review.
$160
cash-pay
On-Site Laboratory Panel
CBC, comprehensive metabolic panel, lipid panel, A1C, and TSH drawn in-clinic. Results reviewed personally by Dr. Laforte within 24 hours.
$95
panel
Diagnostic Workup
Extended evaluation for undiagnosed symptoms. Includes targeted imaging orders, specialist referrals, and a coordinated diagnostic timeline.
$420
workup
Second-Opinion Review
Complete review of outside records, imaging, and pathology. Written second opinion with management recommendations, returned within five business days.
$350
review
Annual Wellness Exam
Preventive physical, age-appropriate cancer screening, cardiovascular risk assessment, and immunization review. Includes ECG and spirometry.
$320
annual
Office hours
Mon8–5
Tue8–5
Wed8–5
Thu8–5
Fri8–1
SatClosed
SunClosed
Accepting new patients
03 — Inside the Clinic
A space designed for unhurried conversation.
The Mechanic Street clinic occupies the ground floor of a restored 1906 commercial building — two exam rooms, a dedicated lab, and a quiet waiting area that never holds more than four patients at once.
Exam Room B
Outfitted with full diagnostic suite including ECG, spirometry, and point-of-care ultrasound. Natural light from the original south-facing windows.
02
Exam rooms
Each room is identical in equipment — Dr. Laforte rotates between them so no patient is ever rushed out for the next slot.
24h
Lab turnaround
Most routine panels are resulted and reviewed by the physician within one business day of the draw.
≤4
Waiting room
Appointments are spaced so the waiting area holds no more than four patients at any time.
04 — Book a Visit
Request an appointment.
Same-week appointments are typically available. Submit the form below and our office will call you within one business day to confirm a time and collect any insurance information.
The clinic is located on Galveston Island, within walking distance of the UTMB campus and the Strand Historic District. Free patient parking is available behind the building off Mechanic Street.
Location
Galveston Island, Texas — Mechanic Street
Phone
Call the office to schedule
Correspondence
Records & referrals handled in-clinic
Office hours
Mon–Fri · 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM CST