Pioneering medical practitioner extends help to larger community


11/29/2022

PNC Bank and Lancaster Maternal Fetal Medicine partnership expands footprint to better serve the community.


Dr. Christian Macedonia decided to settle in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 2014 after nearly three decades in the United States military, including multiple combat deployments and earning the Bronze Star in Iraq. Colonel Macedonia spent 27 years in the Pentagon as a regular army officer, medical doctor, and senior scientist.

He received his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University and then went on to complete advanced imaging and genetics training (Maternal Fetal Medicine) at the National Institutes of Health and Georgetown University, where he created the world's first 3D ultrasound capable of imaging a living fetus.

After relocating to the Keystone State and establishing his medical practice, Lancaster Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM), he began offering advanced obstetrical imaging and consulting to the communities of central Pennsylvania.

Even with early success, Dr. Macedonia set a lofty goal for the future as part of the business plan.

“From that very first day, I had a vision of growth for our practice. I wanted it to be more than just a practice,” said Dr. Macedonia. “We set out to be a business that grew jobs and had a real impact on the community.” Practice partner Dr. Rob Larkin, an MFM physician of clinical abilities and reputation widely known throughout Lancaster, has played a critical role in this effort.

With a diverse patient base ranging from college professors to out-of-state visitors, doctors, lawyers, refugees from war-torn regions of the world, and members of the local Amish and Mennonite communities, the practice's impact on the community has been extraordinary.

MFM provides pre- and post-natal care for patients with a variety of medical situations, including high-risk pregnancies and those with underlying medical conditions that may require coordinated medical care, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, in addition to serving a diverse patient demographic ranging from urban to suburban to rural. Specialized diagnostics, preconception counselling, and testing, such as 3D and 4D ultrasound, foetal echocardiography, and genetic counselling, are also available at the practice.

“Technology is a vital tool in our practice, and the necessary equipment can be expensive,” said Dr. Macedonia. Though he opted to go with a different lender to finance his initial practice launch, Dr. Macedonia soon realized the value of the relationships he started with PNC bankers along the way, Tom Weikel and Cody Jones.

“After a series of interactions with my bank at the time, I started to feel like that team’s support, particularly upper management was more lip service than anything,” said Dr. Macedonia. “I knew if I was going to grow this practice to match my vision, I needed a real partner to achieve my goals, one that shared that vision and recognized its value.”

Fortunately, Weikel and Jones had kept in touch and were ready to step in when MFM took its next step toward expansion.

“The bankers from PNC consistently told me, ‘We’re going to take care of you. We’re going to make it work. We appreciate your service,’” said Dr. Macedonia.

“When Tom and PNC say ‘thank you. we’re here to take care of you,’ that’s not just flowery words. That’s commitment, the kind of commitment soldiers give each other.”

By 2020, the practice was ready to open a second location, thanks to Small Business Administration funding for the Paycheck Protection Program. The second location brought the practice's services closer to people in low- to moderate-income areas of Lancaster, making it the first new medical practice to open in the city's south in two decades.

Dr. Macedonia's practice is centered on providing high-quality medical care regardless of his patients' ability to pay, and he's even been paid in shoo-fly pie.

“When I forgive – or forgo – payments from patients, there’s no tax benefit to me. It’s a business expense that I willingly incur,” said Dr. Macedonia. “I’m able to do that because of the solid financial foundation I have in place thanks to my partnership with Tom, Cody and PNC.

“The amount of effort they put into this project – including the special lending rates for military vets – really made a difference for our practice and for our community,” said Dr. Macedonia. “Moving out of leased space and into our new property … that simply would’ve been impossible with our previous bank.”

Individual sustainability goals align with community
Dr. Macedonia is understandably proud of MFM's work in the Lancaster community to improve maternal and foetal health, noting that the practice "never turns patients away." As a result, our tagline is "Where ALL are welcome, and the future is born."

“Of course, we all recognize that our banking relationship is about money on the surface, but when that money is put into action it is intended to help the women and unborn babies of our community.,” said Dr. Macedonia.

“We are good stewards of that money, making sure it’s used to benefit this community as much as possible. It’s very touching and emotional to have this deal come about and PNC has been truly incredible in its support.”