Camellia Medical Group

With Camellia Medical Group, you can be assured you will receive expert, personal attention when you need it. The philosophy of our practice is to reduce the barriers that often frustrate patients’ efforts to communicate with their healthcare providers.

As a member of the Camellia Medical Group, you’ll have constant access to your personal physician and nurses who know you as an individual and are responsive to your concerns. Appointments can be made quickly and easily, and to further ease your mind, we file all insurance claims for you.

Members of the Camellia Medical Group also have peace of mind knowing they’ll have access to the UAB Health System. UAB is internationally renowned for its expert physicians and groundbreaking medical research and stands out for its strong commitment to compassionate, personal care for every patient.

Before beginning care at Camellia Medical Group, we invite you to attend a membership consultation. This introduces you to the range of services available and gives you the opportunity to ask any questions you might have. The yearly enrollment fee is $3,860 per person. This fee is in addition to your health care insurance, which handles customary fees for covered medical services on a visit-by-visit basis. We file all insurance papers for you.

The Camellia Medical Group provides personal, comprehensive, coordinated, and accessible care—the care you deserve. To become a member, complete the enclosed form, or feel free to call us at 205.996.3800. We welcome you to call or visit our clinic if you need more information.

Benefits of Membership

You will feel the difference of Camellia Medical Group the moment you walk in the door. Our clinic features a calm, relaxed atmosphere complete with fresh flowers and a small staff of professionals who know your name. We enroll only 225 patients per physician—instead of the 3,000 in typical primary care practices—to ensure that we have ample time to sit with you, discuss your concerns, answer all of your questions, and plan your care. You’ll also experience:

Extraordinary Access

All of our physicians and nurses at the Camellia Medical Group (CMG) embrace individualized patient-focused care in daily interactions with patients and families. As a member of the Camellia Medical Group, you can count on direct access to your physician and nurses. We offer:

• Little to no wait time with unhurried office visits.
• Ease of access for appointments with your personal physician, including same-day if needed.
• Convenient, on-site laboratory and x-ray facilities staffed by our CMG nurses.
• Complimentary ground-level parking adjacent to the CMG clinic and covered patient drop-off.
• Relaxed office atmosphere complete with fresh flowers, beverages and snacks.
• CMG physician direct involvement in all hospitalizations, rehabilitation and chronic care facilities.
• Home care visit by personal physician when needed and appropriate.
• Thoughtful evaluation and appropriate treatment to ensure the patient and family are knowledgeable and comfortable with your plan of care.

Extraordinary Communication

Because we coordinate all aspects of your care, you can expect comprehensive treatment designed to meet your individual needs. We deliver:

• Timely communication of medical results from nurses via your preferred route (office visit, phone, email, or texting).
• Physician consultation when needed through office visits, phone, email, or via telehealth.
• After hours, weekend, and holiday access to personal physician by cell phone or emergency pager.
• Coordination of care for specialist referrals, directly communicating with specialist’s office throughout your care.
• Exceptional nurse staffing ratios to comfortably accommodate unscheduled visits, communication with specialists, and support family.

Extraordinary Personal Care

Rely on us for prevention and wellness programs to help you maintain good health and an active lifestyle. If you need specialized diagnosis and treatment, we will utilize all of the UAB Health System’s resources to provide options that are best for you. We provide:

• Comprehensive fitness evaluation with a specific and individualized fitness program.
• Comprehensive nutritional assessment with individualized education and written dietary program.
• Skin cancer screenings.
• Individual consultations in the UAB Geographic Medicine Travelers Clinic before traveling abroad.
• Direct medical management of palliative care and hospice care for our patients.

Jay Whatley, MD

Dr. Jay Whatley, an internal medicine physician, has a strong interest in preventive care, nutrition, and exercise. Before joining The Camellia Medical Group in 2012, Dr. Whatley practiced as a hospitalist at UAB Medicine and Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC. He completed his residency and internal medicine internship at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, medical school at UAB School of Medicine, and undergraduate studies at The University of Alabama. Dr. Whatley and his wife Mallie have three children. He is an avid outdoorsman, enjoying canoeing, hiking, and fly fishing in his free time.

“I share the Camellia Medical Group’s philosophy of providing one-on-one, personalized and compassionate care in a stress-free setting. I have a strong interest in preventive care, nutrition, and exercise.” – Jay Whatley, MD

Jordan Crocker, MD

Dr. Jordan Crocker, a board certified internal medicine physician, joined the Camellia group in September 2022. She attended the University of Alabama for her undergraduate studies and the University of Alabama School of Medicine for medical school. She went on to complete her residency at UAB and then served as a Chief Medical Resident, after which she practiced primary care with Grandview Hospital in Birmingham. Dr. Crocker and her husband have two daughters, and together they enjoy time outdoors and cooking.

“Only when we have the time to know our patients can we provide the best care. Practicing with the Camellia group gives me the ability to do that and provide exceptional care with all of the resources that UAB offers.” – Jordan Crocker, MD

R. Preston Harrison, MD

Dr. Preston Harrison, an internal medicine physician, joined UAB’s Camellia Medical Group in March 2014. For 15 years prior to that time, he practiced medicine at the Baptist Health System of Alabama, where he also completed residency training. After undergraduate studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, Dr. Harrison obtained his medical degree at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He has been a board certified doctor of internal medicine since 1999. He and his wife have two children.

“I enjoy being part of Camellia Medical Group as it allows me to spend more time with and for each patient. I enjoy providing personalized care which is why I have joined the practice!” – Preston Harrison, MD

Tiffany Lewis, MD

Dr. Lewis is a board-certified internal medicine physician who joined the Camellia Medical Group in August 2019. She completed an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at the University of Alabama and earned her medical degree at UAB. After medical school, she did her residency at Baptist Health System, where she also spent a year as chief resident. Dr. Lewis served on the faculty at Baptist for 15 years, teaching residents and caring for patients. She and her husband have two children.

“I loved the years I spent teaching, but now the Camellia Group allows me to practice medicine the way I always intended,” Dr. Lewis said. “I love spending as much time with patients as I need to make certain that all of their medical issues and concerns are addressed to my satisfaction and theirs.”

Nursing and Administrative Staff

Shemeka Hill, RN

Nurse Manager Shemeka Hill has 14 years of experience as a Registered Nurse including six years as unit manager in a hospital setting. She has also worked in critical care, interventional cardiology, and medical-surgical nursing.

Connie Azbik

Administrative Supervisor Connie Azbik has many years of experience in administration and operations at The University of Alabama Health Services Foundation.

Additionally, we have a team of ten nurses and three administrative staff persons who are dedicated to meeting all of your physical and emotional healthcare needs.