Healthcare Philosophy
Summit Medicine and Pediatrics Mission Statement
Long waiting times, limited or no access to the doctor and impersonal healthcare experiences do not exist here. We’ve alleviated the grievances and complaints many people have come to associate with medicine… and we restore the patient-physician relationship right from the start, in our first conversation.
We listen and we care. We take the time to know you and understand your health concerns, your goals and the things that are the most important to you and your loved ones. Together we build a valuable and trusted relationship and a true partnership in health and wellness.
Summit Medicine and Pediatrics is a patient-driven medical practice designed with health and humanity as our first priorities. We are a true family practice, internal medicine as well as pediatrics. For us that means it’s our privilege to be able to treat you and your families from birth through adult and elder years, the young and the young at heart.
As a patient of Dr. Mike Lucherini, you have direct access to him twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, by office visit, mobile phone, secure text and secure email. No answering service or pager, and no waiting. Same or next day appointments are never rushed. You have plenty of time to ask questions, and discuss the answers…or just talk about what’s happening in your life.
Summit Medicine and Pediatrics practices the Direct Access Medicine® model of delivering healthcare. This is method ensures that patients and physicians are empowered and enabled to experience healthcare that is valuable and enjoyable. To see the positive effects of this innovative way to elevate health to its summit, click here to hear from patients who are happy to share their experiences with Summit Medicine and Pediatrics and Direct Access Medicine Care.
- 24/7 Access to your doctor
- No waiting!
- Extended office visit time
Fluid communication with doctor and staff
On-site lab collection
Michael J. Lucherini, MD MS
Dr. Mike began creating who he would be for his patients as a young boy. The family doctor was like a super-hero of his time, always appearing when the family needed him, with exactly the kind of care that made a difference and saved the day. Sometimes that meant a firm talking-to, dispensing medicine and even the dreaded needle. But he always showed up with a friendly smile, a soft comforting touch, and gentle, soothing words. And he always delivered healthcare with warmth, compassion and love.
At Summit Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Mike practices this kind of family medicine, exactly the way he experienced it through a child’s eyes. Although he describes it as Direct Access Medicine® care instead of super-hero medicine, our patients know without a doubt that he is here for them with exactly the kind of care they need and with the warmth and compassion that makes a difference in their health and in their lives.
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Dr. Mike received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Brown University in 1987, before attending the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine where he received both a Master of Science in Molecular Biology and Bio-Chemistry in 1992 and a Doctorate of Medicine in 1994.
He and his wife, Mary Ellen, have made their home in Mesa, Arizona since 1998, when he began a combined residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center (now Banner University Medical Center) and Phoenix Children’s Hospitals. When his training was complete, entering private practice was the natural direction for Dr. Mike.
In private practice for more than twenty years, Dr. Mike believes that healthcare is about the patient, first and foremost. After fifteen years as the founding physician of a large, thriving practice, with thousands of patients, he found that medicine was becoming more about the system than the patient. So, he created a bold, innovative concept to offer patients direct access and partnership in their own health and wellness. In 2013, Dr. Mike launched his Direct Access Medicine practice, Summit Medicine and Pediatrics, and he began practicing Direct Access Medicine care exclusively. Dr. Mike is now on a mission to restore the patient-doctor relationship – one patient and one doctor at a time. It is his pleasure and his privilege to know and care for each and every one of our patients. And our patients tell us they’ve never experienced healthcare in such a positive, empowering and compassionate way!
In his spare time, Dr. Mike serves om the Board of Directors of Jacob’s Hope of Arizona, a non-profit organization that provides medical and behavioral health services to infants exposed to drugs during pregnancy and born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), a potentially devastating illness which requires dedicated care and support at the earliest stage of life. He also enjoys hiking in northern Arizona, landscape photography, and Tuscan style cooking for family and friends.
Dr. Mike and Mary Ellen love life and share their home with his 90-year-old dad as well as their two cats, Harley and Paisley. They are very proud of their two beautiful daughters whose education and careers, although outside of the healthcare industry, are rising to great success.
Being a doctor is not a profession. It is a calling. – Dr. Mike
The Future of Medicine Is Now Available on Demand
Summit Med Peds Staff
The Summit Medicine and Pediatrics team has a reputation as one of Arizona’s leading distinguished medical staffs. Because of the staff’s high level of direct patient care and service Summit Medicine and Pediatrics draws patients from all parts of the country.
Marion’s pleasant greeting to all who visit and call our office sets the standard for an excellent healthcare experience every time. Her reassuring smile, infectious laugh and seasoned expertise in mixing just the right amount of conversation to get business done and to set a comfortable and welcoming tone in the office is both rare and invaluable. Marion has an extraordinary ability to remember even the smallest details of important events and concerns—medical and personal—in each patient’s life, and with just a few words is able to convey the compassion and support of all of us at Summit.
Marion joined the Summit Medicine and Pediatrics team in July 2015 and we quickly realized that she is precisely what every medical practice needs as the first impression and the final thought of the day.
Originally from Germany, Marion began her healthcare career as a Medical Assistant there. She successfully completed rigorous training and began her work with a family medical practice. With her warmth and compassion, it was natural for Marion to be drawn to providing sensitive care for their cancer patients. The physician saw the same dedication, care and attention to detail we see today along with her commitment, hard work and skill.
Marion has always been committed to providing the best possible care under the doctor’s provisions and he quickly promoted her to the Head Medical Assistant, a position she held for almost seven years.
Love brought Marion to the Unites States. She met her husband while he was stationed in Germany with the US Marine Corps and they now have two beautiful children who are the joys of their lives.
She feels blessed to be with us at Summit Medicine and Pediatrics, and at having the opportunity to make a difference for patients again.
All of our patients love and appreciate Tasha. Her compassion for them and commitment to ensure that they receive the highest level of attention and care—even beyond the confines of our own office—has made her an invaluable partner in their overall health.
Patients often stop by to chat briefly with her, or to bring a handwritten note of gratitude because she had gone the extra mile for them. Tasha’s professionalism and skill as Summit’s medical assistant are surpassed only by her love for our patients and her determination to see the job done to restore the value and positive experience of healthcare in the doctor’s office.
In 2002, her mother was diagnosed with colon cancer and Tasha experienced the love and care the nurses and doctors provided, in a way she’ll never forget. She knew then that she would dedicate her life to caring for and helping others, and she graduated at the top of her class, earning an Associate’s Degree in Medical Assisting in 2004. She’s committed to providing compassion and care every day to the patients she serves.
Today, Tasha loves spending time with her beautiful daughter, Taylor, her gorgeous little red-haired granddaughter Ashlyn, her newest handsome grandson, Ezekiel, and her adult special needs son, Sawne. Each is special in his/her own unique way and each of them brings her so much joy and happiness with every passing day.
A sports fan at heart, Tasha enjoys watching professional football and basketball. She is also a third degree black belt in karate, and was a member of the US Karate Team, competing internationally from 1986 to 1991.
Since she joined Summit Medicine and Pediatrics in January 2012 Tasha has considered it a pleasure to be Dr. Lucherini’s medical assistant. She feels fortunate to be a part of the lives of the patients who are the Summit Medicine and Pediatrics family.