BRANDED CONTENT A first of its kind in Iowa, Allergenix offers specialty allergy and immunology care with more doctor facetime and no insurance hassles.   As someone who’s suffered from allergies much of his life, Sean Stanga, M.D., understands the frustration of finding long-term, adequate reli ef. Appointments with a specialist are often booked months in advance, visits with the doctor are quick and impersonal, treatment can last several months or even years, and insurance might not cover the care.  Stanga is hoping to change that at Allergenix, a direct specialty care clinic in West Des Moines that treats adults and children for all allergic diseases including environmental allergies, food allergies, asthma, and eczema. “We are the first of our kind in Iowa,” says Dr. Stanga, a dual board-certified physician in pediatrics and allergy and immunology. “We aim to provide high quality treatment that utilizes new and emerging therapies in our field to improve people’s quality of life.” Allergenix’s model looks different from a standard specialty medical clinic. Patients are able to schedule an appointment to be seen within a week, each initial visit includes a 60-minute comprehensive exam with the doctor, and all costs are known up front—no surprise bills in the mail or processing through insurance. Payment is taken or arranged during your appointment. “With increasing deductibles, premiums, and co-pays, this eliminates the need to work around insurance barriers—especially those that come with seeing a specialist, like an allergist,” he says. (Pricing for each treatment can be found at allergenix.com.)  Dr. Stanga’s idea to open a clinic came to light when he worked in North Dakota as one of just four allergists in the state. Since specialists were limited, he had the opportunity to see a wide variety of allergic diseases and hone his immunology skills. He also saw the evolution of medical insurance and its ability to dictate care. “Doctors continue to be forced to see more patients in less time,” he says. “The direct specialty care model provides easier access to medical treatment and a more interpersonal relationship with your physician.”  Dr. Stanga, his wife, and three young children relocated to Iowa in 2024 to live closer to family; Allergenix opened in early 2026, providing a central location to reach Midwest-based patients.  One of the most popular treatments at the clinic is RapImmune, a newer approach to  immunotherapy shots for those struggling with environmental allergies, asthma, or eczema. Traditional allergy shots are regularly administered over the course of three to five years to the back of the arm; the allergen then travels to the lymph nodes, where immune processing takes place. RapImmune uses the same FDA-approved allergy shot but changes the route of delivery by administering it directly into your lymph node under ultrasound guidance. “This allows for a much faster immune response, which means you need less volume and exposure of the allergen,” says Dr. Stanga. Patients require one injection visit each month for three months with potential boosters, if needed. “It’s less painful than a blood draw and much less of a cost burden and time commitment compared to traditional allergy shots,” he says. At Allergenix, all appointments can be conducted over real-time telemedicine, which is especially useful for patients who aren’t within close driving distance.  “People assume you sacrifice something when you see a doctor by video, but it’s quite the opposite,” says Dr. Stanga. Data from Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, where Dr. Stanga completed fellowship training, shows children seen by telemedicine achieved similar outcomes to in-person care. “The technology has caught up,” he says. “The question now is access and that’s exactly what we’ve built at Allergenix.” Dr. Stanga is excited to revolutionize specialty care in Iowa and across the Midwest, especially in the allergy space. More than one in four people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with a seasonal allergy, food allergy, or eczema, not including asthma, drug allergies, or chronic hives. “Allergic disease is the sixth-leading cause of chronic illness in the country and the numbers have been climbing for decades,” he says. “We want to offer transparent and immediate care so families can get more efficient relief.” To find out more about Allergenix and to make an appointment, visit allergenix.com. > CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ALLERGENIX 595 S 60th St, Suite 160 | West Des Moines, IA | www.allergenix.com ...read more read less