Tune in to the next installment of our podcast. Our direct care ship is sailing smoothly, patients coming in and out, some patients even tweeting about the great care they received.
My experiences with @atlasmd are always the epitome of person-centered medicine. What a blessing to have them in our city!
— Bailey (@BaileyBlair) September 6, 2013
We appreciate the kind words! Looks like there’s more publicity for Atlas MD, too – the direct care duo, Drs. Josh and Doug, will be speaking at the American Academy of Family Practice Docs on September 26th; the next day they will head to Colorado to speak to the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.
LISTEN TO EPISODE 7 OF THE ATLAS MD PODCAST HERE
Oh, and some huge news — Atlas.md EMR has launched its beta trial! Please email hello[at]atlas.md if you want to be among the first users. It’s free for the first 90 days. Click through to review some highlights from the taping.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM ATLAS MD PODCAST EPISODE 7
- Talk to us about starting your direct care practice. We are an open book. Avoid consultancy fees to minimize startup and subscription costs and enroll patients more rapidly.
- Credit cards are the best way to bill monthly. Yes, the merchant fee is there, 2.8 – 3.1%. But, you will save because you won’t need extra admin staff, and won’t have to take on additional patients to cover that cost.
- Heads up, you will need access to a collections agency. Sadly, some people don’t pay and that can cause a hassle. However, you shouldn’t require an additional bookkeeper if all docs and nurses are agile with technology and willing to pitch in.
- Make sure your entire staff can answer as many questions as possible. Direct care works most efficiently when everyone can contribute to multiple roles.
- We know the lab fees basically off the top of our head, usually $12 – $13, and we can tell our patients that when they ask. They can then decide whether they want to take their business elsewhere, most likely to an office who has to bill a third party, who doesn’t know the patient’s insurance plan, and who can’t tell you what you will actually need to pay out of pocket. This is the crux of direct care success — price transparency.
- No hard sells, but the new Atlas.md EMR only has the features doctors need. This is not a product built with bells and whistles to compete with all the noise on the market. Instead, it is stripped down to be useful to lean, efficient direct care practices. We hope you get a chance to benefit from it, and provide feedback that will benefit its functionality, and direct care physicians at large.
And as always, thank YOU for tuning in and following the Atlas Blog!