January 27, 2015
After a successful trial period of the Atlas.md iOS Patient Portal, access to invite patients to the app is now enabled for all accounts.
The portal connects you with your patients, making it easier than ever for them to communicate with you. They can reach out at their convenience, pay their bills and manage other billing details, and set and manage appointments – right from their iPhone or iPod Touch.
January 26, 2015
Call it what you want: concierge medicine, fixed-fee agreements, retainer medicine, membership medicine, or cash-only practice. Direct Care is reducing costs, making more sense for families than ever before – and Michigan is taking steps to keep this business model around.
According to the Michigan Capital Confidential, “Medical retainer agreements between physicians and patients will not be considered “insurance” in Michigan under a recently passed bill signed into law on Jan. 15 by Gov. Rick Snyder. The idea is to ensure that this innovative way for families to obtain routine medical services at lower costs will not be stifled by the extensive state regulatory structure currently imposed on conventional health insurance policies that cover expensive non-routine care.”
The idea that Direct Care results in higher quality medical care is becoming more widely accepted. It works for patients, who enjoy perks like shorter wait times, longer appointments, and actual one-on-one attention as well as physicians. Jack McHugh, legislative analyst with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy agrees everyone wins with this business plan. “What’s not to like about a very inexpensive relationship that covers all your family’s routine health care needs with no burdensome insurance paperwork, copays and bureaucracy? This can be liberating for doctors too, who are freed up to focus purely on patients’ needs rather than insurance company and bureaucrats’ needs.”
Read the full article for more information on Senate Bill 1033, now Public Act 552 of 2014, as well as the guidelines for being considered a “medical retainer agreement.” >
December 18, 2014
We’re excited to announce the launch of Atlas.md’s Community Forum, where participating users can see how others are interacting with the app, ask questions or advice from those who are in similar situations, and even request features.
Atlas.md EMR users continue to find new and interesting ways to integrate the EMR into their practice, and they’re talking about it. By providing users a way to spread the word, our goal is to pull the DPC community together in the name of better patient care. Here’s how the forum works:
September 17, 2014
STREAM EPISODE 20 OF THE ATLAS MD PODCAST ON iTUNES >
Direct Care is expanding! More and more clinics are opening their doors using the Direct Care model, including specialty practices like endocrinology, and psychiatry clinics. The chiropractic community has also been listening lately, some of them adopting a monthly membership model themselves. Lending to a busy upcoming travel schedule, the Atlas MD team is working hard to not only dispel the myths of Direct Care, but continue to answer questions and educate those who want to learn more about this model of healthcare.
Derived from a talk on behavioral economics, Drs. Josh and Doug explore how people make decisions based on their financial situation. The method of explaining how a $50 monthly is better than a $20 copay can be phrased different ways to get different responses – and being able to explain those situations comes from knowing why you’re doing what you’re doing in the first place.
Listen in to find out how Direct Care medical professionals have the best “Why” ever.
September 4, 2014
Penguin Random House is going to release Ayn Rand’s unpublished work from 1934. And Rand’s heir, Dr. Leonard Peikoff, even discussed the book at the 2014 Objectivist Summer Conference.
Of course, The Ayn Rand Institute is excited about the announcement. In their Press Release they say that Ideal, written in 1934, is scheduled for release and will be paired with Rand’s play of the same name. It will be available as a single volume with an introduction written by Rand’s designated heir, Leonard Peikoff.
“We are delighted to share this wonderful news,” said ARI executive director Yaron Brook. “How often does one get to announce the new publication of a novel by such an influential author eighty years after the book was written? It’s incredible to see that several decades after Rand’s death, her work and ideas are still fresh and alive in the culture.”
The Ayn Rand Institute’s Objectivist Summer Conference 2014 featured a Q&A event on Ideal. Dr. Leonard Peikoff, in a rare public appearance, fielded questions about the book, its ideas and the history of this important new publication. Want to know more about Objectivism and a major influence on Atlas MD’s core values? Check out ARI’s website. The Ayn Rand Institute promotes the philosophy of Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.
August 7, 2014
STREAM EP. 18 OF THE ATLAS MD PODCAST ON iTUNES
A lot’s been going on! In addition to talking about the state of specialty care with respect to Direct Primary Care, here’s a sneak peek at the latest podcast:
Last but not least, We were honored to have a med student join us for an entire month recently, and we want to make sure the medical community knows they’re more than welcome to stop by and see what we’re all about. Or if we can help make direct care a part of your medical education, conference, personal training experience, please get in touch.
July 18, 2014
Atlas.md rolled out more updates! In this latest batch, you’ll find more features that help your clinic run more smoothly, details on security measures, and more ways to connect directly with your patients.
Expanding our fitness tracking capabilities, Atlas.md has added support for the Human API, which is a gateway to most of the fitness devices and applications available on the market. We now support devices from Jawbone, Nike, iHealth and Withings as well as applications such as RunKeeper, Moves App and DailyMile.
Now you can easily export basic patient information to a CSV file, which can be read by Microsoft Excel, Google Apps and virtually any other application that supports spreadsheets. This also allows you to easily export lists to web applications like Campaign Monitor and Mail Chimp.
You can now enable the “Inactivity Logout” feature, which kicks users out of the system after 30 inactive minutes. This can be useful for clinics who have shared computers in the office. It’s especially helpful for making sure the system stays secure for when someone forgets to logout, or leaves a computer unattended or unlocked.
You can now adjust the calendar that shows up on your dashboard. This is specifically helpful for nurses and staff members who need to keep track of doctors’ appointments instead of their own.
Now when someone completes a task you’ve assigned them, you’ll get a notification email confirming the completion. This closes any possible communication gap, and ensures you’re always in the loop on the delegated tasks.
Atlas.md users can now add critical notes to patient charts. Critical notes are highlighted and fixed at the top of the patient record to ensure they are not overlooked. Critical notes are particularly useful for patients with a specific sensitive condition, allergies, etc.
We now keep track of all email invoices and failed payments for both patients and companies. Users can also add custom notes to the communication logs to help them keep track of other collection efforts made.
Atlas.md’s macro-autocompleter now allows you to reference other notes inside the same patient record. Just type “#attachment” to reference a previous attachment, “#prescription” to reference a previous prescription, etc.
June 22, 2014
STREAM EP. 17 OF THE ATLAS MD PODCAST ON iTUNES
And we’re back. We brought in a special guest for this week’s episode–our own Dr. Michael Palomino!
It’s go, go, go in the world of Direct Care. First off, we’re excited that Dr. Samir Qamar of MedLion was able to start DPC United. The association will organize and promote our cash-only model of healthcare. Remember, Direct Care is competitive but it’s not winner-takes-all. Physicians are in this together. Education and awareness are critical to our movement because insurance has our nation in a subservient position: People are under the impression that coverage is absolutely necessary for ALL healthcare, when we know that’s not the case.
And more exciting news. Atlas.md EMR has been fully funded for 2+ years of ongoing development. Direct Care docs, take note: we’ll be continually iterating on our revolutionary software tool. In fact, we recently rolled out a new update. Check out the list of feature updates here. And please, keep emailing us all of your feedback so we can continue honing Direct Care’s premiere software.
June 19, 2014
So, about all those subsidies for health insurance that fueled approximately 8 million sign-ups for coverage under the Affordable Care Act. They are on track to cost us billions of dollars this year, a new federal report indicates.
Nearly nine in 10 Americans who bought healthcare coverage on the federal government’s healthcare marketplaces received government assistance to offset their premiums.
June 18, 2014
Dr. Josh Umbehr, a DPC United Board Member and founder of Kansas-based Atlas MD, says, “Direct Primary Care has finally found traction with patients, physicians, employers, and insurance companies alike. However, DPC is still in its adolescence and it’s vital, now more than ever, that we have unity and clear leadership to guide the movement in the right direction.”
We’re excited that our model of care is rapidly gaining popularity. We now have a formal medical association. DPC United, founded by a group of pioneering physicians with DPC practices of their own, created the organization to promote the innovative DPC practice model to the nation.
“Direct Primary Care is one of the most exciting trends in healthcare today, and it has the true potential to solve many of our country’s healthcare problems.”says Samir Qamar, M.D., Chairman, DPC United.
Rock and roll.
Qamar, CEO of the nation’s largest Direct Primary Care physician group, MedLion Management, Inc., adds “It was time to create a guiding light for doctors and consumers interested in this promising healthcare model.”
The power of our model is its holistic approach to primary care. Doctors, whether they are family physicians or general internists, are forming direct contracts with consumers and businesses for very low fees.
We’re making health insurance unnecessary for routine care, and, in turn, lowering premiums for businesses who are insuring their employees.
Atlas MD literally saved a company so much money on their employee premiums, they gave their staff a raise.
And think, why would the insurance company actively lower premiums across the board?
It’s obvious. They perceived a greater value in keeping clients, who paid less money, since they saw an even greater reduction in potential payouts.
Simply stated, there are a two different ways to make more money i.e. increase profits. You can seek to increase your revenue and do your best to maintain expenses. Or, you can maintain your revenue while decreasing your expenses.
Why we’re allies of insurance companies is that we REDUCE their expenditures, massively.
In effect, DPC is NOT anti-insurance. We are pro-insurance, but only when it is appropriate–for major expenses. This combination of coverage for emergencies and hands-on care that is affordable and accessible is appealing to politicians on BOTH sides of the aisle.
As is explained in the new Affordable Care Act, DPC results in dramatic savings for consumers, and includes services like telemedicine and the benefit of shorter waits.
Industry experts are quick to point out that DPC is neither health insurance, nor the pricier “concierge medicine” practice model.
Several states, including Washington and Louisiana, have introduced legislation to support Direct Primary Care.
Attorney Michael McClelland, DPC United’s Executive Director and former Chief Prosecutor of California State Department of Managed Health Care, says it was time to form guiding principles to create an accepted standard for the DPC practice model. “The appeal of the DPC model is very strong from both practice and business perspectives. One of the organization’s goals is to ensure that practices endorsed by DPC United are properly set up as DPC practices to create consumer confidence.”
DPC United’s website, DPCUnited.org, features an online directory of established Direct Primary Care practices from across the nation, along with informational resources for consumers and doctors alike.
The nation’s largest primary care organization, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), is an open supporter of the Direct Primary Care model. They even outline a formal policy on their official website. Primary care doctors and patients are encouraged to visit the website, learn more about our model, and spread the word to employers, friends, and healthcare workers.
We know you’ve heard about it, but remember, every person who signs up on I Want Direct Care is one more reason for a primary care doctor to join the movement. One more reason for a student to follow through on the required education to become a DPC physician.
“With Direct Primary Care, we can affect real, sustainable change at every level of healthcare. By repairing primary care, the foundation of a strong healthcare system, America can once again enjoy good health,” says Dr. Qamar.
Rock on, Dr. Qamar. And rock on, DPC practitioners.