Posted by: AtlasMD

April 13, 2015

We Should Aim for “Crazy and Oldschool”

If being crazy means we know our patients backwards and forwards, show up at the hospital when they’re admitted, and help fill in the blanks of their medical history when our patient is unable, then sign us up.

If being old school means our doctor-patient relationships are rock solid, cradled in trust, and wrapped in endless care, then we’re on board.

Like the experience in this story told by Dr. Dhand over at KevinMD, we’re totally up for letting DPC take us back to basics.

A couple of weeks ago I was on-call and had to go down to the emergency room to see a patient. Before I entered the room, I was told that the patient was accompanied by her long-time physician who was a bit “crazy and old school.”

“Hmm … that’s strange … why would her physician be in the room with her?” I thought to myself. When I went in to introduce myself, sure enough sat next to her was an elderly physician probably in his late 70s or early 80s. After he greeted me with a warm and friendly handshake, he told me that he had practiced medicine in the local area for the last several decades. I still continued to wonder exactly what he was doing there, and this thought persisted for the next few minutes.

However, as I got further into the interview, I quickly realized just why he was sitting by his patient’s side. This doctor had cared for the patient for at least the last 30 years, was in the process of winding down his practice, but felt compelled to come and visit his patient (with no financial incentive to do so) as soon as he heard she was being admitted to the hospital. The patient — elderly herself and hard of hearing — wasn’t able to give me a complete history. But that was OK, because her doctor knew her inside out. Every little detail.

Read the full story over here and after you do, a little personal reflection of your own might be just what the doctor ordered.

Posted by: AtlasMD

March 17, 2015

Bloomberg Business: Thousands Have Already Signed Up for Apple’s ResearchKit

“With ResearchKit, Apple has created a pool of hundreds of millions of iPhone owners worldwide, letting doctors find trial participants at unprecedented rates. Already five academic centers have developed apps that use the iPhone’s accelerometers, gyroscopes and GPS sensors to track the progression of chronic conditions like Parkinson’s disease and asthma.”

It’s a big step for Apple’s newly launched ResearchKit, and possibly an even bigger step for the future of medical research. Do you hear the song in your head? The iPhone’s connected to the (dramatic pause) bluetooth. The bluetooth’s connected to the (dramatic pause) inhaler. The inhaler’s connected to the (dramatic pause) Asthsma App. And that’s-how-research-works!

Indeed, it’s all connected, but that’s not the only hot news out of Bloomberg Business’s recent article. Get this. Within just 24 hours of launching Apple’s ResearchKit, a whopping 11,000 people signed up for a cardiovascular study. Eleven thousand. Why does this have researchers jumping up and down? That’s easy – the iPhone is doing their job for them. Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

March 2, 2015

Texting Could be Good for Your Health.

The Direct Care community is totally on board with embracing unconventional methods of communication. It’s why our patients text, email, Skype, and Tweet us in addition to making the tradition phone call. Turns out we’re on the right track.

Text messaging is a fixture in modern culture. In two separate studies, U-M Family Medicine researchers have shown that in addition to facilitating everyday conversation, texting can help people adopt healthier behaviors, and can make it easier for health researchers to gather information.

Companies are apparently using texting campaigns to send messages to people in an attempt to raise their awareness about type 2 diabetes risks. And it turns out people are pretty darn receptive to it. In fact, not only is texting turning out to be an effective way to promote healthy habits, but a new study even suggests that it could replace direct mail campaigns in urban areas where researchers are trying to conduct surveys.

Think this seems like a no-brainer? Texting has been around for a while, right? Nothing new about the technology itself, but now researchers are able to extract information – collect data that tells whether or not the campaign is working. That, friends, is new and exciting. Out with the old and in with the new, right?

Read the full article on how texting could be good for your health. >

Technology is great, but the DPC community needs to look past it to stay grounded in truly patient-centric objectives. What we’re really using technology for is to go back to the basics – before the fancy stuff even existed. The idea is to create a more personalized experience, to develop a real relationship between doctor and patient. One that never underestimates the value of a face-to-face conversation or house call.

Posted by: AtlasMD

January 26, 2015

A Rose By Any Other Name…

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.” >

Posted by: AtlasMD

January 19, 2015

Say No to Cookbook Medicine and Third Party Payments.

A recent Wall Street Journal article by Dr. Gerald Gianoli sheds light on many of the reasons why Direct Care is the logical choice for docs who want to get more out of medicine.

“In 2005, well before ObamaCare, my practice in Louisiana transitioned to one such alternative: Third-party-free. Rather than deal with the hassle of private insurers or government health-insurance providers like Medicare, physicians in our practice work for patients—and no one else. When patients have a problem, they come in for treatment, pay with cash, and are out the door hassle-free. No copays. No insurers. No government.

“These alternative practice models also come with enormous cost-savings potential for physicians and patients. When insurance billing isn’t involved, physicians can save an average of 40% in overhead administrative expenses, according to reporting in this newspaper, and these savings are passed down to patients in lower fees…”

Read the whole article on the Wall Street Journal here. Then when you have time, check out this video of him speaking on the issue.

Keep spreading the word about DPC!

Posted by: AtlasMD

December 19, 2014

If Not Your Doc, Who CAN You Trust?

We hate to hear stories like the one Dr. Frances told recently over at Kevin.md. The picture he paints about his friend who has been the unfortunate victim of not only cancer, but “community” treatment mishaps leaves only one word in our minds.

Chaos.

And that is not the ideal word you want to use to describe healthcare. According to Dr. Frances, several of those mishaps could have easily been prevented if someone were just paying attention to the patient instead of his results. Among these mistakes? The patient was prescribed meds that clashed and is no longer able to participate in lung cancer studies because alternative treatments (also prescribed by his docs) compromised his kidneys.

Dr. Frances has had it up to here. Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

November 25, 2014

Disillusioned Physicians Learn about DPC.

It doesn’t take long for the true colors of healthcare’s current condition to shine through.

“I’ve only been in practice for a year and I’m already disillusioned,” said Levis. “I think we spend more of our time doing paperwork than we spend taking care of people. I’m here to explore this concept of direct primary care and learn about its viability.” – Erika Levis, M.D., of Pleasant Hill, Iowa

Levis, along with nearly 40 other family physicians from around the country recently gathered for a workshop to learn everything they could about Direct Primary Care. Many of them had questions about how they could make the model work for them. They quickly learned they had options – that the model is flexible and with some hard work and research, they could make their practice exactly what they’d always dreamed of. Angela Kerschner, MD is already taking advantage of this versatility. Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

November 24, 2014

The Right People are Asking the Right Questions.

RightPeopleRightQuestions2

It’s a great time in healthcare.

Not only because more and more Direct Primary Care practices are popping up all over the country. Not only because patients are spreading the word about how DPC is working for them. And not only because now more than ever, doctors actually want to practice medicine.

There’s another reason why it’s such a great time to be in healthcare amid swirling chaos in the form of health insurance, doctor burnout and misinformation.

Medical students are asking for DPC training. 

And what’s better, the DPC community is willing to teach it.  Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

October 30, 2014

REBEL.MD: The War on Physicians Escalates

The Sunshine Act attempts to shed light on a potential ulterior motive of physicians influenced by exterior perks, but in what seems to be the latest attack on physicians, Direct Primary Care advocates like Dr. Cavale are fighting back.

“After nearly 20 years of clinical practice, I have yet to encounter even one instance where I felt I prescribed a drug or referred a patient for a test under the influence of a payment or gift from a pharmaceutical company… Our loyalty is and should be to our patient only and patient benefit should be our criteria while prescribing a drug or device.”

Dr. Cavale is in the DPC business to create trust between he and his patients, not tear it down with seemingly unsubstantiated claims.

“The Sunshine Act adds one more suggestion that patients should distrust their doctors. I am not surprised that leaders of both political parties gang up against physicians, but I am astonished that the major media outlets have bought into this notion, without asking for evidence of conflict. Could it be possible that these actions are a concerted effort by those in power to force patients to accept government-prescribed cook-book medical care as the only option available to them, by forcing physicians to be mere pawns in this chess game? Someone tell me it ain’t so!”

But take solace in the fact that word of mouth is powerful. Very powerful. So, may the patients of Direct Primary Care clinics tell the world about the positive experiences they have with their physicians. May they spread the word about how DPC docs put their patients first.

May they declare with confidence that they trust their Direct Primary Care physicians, and in doing so put this whole thing to rest. Once and for all. 

Posted by: AtlasMD

October 30, 2014

DPC is More Than a Trend. Dr. Wulfers is Proving It.

According to an article published on ILuvLocalPlaces.net, Direct Primary Care physicians who are “making the radical departure from traditional healthcare” have the answers to the negative connotation healthcare carries these days. The positive paradigm shift is reflected in the words used to describe DPC.

  • “… old school care with advanced technology and modern medicine.”
  • “… small number of patients, top notch referrals…”
  • “… access to wholesale medicine…”
  • “… preventative checkups, same day appointments…”
  • “… 24/7 access to your physician.”

Dr. Mike Wulfers of IndependentMD in Missouri is one of the “trendsetters” of DPC, and like so many other physicians, he was unhappy with the way healthcare had been evolving. So he did something about it. As a result, he’s operating a practice that puts his patients first – just the way he always imagined. Rather than facing retirement with a bitter taste in his mouth, he’s able to continue his career in a truly meaningful way. He partially credits Atlas MD’s Dr. Josh for showing him back to what he feels is the root of medicine.

“In March of 2013 we were driving to Florida. On a Sunday morning  I had my iPad and was Googling Direct Primary Care and started looking at the practice in Wichita… I sent the email and about 10 min later my iphone rings and it’s Dr. Josh himself.”  He laughs as he talks about his surprise in how quickly they responded.”

Dr. Wulfers is candid about how his retirement alternative is going for him: “I’m having loads of fun!”