You might think that the U.S. government’s small step towards a national healthcare system would somehow help bring the cost of prescription drugs down to reasonable levels.
“You could not be more wrong! You idiot!” writes Hamilton Nolan of Gawker.
May 26, 2014
May 26, 2014
Over-Prescribing, Under-Prescribing, And The Fee-For-Service Catch 22
The federal government has granted itself potent new authority to expel physicians from Medicare if they are found to prescribe drugs in abusive ways, following through on a proposal issued earlier this year.
Excellent news! Now fee-for-service doctors can exist like Heller-esque protgaonists, trapped by the possibility of losing funding for over-prescribing, or losing funding by under-prescribing.
May 26, 2014
The Medical Establishment Took The Treasury’s Keys
According to Uwe E. Reinhardt, an economics professor at Princeton, about half a century ago, organized medicine and the hospital industry in this country struck a deal with Congress.
In retrospect, it was as audacious as it was incredible: Congress was asked to surrender to these industries the keys to the United States Treasury.
May 26, 2014
Yep, You Can Yelp Us
Some of the country’s best doctors have the worst patient satisfaction scores.
Want to know why?
Part of training to become a fee-for-service doctor is learning how to suppress your feelings. You get good at being who people want you to be, not who they need you to be.
You’re slowly transformed into something you didn’t foresee–a Stepford doctor out to please everyone with a sycophantic grin and forcibly appealing demeanor, hoping that your patient satisfaction survey will be favorable, no matter the cost.
May 25, 2014
Want To Practice Good Medicine? Get Naked And Have Some Fun.
Early on, Dr. Pamela Wible was warned by her doctor family, “Don’t go into medicine.”
Of course, she went into medicine, and was met with grim circumstances — doctor after doctor she knew, killing themselves.
Now, in light of assembly-line medicine killing the souls of doctors, Dr. Wible has opened an ideal clinic that focuses on the patient-doctor relationship.
And she’s having a fun doing it.
May 21, 2014
Direct Care Subscription Savings — Wholesale Prescriptions
We keep telling them, but some critics still doubt that Direct Care can save patients a tremendous amount of money each month.
Venlafaxine tablets (generic for Effexor) is a prime example.
Assuming you know about the coupon option, you can buy the generic for $17. However, if not, you’ll pay ~$150 cash.
Keep in mind that we can sell a monthly script of Venlafaxine tablets for $5.70.
May 21, 2014
Atlas.md EMR Security Update — Patient Opt-In
Atlas.md EMR operates free from HIPAA regulation, and free from government scrutiny.
Instead patients are in the power seat to communicate as THEY see fit with their physicians.
When patients enroll, they can opt in to receive communications over non-HIPAA-compliant methods.
These non-HIPAA-compliant methods include confidential communications via SMS, email and Twitter DMs, and also general billing conducted via email.
Unless users check to allow these features, no private information will be communicated in any of these manners.
However, Atlas.md EMR will send emails to patients regarding billing, e.g. invoices, confirmation of payments, confirmation of refunds, and more.
Invoices, to the best of Atlas.md EMR’s abilities, will never contain any sensitive or compromising information.
May 20, 2014
More Support For Subscription-Based Practices
Qliance and Atlas MD made an appearance on MainStreet, a financial blogging network. It’s worth noting that by cutting the red tape, we’ve made the “perks” of concierge medicine (24/7 access, same-day appointments, unlimited visits) affordable for a majority of Americans.
We’re glad to know they’re opining a rise in subscription-based primary care, too.
May 19, 2014
Futurist Forecasts More Rain Before Things Clear Up In Healthcare
Author, consultant and futurist Ian Morrison served up the opening keynote at the National Healthcare Innovation Summit on May 14 in Boston with a large dose of wit. But he delivered a somber message concerning the urgent need for innovation in healthcare.
“We have to innovate,” he told the audience. “We don’t have a choice. We have hit the wall.”
May 19, 2014
Stephen Schimpff Wants To Spend More Than 10 Minutes With His Patients
You call for an appointment and are told it will be about 20 days.
You arrive on time only to sit in the apt named waiting room for 40 minutes.
You see your primary care doctor (PCP).
You start to explain why you came in.