When we first read this headline, we thought it was a loose allegory, something akin to selling ice to an eskimo. But no, this headline is to be taken literally. The New York Times ran this article following up on absurd charges billed to a group of tourists who came down with severe food poisoning. According to the Times, “Some of the patients’ bills would later include markups of 100 to 200 times the manufacturer’s price, not counting separate charges for ‘IV administration.’ And on other bills, a bundled charge for ‘IV therapy’ was almost 1,000 times the official cost of the solution.”
September 3, 2013
August 28, 2013
SUMMARY: How A Secretive Panel Uses Data That Distort Doctors’ Pay
Here’s a home run for investigative journalism. The Washington Post dug around and found that doctors’ compensation is decided by a little-known committee of doctors who help establish the value of every procedure in medicine. However, critics claim the American Medical Association (AMA), the chief lobbying group for physicians, is the wrong organization to do the work.
This is a long form article, but we’ve highlighted the key takeaways in case you don’t have time to read the whole piece.
August 27, 2013
LISTEN: Atlas MD Podcast, Ep. 6
Tune in to the newest taping of the Atlas MD podcast. You can stream episode 6 for free on iTunes.
Drs. Josh and Doug are back to talk direct care and concierge medicine. This week the focus is on the nerve-wracking part of launching your own insurance-free practice — selling patients on your service. We don’t want doctors to feel like used car salesmen, but at the same time, the doctor who can outline why their model saves time, money and provides a superior service will attract more patients. We go over our model and how we break down our price points by age. Also, a myth doctors will need to dispel is that concierge medicine and direct care are only for the 1%. That’s not true. Our model is built under the idea that the best care offered at the best price can, and will, help the most people.
August 27, 2013
Shopping For HealthCare Services Not Easy Due To Lack Of Publicly Available Information On Quality And Value
After reviewing the findings from a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Dark Daily reports that “most state websites aimed at transparency in healthcare pricing [are] inaccurate and basically useless in helping consumers shop for services.” This coming from a respectable publication, we’re left to assume the data was abysmal.
August 26, 2013
Direct Care + Worker’s Compensation = An Interesting Idea
A subscriber emailed us over the weekend asking if direct care and worker’s compensation have ever been merged. It’s an interesting concept that until now we haven’t considered. J (name changed to protect identity) writes:
I’d love to hear of Direct Care doctors who handle Work Comp & basic Occ Med for employers. My company pays cash for Occ Med procedures (UAs, DOT medical exams) and First Aid procedures. Are there any doctors who handle injuries for self-insured employers who pay cash for injuries up to a certain point (ie $10k, $25k)?Thank you,
August 23, 2013
You’re Going To Love Direct Care Even More
We’ve heralded the Atlas MD-style of direct care for years now. Mostly for its simplicity — you get rid of the most aggravating part of practicing medicine, the insurance billing; you start spending more time with patients, who actually pay you; you make more money, doing the enjoyable part of your job. Then add on the benefits to your local community, such as decreased ER visits. This means emergency staff can focus on legitimate trauma, and not be burdened by cases that yes, might be painful, but can be quickly remedied by your on-call physician. Oh, and by providing 24/7 access to a doctor for a yearly fee of around $600 patients actually make appointments (by the way, $600 equals less than two months of a typical full coverage, PPO health insurance plan, an expensive plan you won’t need since your doctor visits are now free, along with copious other procedures). And, to top it off, things like MRIs and other costly procedures have been negotiated at reduced costs. Don’t forget downstream benefits of proactive care for insurance companies who won’t dole out payments to treat preventable conditions like high blood pressure and type II Diabetes.
Oh, right, but we had something to add to the snowballing benefits of direct care. Practicing physicians can also cut their malpractice insurance premium in half *. Yep, that’s right. Even the insurance agencies know that when patients come in to see a direct care physician, their doctor has time to make proper diagnoses, and provides more reliable care. Therefore, the chances of something being overlooked or mistreated are reduced.
August 23, 2013
7 Things Transitioning Direct Care Physicians Need To Consider
Okay, so you’re sold on at least four key benefits of practicing direct care and/or concierge medicine. However, in order to realize your own direct care success, you’ll need to make certain preparations.
August 22, 2013
Try The New Online Obamacare Calculator
Scott Borden is the HSA Guy. He’s an outspoken critic of government regulation as well an advocate for HSA funding being utilized in the direct care realm. Oh, and in his spare time, he created a series of online Obamacare calculators to help you make quick cost comparisons between your current healthcare plans and those offered by state insurance agencies. Questions The Calculator Will Answer
- Should I keep my existing plan or get a new one in the exchange?
- Should employees and their dependents remain on employer plans or get individual policies?
- Will I qualify for a subsidy?
And while we’re on the topic of Obamacare, if you have seven minutes, here’s a helpful rundown from the folks over at YouToons:
August 22, 2013
No Copays, Easier Pills May Reduce Blood Pressure
According to AP, “New research suggests giving patients easier-to-take medicine and no-copay medical visits can help drive down high blood pressure, a major contributor to poor health and untimely deaths nationwide.” They released a new article highlighting the optimistic results. This is a major win for common sense, something direct care has been sticking up for years now. If people don’t have to pay to come in to the doctor, they will see the doctor. Of course, we want to toast these findings with everything in the cabinet. But, to be fair, let’s go over what actually happened in the study.
August 21, 2013
What Are Consumers Looking For In At-Home Medical Products
We’re fans of at-home medical care in conjunction with direct care. And that’s not just lip service. We’ve designed our own personal EMR software to communicate with self-monitoring healthcare apps like FitBit. MedGadget‘s recent post spells out the factors of a good at-home medical device, and the benefits of getting these well-made devices in consumer’s hands. It’s worth a look.