What is Direct Care?

What is Direct Care?

Direct care is exactly what it sounds like – medical care directed straight at the patient. No insurance middle man, no red tape and certainly no opportunity for things to get lost in translation.

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You CAN’T Beat Our Prices At AtlasMD

Seriously, you can’t beat our prices on panels, tests, procedures and prescriptions. Well you could, but we wouldn’t advise it. Keep in mind that AtlasMD’s subscription model might vary from yours. In our case, we’re charging monthly for a principle service that includes 24/7 access to an exclusive doctor, who sees no more than 500 patients. Phone calls, text messages, select procedures (abrasions, incision and draining and more), and more are all included.

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What equipment do I need to purchase to start a concierge medical practice?

What equipment do I need to purchase to start a concierge medical practice?

Let’s be frank. You’ve likely got a plethora of machines and equipment strewn about your current practice. The machines might vary if you’re a specialist, but if you’re a family doctor you’ve obviously got thermometers, Sphygmanometer, Electrocardiogram, etc. But what do actually NEED to practice concierge medicine? In actuality, you can start with little more than a stethoscope and your phone.

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“Well-known Journalist Blasts Hospitals, Drug Makers, and Device Manufacturers for Lack of Transparent Prices and High Cost of Medical Care”

timeWe had to put the title of this post in quotes because Pamela Scherer McLeod published an article with the same title. She was reporting on a comprehensive and media-stirring exposé that was published by Time on March 4 under the title “Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us” (you’ll need a subscription to read the full article). It was written by Steven Brill, a prominent journalist and entrepreneur who founded Court TV.

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We’re Making Atlas.md For YOU, Not EVERYONE

DanSinkerYou may or may not know Dan Slinker. He’s taught journalism at Columbia College Chicago and was a Knight Fellow at Stanford University. He also created the controversially hilarious fake Twitter account @mayoremanuel.

He’s written a great article you should read here. His piece is entitled “Oh God, Don’t Make Things For ‘Everyone.’” and even though he’s writing about Vertigo Comics, a subsidiary of DC Comics, his point rings true with Atlas.md.

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David Shaywitz Asks Healthcare Customer Service, Why Not Us?

David Shaywitz Asks Healthcare Customer Service, Why Not Us?

David Shaywitz wanted to get a flu shot for his child. So he used an app to find a location. The situation went awry and he wrote about it for Forbes. He was misdirected to a location that could not vaccinate his children, and then got the “we’ll transfer you to so-and-so” runaround at his own doctor’s office, culminating in multiple visits and “you’ve-got-to-be-kidding”-length waits.

Through his unfortunate experience he made three brilliant observations:

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Okay, So The Free Market Isn’t Exactly “Free”

First things first, The Atlantic published a Health article online recently. It’s a doozy, and after reading it, we did wonder, did it need to be this long?

However, it addresses a poignant issue: Drug companies are motivated by malleable policies that end up creating more incentive for hair regrowth drugs than ones fighting global diseases that are “Biblically”-severe i.e. malaria, Dengue fever and others.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

May 22, 2013

EPIC Fail in EHR/EMR

EPIC Fail in EHR/EMR

Here’s a quick rundown of factors contributing to EPIC’s EHR software failure.  (Previous link no longer available.)

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FEATURES
Microsoft Word has approximately 1,200 features/functions (this is rough estimate), most of which are ignored by common users. The problem with EHR software, though, is that the market is filled with hoodwinking, one-size-fits-all “solutions” all gimmicking for doctor’s dollars. MS Word has a core base of users (the entire professional, semi-professional and college-educated world) who are familiar with core procedures and who can adapt to new features with each version. EHR/EMR software DOES NOT HAVE THIS ADVANTAGE. Asking people to sift through tens of thousands of buttons and features to “figure out” how to do something is an exercise in futility. Yet it actually happens on the marketplace.

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Fox News Columbia, South Carolina Reports On Concierge Medicine

MDVIP charges $1,500/year retainer, which comes to $125/month, a reasonable fee. However, the program operates within Medicare and traditional insurance payment. We sent out an email to find out more about what the retainer actually covers besides “all-access.” Mostly we’re curious if there are any benefits to the program that don’t entail insurance.

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Cut Costs By Keeping Patients Out of the Hospital

Cut Costs By Keeping Patients Out of the Hospital

The Atlantic posted a great article about Medicare and a private concierge medicine company providing exceptional preventative care. Give it a read.

The story covers Dr. Dougher, who works with HealthCare Partner as a primary physician in Los Angeles, California. But this is no ordinary doctor handling 1,500 patients, seeing 30-40 a day in a jam-packed office. No, Dougher sees six to eight patients per day, doing house calls for those too elderly to leave their homes.

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