Posted by: AtlasMD

April 18, 2013

Encouraging Signs for Direct Primary Care in the U.S.

The Concierge Medicine Research Collective conducted a three year study and found some promising results.

Most encouraging was news that a third of the households seeing concierge doctors made less than $100,000/yr. An effective healthcare reform needs to be affordable to a majority of Americans. More practices opening up and better technology helping doctors to run their practices all serve to drive the cost of care down. Concierge doctors win. Patients win. Even insurance can win, by paying out fewer settlements. That’s the beauty of a free market.

The survey also suggested that concierge doctors have been able to make steady incomes while expanding their services to more Americans. You can check out the full press release here. It’s worth a glance.

Posted by: Josh Umbehr, M.D.

April 17, 2013

Nicholas Genes says, “It’s just easier to insist on excellence before buying the product.”

Nicholas Genes is the ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. He posted a great piece about the problems facing EMR adoption—government regulation, concerns about efficiency, etc.

He finishes on a high note: We’re savvy shoppers and we demand a good product before we buy it.

His thought makes a double entendre, though. Of course, doctors are savvy shoppers who want to buy a helpful software product. But it’s a savvy nation of healthcare shoppers who increase the demand for that software.

Yes, savvy shoppers are one free market win. But the second win will be concierge medicine operating tech-savvy, too.

Read Nicholas’ complete article here.

Nicholas Genes // Courtesy of thinkwritepublish.org

Nicholas Genes // Courtesy of thinkwritepublish.org

Posted by: AtlasMD

April 11, 2013

Kansas Representatives Praise Stripped-Down Healthcare Plans

The Topeka Capital-Journal posted a story yesterday saying that David Powell and Beverly Gossage praised Kansas’ Legislature for passing of a bill that will open the state insurance market to stripped-down health plans.

Both candidates are vying to replace Sandy Praeger in 2014. According to them both, “Mandate Lite” policies will combat the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — otherwise known as Obamacare.

Ironically, the law wasn’t even written to battle Obamacare. According to Powell, a Republican who helped draft it, the idea originated much earlier. He said, “I wrote this law in 2008 based on my concern that the direction our health insurance rates were going (up) in Kansas would hurt our citizens and businesses.”

Supporters believe this new Kansas law will make insurance more affordable, especially for young, healthy Kansans. It will allow them to opt out of coverage for things like diabetes care, allergy treatments, prostate screenings and mental services. These services are known culprits of high-cost insurance premiums.

Check out the complete article at cjonline.com.

Posted by: AtlasMD

April 9, 2013

Tweet Like A Professional M.D.

Tweet Like A Professional M.D.

Twitter for Dummies offers Guidelines To Live By on their Twitter Cheat Sheet. Have a look at them below, they’re extremely helpful for a new Twitter user. However, the caveats in italics will help practicing doctors stay professional.

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Posted by: Josh Umbehr, M.D.

April 9, 2013

Simplify Healthcare With Two Simple Actions

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law in March of 2010. Fortunately, Section 1301(a)(3) allows direct primary care medical homes to operate in the state-based insurance exchanges beginning in 2014. Now more Americans will be able to elect direct primary care!

What Can I Do To Support This Type of Care?

If you are a provider or a concerned citizen you can join the Direct Primary Care Coalition. Signing up is as easy as providing an email address. Then you can stay on top of everything important happening in Congress that pertains to direct primary care.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

April 9, 2013

Kansas Direct Medicine Gets an Obamacare Bypass

There’s nothing like waking up to some seriously good news! Last Friday, the Topeka Capital Journal said the Kansas House of Representatives “eventually passed a bill” that will permit the state’s health insurance market to sell stripped-down policies.

So what’s that mean? It means Kansas residents can purchase an insurance plan covering only high-cost events like emergency, trauma and unexpected operations. This will free up the ability to pay for general care out of pocket. And it motivates doctors to stay within and join the direct care business model. Happy patients and doctors can keep up their successful relationships without the government getting in the way. And more doctors can partake in direct care’s more enjoyable professional environment.

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Posted by: Josh Umbehr, M.D.

April 9, 2013

A Word on Bipartisanship

Your mother may have told you something like, Never talk about politics or religion at the dinner table. I know mine did and she was assuredly right. These topics are notoriously divisive.

AtlasMD is proud to be an industry leader in the thriving concierge medicine industry. We offer benefits such as more one-on-one time with patients and 24/7 house calls, all for the less than the cost of a cup of coffee per day. It’s easy to see why our business model has garnered support.

However, as Obamacare approaches, a wholesome conversation at the dinner table can quickly escalate into a political debate. Politics are part of life, of course, but I encourage my patients to remember what’s most important — our health and longevity.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

April 9, 2013

Look out! Josh Umbehr Is A “Top Doc” According To Concierge Medicine Today

Concierge Medicine Today (CMT) looks for physicians every year who have done great work in the industry and of course they found Dr. Josh!

Doctors can earn a “Top Doc” nod from a bunch of factors like improving patients’ lives directly, helping out in their community or State, using social media in exciting new ways, or doing anything genuinely impressive.

Fourteen doctors were selected in total this year from all across the continental U.S. According to CMT’s press release there were a ton of exceptional doctors to choose from. This comes in part because there are extraordinary practices opening up in markets like Kansas, Montana, Utah, Vermont and even Bismarck, North Dakota. And considering how rapidly the industry is growing, the recognition comes with even more prestige now.

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