Posted by: AtlasMD

June 22, 2014

Atlas MD Podcast 17 — Meet Dr. Michael Palomino

Atlas MD Podcast 17 — Meet Dr. Michael Palomino

STREAM EP. 17 OF THE ATLAS MD PODCAST ON iTUNES

And we’re back. We brought in a special guest for this week’s episode–our own Dr. Michael Palomino!

It’s go, go, go in the world of Direct Care. First off, we’re excited that Dr. Samir Qamar of MedLion was able to start DPC United. The association will organize and promote our cash-only model of healthcare. Remember, Direct Care is competitive but it’s not winner-takes-all. Physicians are in this together. Education and awareness are critical to our movement because insurance has our nation in a subservient position: People are under the impression that coverage is absolutely necessary for ALL healthcare, when we know that’s not the case.

And more exciting news. Atlas.md EMR has been fully funded for 2+ years of ongoing development. Direct Care docs, take note: we’ll be continually iterating on our revolutionary software tool. In fact, we recently rolled out a new update. Check out the list of feature updates here. And please, keep emailing us all of your feedback so we can continue honing Direct Care’s premiere software.

Posted by: AtlasMD

June 6, 2014

Ponytail Cap, Atlas MD Present at This Week’s 1 Million Cups

Thanks to Brian McTavish for covering Atlas MD at 1 Million Cups.

“Healthcare’s broken, and we’re here to fix it,” Umbehr said. Instead of taking insurance, Atlas MD charges patients a monthly membership fee—$10 for children and $50 to $100 for adults based on their age. Patients in return get unlimited visits, no co-pays, a variety of free procedures and wholesale pricing on prescriptions and lab work with discounts of up to 95 percent. In addition, Atlas MD works with employers to provide less expensive health care coverage for their employees.

Complete post first appeared on IThinkBigger.com.

Posted by: AtlasMD

May 12, 2014

Think Like A Business! High-Deductible Plans Will Decrease Healthcare Spending.

High-deductible health plans appeared after legislation was passed in 2003 that required persons opening a health savings account to enroll in a high-deductible plan. They gained prominence recently as employers watched their own healthcare spending skyrocket.

And in 2013, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that healthcare spending had grown at a record low pace from 2009 to 2011.

However, in this new HSA environment, practices need to think more like a business.

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

May 9, 2014

The Free Market Feeds On Red Tape. Garden State Entrepreneurs Launch Startup To Help Docs Transition To “Cash-Only.”

The federal government may believe that the future of healthcare is the Affordable Care Act.

However, a New Jersey entrepreneur has a different vision — one where patients pay out of pocket for just about everything. And they pay a group of doctors and medical practices that are so fed up with the insurance-based system that they are opting to go it alone.

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

May 8, 2014

Research Suggests That Preventing Illness Won’t Curb Rising Healthcare Costs. So How About We Just Cut The Red Tape?

Spending on health care has consistently grown faster than the rest of the U.S. economy. What’s behind this trend is less certain, though. Economists point to two causes: the prevalence of diseases and conditions afflicting the U.S. population, or the rising costs of treating diseases.

New research from American University Associate Professor Martha Starr and Virginia Tech Research Professor Ana Aizcorbe shows it is the latter, with higher prices for treatment accounting for 70 percent of growth in health care spending.

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

May 7, 2014

Direct Care Is The Vaccine For “Deductible Season”

In the fee-for-service world, like the real world, there is an annual cycle. And, of course, there are seasons.

You know “flu season,” “poison ivy season,” and maybe even “Lyme disease season”.

But there is also a season that has little to do with medicine and everything to do with a broken payment system.

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

May 6, 2014

Meet Atlas MD, Wichita’s Premiere Cash-Only Family Practice

Dr. Josh Umbehr cofounded Atlas MD in 2010 with Dr. Doug Nunamaker. Fresh out of residency, we’ve found tremendous success providing cash-only medicine — from zero subscribers to three docs and a full roster of patients.

Here, Dr. Josh speaks at the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons Conference.

If you’re new to Direct Care, this video will introduce you to an innovative insurance-free model of family medicine.

And if you want Direct Care in your area, make sure to register at “I Want Direct Care“. It only takes a name, email, and zip code to add a pin on our interactive map — and prove the demand for affordable healthcare.

Posted by: Josh Umbehr, M.D.

May 1, 2014

Straight From A DPC Physician’s Mouth: “I’m A Happy Doctor Again!”

Mary Wulfers raised a serious question after reading about ObamaCare Exchange enrollees who can’t find doctors.

She asks, Who wants to see a doctor who is being forced to treat them?

Her husband is a primary care physician and, together, they opened a cash-only practice this year. It took two years of planning, but the couple decided to cut the red tape, and offer affordable, actual care to hundreds of patients.

And, get this, Mary’s husband is 61 years old. He could have easily retired, but the joy and reward of running a cash-only practice has kept him in the practice pool.

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

April 15, 2014

It’s The Chicken Or The Egg Again. Will Direct Care Expand Proportionately To Demand For Preventative Care?

The president’s signature legislation aims to provide every American with affordable health insurance options, but there’s been an increase in doctors becoming direct pay or cash-only practices recently.

“There’s no doubt that one of the driving forces behind direct-pay practices is frustration and anger with health care among physicians,” says Michael Smith, medical director and chief medical editor at WebMD. “More and more doctors feel they are ready to quit the system and start practicing off the grid.”

But what about patient demand for preventative care? Something that fee-for-service medicine DOES NOT ENCOURAGE — and that Direct Care thrives on.

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

March 17, 2014

Atlas MD Is Neck In Neck For CMT’s Most Influential Brand In Cash-Only Medicine

survey says

Do you believe in the power of Atlas MD-style direct care to address our ailing healthcare system? Affordable subscriptions, unlimited visits, 24/7 doctor access, wholesale prescriptions — some as low as pennies per pill — and discounted labs, and the reality of switching to a wrap-around insurance plan… Then take the CMT survey here.