Direct Care | Atlas.md | EMR Software for Concierge Medicine

Posted by: AtlasMD

March 6, 2014

You’re Paying That Much For Your Phone? You Can Get A Personal Physician For The Same Price.

Image provided by aei-ideas.org

Epiphany Healthcare in North Port, FL, is another member of our burgeoning direct care movement. American Enterprise Institute wrote about their model and included the price comparison table above. Two obvious points worth mentioning — ACA Bronze coverage DOES NOT do much for patients and still costs a serious amount of money. It might feel safe because it includes catastrophic coverage… But here at Atlas MD in Kansas, we’ve helped patients get wrap-around coverage with a $5,000 deductible for less than $150/mo… Meaning that with direct care and wrap-around coverage combined, we’re giving you more care, and security, for potentially the same price as a Bronze ACA plan.

Posted by: AtlasMD

March 5, 2014

We Love Seeing Direct Care In The Local News. But We Never Said, “No More Insurance.”

Direct care made a local news segment in Kansas City. But Dr. Troy Burns wasn’t too happy with the title of the online article that accompanied it. It reads, “Doctor’s new orders: No more health insurance.” Thank you, Fox News, for taking notice of our model of care — one that’s affordable, practical, and is making patients and doctors happy. However, we have to point out that insurance is DEFINITELY necessary in the event of trauma or catastrophe.

Posted by: AtlasMD

March 4, 2014

American Healthcare Deception Starts And Stops With Insurance

Dr. Sandeep Jauhar, M.D. posted a powerful blog entry on the New York Times website. He describes the ideal doctor-patient relationship, a place where intimacy transpires and information is exchanged openly and honestly. But he adds a caveat: “That is seldom the reality… Deception in the doctor-patient relationship is more common than we’d like to believe.”

Posted by: AtlasMD

March 3, 2014

Are Pillbox Apps Just Nagging Parents In Disguise?

Getting patients to take their pills requires something more than an app — it’s called finesse.

We’re big fans of technology here at Atlas MD. We bring our iPads into the examination room. We field phone calls from our patients. We’ve coordinated prescriptions and medications with pharmacies and then texted timely information to patients in need. Dr. Doug has literally brought tears of joy to a woman’s eyes for such an effort. So you’d think that helping people take their pills would be the perfect thing for a mobile app to do, right?

Well, there plenty of apps offering this service on the app store. But are they getting people to take their pills?

Posted by: AtlasMD

March 3, 2014

Direct Care Docs Left The Healthcare Blues Behind. Then John Stewart Sang Them.

If you’re in the mood for a good laugh, check out this comedy round-up from The Atlantic. At the 1:30 mark, John Stewart decries Obamacare and its endless woes with a montage of politicians determined to save the monstrosity. You won’t believe how many times various proponents have uttered the phrase “Fix it. Don’t nix it.” in front of a camera. Is this our government’s way of fixing healthcare? Rhyming idealism? To be fair, we are visionaries, too. But as direct care practitioners, we spend less time trying to make our desires rhyme, and more time just making them a reality.

Posted by: AtlasMD

March 3, 2014

Stephen Colbert Goes Where No Direct Care Patient Has To — Healthcare.gov

You have to love a good healthcare satire. Watch Stephen Colbert try to sign up for insurance on healthcare.gov on The Colbert Report. As an Obamacare “navigator” tries to help him through the process, Colbert makes the situation very uncomfortable when he jokes about getting “actual” care. Of course, as you know, the time-consuming nature of Obamacare enrollment is a prime example of red tape. And, as this sketch indicates, the way our administration fixes red tape, is with more of it, i.e. paid government employees known as “navigators.” Thankfully, here at Atlas MD, we don’t have to hire a team of people to help our patients sign up.

SPOILER ALERT: After a gruesomely awkward incident, Colbert finally finishes entering his information, only to find out the webpage he needs… doesn’t exist.

Posted by: AtlasMD

March 2, 2014

Ringadoc Phone Concierge Wants To Charge You $40 Per Telehealth Visit. For $10 More We’ll See You Anytime, Anywhere.

It looks like telehealth and concierge medicine just got cozier.

Announced last week, Ringadoc, based in San Francisco, has launched a platform that allows patients to have a telehealth consult with their own doctor. According to Mobile Health News, “Ringadoc Phone Concierge costs roughly $40 per visit… similar to a standard insurance co-pay for a visit to the doctor’s office.”

Posted by: AtlasMD

March 2, 2014

The Future Of EMRs: Too Many Clicks And Too Little Savings

Kevin MD might be the honorary ambassador of EMR frustration. He recently wrote about his EMR disappointment. He writes, “It takes me over 50 mouse clicks, all while scrolling through dozens of screens, to document a straightforward office visit for a sinus infection. Refilling a single prescription electronically, which I do over a hundred times a day, takes over 10 clicks.” You’ve heard this story all before, right? It’s what no tech conglomerate making these machines will ever publicize — EMRs are for the most part, epic exercises in mindless clicks. And to make it worse, reports from left leaning publications say that digital health records offer little savings.

Posted by: AtlasMD

March 2, 2014

For Years The RAND Corporation Claimed EMRs Would Save Us $100 Billion Per Year — Until Their Own Research Proved Otherwise

Seriously, we’ve heard enough idealistic hoopla about EMRs improving patient care. It is not the reality of the situation. What appears to be the reality is that the companies who provide the EMRs, and get government kick backs for doing such, are definitely raking in a lot of dough. What’s not happening, though, is anything beneficial in the doctor’s office. The machines aren’t widely adopted and when they are, they’re costing doctors time with unnecessary clicks. And the nail in the coffin comes from the New York Times, who write, “The conversion to electronic health records has failed so far to produce the hoped-for savings in health care costs and has had mixed results, at best, in improving efficiency and patient care, according to a new analysis by the influential RAND Corporation.”

Posted by: AtlasMD

March 2, 2014

The Government Proposed 10 Rules For Redesigning Healthcare. And Now Direct Care Is Finally Addressing Them.

In 2001, the government was getting people together in think tanks to re-imagine American healthcare. Coincidentally, at the same time, Dr. Josh Umbehr was envisioning his own solution to a world of rushed visits, stingy insurance reimbursements, and a potential dissatisfaction of a career in medicine. Then in 2010, Dr. Umbehr opened Atlas MD, a medical practice representing his ideals, a place where docs can shrug off the burdens and restrictions of government and insurance regulation and, instead, focus on what their patients need — actual care.

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