Posted by: AtlasMD

November 5, 2013

LISTEN: Atlas MD Podcast, Ep. 11

LISTEN: Atlas MD Podcast, Ep. 11

You can stream the next session of our Atlas MD podcast on iTunes. First off, congratulations to new members of the direct primary care community. Anne Riggs in Pratt City has opened her own direct primary care clinic. And Dr. Laurie in New Hampshire will be converting to a cash-only model come the first of the year.

We’ve been on what we’ve jokingly referred to as a “World Tour” and this Saturday we’ll be speaking at The Physicians’ Summit in Dallas. If it’s like any of our recent engagements, we’ll expect a “mob” of doctors and industry folks to bombard us with questions about our direct care model. But seriously, we’re equally amazed and blessed to have our take on healthcare reform met with such interest and enthusiasm. Thank you!

LISTEN TO EPISODE 11 OF THE ATLAS MD PODCAST HERE

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Posted by: AtlasMD

November 2, 2013

Atlas.md EMR — Tutorial Video — Search

Drs. Josh and Doug teach you how to find what you need in Atlas.md. The smart search lets you find patients, prescriptions, keywords, types of interactions, and more. And all of this can be done across the app, or within a specific doctor or patient file.

VIEW NEXT ATLAS.MD EMR TUTORIAL VIDEO > DOCTOR PROFILE

Have more questions about Atlas.md? Send them to hello[at]atlas.md …

Want to try Atlas.md EMR? Sign up for free at Atlas.md/signup.

Posted by: AtlasMD

November 1, 2013

We Love The Smell Of Red Tape In The Morning

Okay, so the title’s a bit sarcastic. But for anyone following the Obamacare debacle, you’ll want to get your head around CNN’s helpful article, “5 Things We Learned From Sebelius Obamacare Hearing.”

Our favorite item is number 5, where we find out that, yes, it would be illegal for Sebelius to sign up for an exchange plan, but not for the original reasons that she used to justify her seeming hypocrisy (She’s eligible for Medicare so that’s what disqualified her from the exchange). Of course she still claimed that Obamacare’s great and that she’d sign up if she could. Although, if it was so great, why would Congress write its own members out of the plan?

Now we wouldn’t go this far, but wouldn’t it be great if a cash-only doc offered Sebelius such a low-cost membership that she opted for direct care over Medicare? Maybe that type of publicity stunt could turn all this media fervor into a more productive conversation.

READ THE COMPLETE CNN ARTICLE

Posted by: AtlasMD

November 1, 2013

Where Did Our Accountability Go?

Where Did Our Accountability Go?

Obamacare has been “live” for a month now and it’s been grim. Visitors trying to log on to the Obamacare website early Thursday morning saw the same stubborn phrase that has roiled users for weeks: “The system is down at the moment.” It’s been almost a full month since the HealthCare.gov website launched. Technical problems have riddled it despite a series of advance warning signs. And sure, there’s been a chorus of apologies out of Washington, but it may be another month before everything’s running smoothly.

Here’s some “accountability” that’s been taken: Vice President Joe Biden became the highest-ranking administration official to apologize Wednesday for the botched rollout. “We assumed that it was up and ready to run,” he told CNN’s sister network HLN. “But the good news is although it’s not — and we apologize for that — we are confident by the end of November it’ll be, and there’ll still be plenty of time for people to register and get online.” This came after Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius apologized during a 3 1/2-hour congressional grilling. To the frustrated users who have had problems, she said: “You deserve better. I apologize. I’m accountable to you for fixing these problems.”

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Posted by: AtlasMD

October 31, 2013

We Hate To Say We Told You So…

But we kind of have to say we told you so. Here’s a “stop-what-you’re-doing” type of article from Forbes-contributor Avik Roy. Let’s start with the title, “Obama Officials In 2010: 93 Million Americans Will Be Unable To Keep Their Health Plans Under Obamacare” and then some telling quotes:

“Obama administration knew that Obamacare would disrupt private plans…”

“Mid-range estimate: 51% of employer-sponsored plans will get canceled…”

You know our stance. We’re not here to be political. But if ever there was a time to take the leap of faith and start offering cash-only medicine, now is it. There’s all sorts of wrenches in our healthcare system. We have the government jeopardizing the free market, forcing people out of insurance plans they liked, for something that is in certain cases more restrictive and more expensive.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

October 30, 2013

LISTEN: Atlas MD Podcast, Ep. 10

LISTEN: Atlas MD Podcast, Ep. 10

Apologies for the delay, everyone. We’ve had a bit of construction in the office here, and we’ve been on the road, too. That said, the next installment of our podcast is live on iTunes.

Obamacare was unrolled and docs are wondering what that means for direct care. For the most part, we are safe. Patients’ insurance plans, not necessarily. If you want to get a better understanding of the direct care landscape, there’s a great source, though. Just visit dpcare.org and have a look. There are tons of informative articles about the law.

LISTEN TO EPISODE 10 OF THE ATLAS MD PODCAST HERE

In this episode, the team went to San Diego for an AAFP conference where they were bombarded with questions (arrived an hour early and stayed two hours late)! Then Dr. Doug shares a story of how the system prevents docs from practicing good medicine (and how he saw a patient immediately when her doc offered her an appointment 6 days later). Dr. Josh goes over more direct care math, and that’s just the beginning…

Oh, we’re heading out to a few different conferences where we’ll be talking to more docs about our model, including the Physicians Summit on Nov. 1. Maybe we’ll see you there, or elsewhere. As always, thanks for tuning in, and if you have any questions, please, send us an email: hello[at]atlas.md

Posted by: AtlasMD

October 30, 2013

Direct Care Prescription Dispensing By State

Direct Care Prescription Dispensing By State

In case you’re wondering, here’s the list of prescription dispensing laws by state. The rules vary, but only four states have banned dispensing outright — Montana, Texas, Utah and New York. We’ve extolled the benefits of dispensing meds for your direct care patients. First off, it gives your practice a kind of Costco-esque appeal. Now, the $50 monthly fee is giving them access to seriously discounted meds. We’re talking penny on the dollar in certain cases. Secondly, it adds a convenience factor. It’s one more thing for a patient to worry about when they see you and then have to go wait for a prescription. And it’s one more thing for you to do, either calling in or faxing over the order (or handing a piece of paper to your patient to deal with). But when you can dispense yourself, the visit becomes a very complete experience — a personal one, and a satisfying one.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

October 30, 2013

Your Patients Want To Hear From You

Finally, some good news in the healthcare realm — this report from Mobi Health News outlines the extensive results of a survey related to digital communications. This section is most telling:

“Asked to list ‘most welcomed messages,’ respondents named three health-related messages. Sixty-nine percent welcomed a reminder about an upcoming appointment or vaccination, 57 percent mentioned a notice to reorder or pick up a prescription, and 39 percent would be happy with a message reminding them to schedule an appointment.”

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Posted by: AtlasMD

October 30, 2013

And The Survey Says… Doctors Are Resistant To The Affordable Care Act

According to a new survey reported on by the New York Post, “New York doctors are treating Obamacare like the plague.” The poll surveyed 409 physicians and was conducted by the New York State Medical Society. The results were ghastly. Here are the highlights:

  • 44 percent of MDs said they are not participating in the nation’s new healthcare plan
  • 33 percent of MDs are still undecided about whether or not to become Obamacare providers
  • Only 23 percent said they’re taking patients who signed up through health exchanges

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Posted by: AtlasMD

October 29, 2013

Red Tape Puts Insured Californians in a Bind

Fox News conducted a hard interview with a doctor in California. All things considered, we’re aware of the network’s general political leanings, and we’re not politicians at Atlas MD (we’re doctors). However, it’s very difficult to argue with the fact that paying subscribers have been kicked off of existing plans in California, and forced into Obamacare programs. Regardless of whether one plan is better than the other, one thing has been eliminated, and that’s the power of choice.

Had we been invited to the program we might have added that the insurance doesn’t guarantee quality care. Quality care is something that takes time and experience. The more fee-for-service doctors deal with insurance to get paid, the less medicine they actually practice. In a perfect world, there’d be MORE doctors, not more red tape. Ironically, as we add more bureaucratic influence, albeit well intentioned, we run the risk of running doctors out of medicine entirely.

Sadly, the government imagines medicine like this — insure everyone, problem solved. But what happens when all the doctors are occupied, and there’s no one to see all these insured patients?