Posted by: AtlasMD

October 26, 2013

Prepare Yourself for the Fork in the Road

Prepare Yourself for the Fork in the Road

We found a great blog post from The Happy MD that clarifies a schism that’s likely to develop here in the American healthcare system. With an influx of patients gaining insurance through Obamacare (assuming those exchange websites finally work), primary care docs have essentially two directions they will be pushed in:

  • One group of docs will be part of the patient mill, who due to the inherent volume of patients coming through a clinic will only see the very sick; here the doctor will spend a majority of time in a management position, overseeing nurses and physician assistants who actually interact with patients.
  • Another group of docs will be part of the concierge medicine/direct care movement, and will see all of their patients for longer durations; here the doctor will free up this time by removing the red tape and operating their practice with limited assistance.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

October 26, 2013

STREAM: Atlas MD on The Sean Hannity Show

In case you missed it, we were invited back as guests on The Sean Hannity Show last Friday. We’re honored to be recognized as a solution to an overwhelming healthcare debacle. Afterwards, we were flooded with emails from people interested in learning more about our model and where they can find a direct care clinic in their own community.

As we mentioned on the program, you can visit IWantDirectCare.com to express your interest in joining a direct care clinic, or, if you’re a direct care doctor, where your clinic is located. And wouldn’t you know, the map’s filling up fast! We think this disproves a direct care criticism, that healthy people subscribing to a direct clinic is like paying for an unused gym membership. We’re wondering, where do these arguments originate? Our patients constantly praise the services we provide and our accessibility. And the question we keep hearing from people who first come across our business is, Where can I find my own direct care doctor? We’re hoping that within the next few years, patients can find direct care almost anywhere. Really, it’s up to the doctors to meet the demand and interest that’s growing as we speak.

As always, thanks to everyone who tuned in to The Sean Hannity Show on Friday, and to those who spread the word on social media. It may not seem like much, but every patient who demands affordable primary care makes direct care more viable for the doctors who want to provide it.

Posted by: AtlasMD

October 25, 2013

Research Shows Top 10 States And Top 25 Cities To Practice Insurance-Free Medicine

Are you curious if your state or city made one of the lists? Keep in mind, we’re having a great time practicing direct care here in Wichita, KS, and get this–we didn’t make either one! On top of that, not all of these states are eligible to dispense prescriptions (New York, Montana, Texas, and Utah prohibit it). In our experience, the real value in running a direct practice comes from offering wholesale prescription discounts. Over time the savings add up, especially for patients with chronic conditions (diabetes, thyroid disease, asthma, migraines, etc.) where it becomes cheaper to subscribe to your clinic and stop using insurance to pay for prescriptions.

Given these facts, we’re not treating this as the ultimatum for who or where one should or shouldn’t open a direct care clinic. However, the research brings up some good reminders. According to Dr. Chris Ewin, Founder and physician at 121MD in Fort Worth, TX:

“Direct practices should be successful in most cities and states where there is an inadequate supply of primary care physicians.” He adds, “… Most important, a physician needs to have social skills to sell him/herself and their new practice model to their patients and their community.”

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Posted by: AtlasMD

October 24, 2013

Health Care Exchange Website Builders In The Hot Seat

USA Today reports from Washington that many of the problems that have plagued the HealthCare.gov website stemmed from high demand for health insurance coupled with confusion between contractors. So an official with a top government contractor will say in prepared testimony to a House panel on Thursday.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

October 24, 2013

Atlas.md EMR — Tutorial Video — Clinic Features / Sidebar

Drs. Josh and Doug walk you through the themes of Atlas.md EMR. On the left you’ll first see icons that let you quickly access common features like dashboard, inbox, tasks and more. The sidebar’s icons change, though, as you move through different themes: Accounts, Patients, Prescriptions, etc.

VIEW NEXT ATLAS.MD EMR TUTORIAL VIDEO > SEARCH

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

October 23, 2013

A Burnt-Out Doctor Decides To Quit

A Burnt-Out Doctor Decides To Quit

Diane W. Shannon, M.D., MPH, is now solely a freelance writer. That’s because primary care burned her out of practicing medicine entirely. She’s not burnt out on the industry, though, instead focusing on what she calls “performance improvement in health care.”

Dr. Shannon is exactly the doctor we refer to when critics mention that direct care might exacerbate a doctor shortage. To reiterate, every doctor in America doesn’t get to cut the red tape and instantaneously practice insurance-free medicine. No, direct care is about doctors cooperating collectively and acting independently to circumvent the administrative forces that swallow doc’s time, stress them out, and prohibit them from forming strong relationships with patients.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

October 23, 2013

A Doctor Reminds Us that Patients Are in Control

We had to share this harrowing story of Dr. Annie Brewster, who is both a physician and patient. See, she suffers from MS, and in dealing with her condition, she’s gained amazing insight into what it’s like on the other side of the gurney. She explains:

“Being on the patient side has changed me as a doctor. Now, I see more clearly that no medical decision is simple. While my job is to make recommendations to patients based on my medical knowledge, there is no one answer.”

According to Dr. Brewster, what is ultimately “right” is based on a multitude of factors and we may not have the precise answer within our reach. Now she tells her patients when she suggests any treatment, “You are in charge.” Being as we were just reading about a healthcare future that’s been Walmart-ized and might have machines dictating our treatments, this seems especially relevant. What do you think happens if primary care physicians are to be replaced by software algorithms and nurses? Would patients be less stubborn? Would they be even less likely to listen to their own intuition?

Again, these are ambiguous, difficult issues to discern. But regardless, it’s humanizing to remember that in spite of all our education, training and experience, we are not the final call. Really, it’s up to the patient to trust us and follow a treatment plan that works for them. Our job is to take the time to make sure we’re offering the most sound advice within our own reason and skill set.

READ DR. ANNIE BREWSTER’S PATIENT-PHYSICIAN PERSPECTIVE

Posted by: AtlasMD

October 22, 2013

Will Medicine Be Walmart-ized?

In his new essay, David M. Cutler prognosticates an intriguing, yet impersonal healthcare future. He says, “the idea that technology will change medicine is as old as the electronic computer itself.” And we agree with his proposal.

However, there’s a lot of information out there, and for the most part, it’s not made available at the right time. Think about it: how many times do we hear about a patient receiving an incorrect dosage or a drug that causes an allergic reaction? And, as more docs “get wired” and adopt EMRs, there will be even more parties contributing to the collective consciousness of medicine. Just look at the numbers. Since the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act created the HiTech program, billions of dollars have been allocated for doctors and hospitals to purchase EHR software/systems. According to Cutler, “Since the program was enacted, rates of ownership of such systems have tripled among hospitals and quadrupled among physicians.”

Okay, but what happens when all of medicine gets connected?

Cutler says healthcare will be delivered in a more standardized fashion, with less overall cost, but less of a personal touch.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

October 22, 2013

EMRs Still Not Very Loved

David Carr is on the beat to find doctors who actually like their EMR. We’re in the process of reaching out to him since we’re excited about the new updates to our Atlas.md EMR. However, we also kind of proved his point. He interviewed a Doctor Denton, who said:

“In contrast, commercial EHR software has to be generic enough to work in many hospitals and all specialties. The result is a compromised design that doesn’t serve anyone’s needs really well.”

As a medical student interning at Intermountain Healthcare in the 1990s, Dr. Denton worked with an early electronic medical records system that was custom built for the hospital. He said it didn’t have everything you wanted, but “it worked in a way that allowed you to really do your job better.” However, he clarified, “But… they spent years and years developing it.”

It seems that the big fight in health care, in IT, in primary care, almost everywhere, is for time to make good stuff and to make stuff good. We’re fighting that fight, and here to assist any doctors who want time to practice medicine again. And we’re working on digital software that succeeds by MAKING MEDICINE MORE POSSIBLE, not by rushing to the market to collect Meaningful Use incentives.

Oh the irony, for being rewarded for mediocrity. Ayn Rand must be rolling in her grave.

READ ABOUT DAVID CARR’S SEARCH FOR SATISFACTORY EMR

Posted by: AtlasMD

October 22, 2013

Imagine a World Where Docs Blog, “I LOVE MY EMR!”

Unfortunately, that world is imaginary, for the time being. We’re still in our beta launch of Atlas.md EMR, although we’ve already rolled out some helpful updates. For everyone who has signed up for our EMR, here’s what’s available in the newest version of the app.

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