Posted by: AtlasMD

April 15, 2015

What Matters More Than Features?

You can boast about features till you turn blue in the face. And you’ll probably get conversions from it. It’s important to tell your patients what you offer, but that’s not what they really want.

Truth be told, they want the same thing you do. They want the Direct Care lifestyle.

Sure, they like that you’re available 24/7, but what they really care about is that you’ll answer their text at 2 a.m. when their baby spikes a high fever. They like extended appointments, but they truly value being heard. They appreciate wholesale medication prices, but they tell their friends how their doc just keeps on trying to save them money.

So tell your patients about the features you offer. But sell them on the benefits. Luckily for Direct Care docs, backing up feature claims is built right into the business model. When you and your patient act as a team, your vision for your practice can really come to life.

Posted by: AtlasMD

April 13, 2015

We Should Aim for “Crazy and Oldschool”

If being crazy means we know our patients backwards and forwards, show up at the hospital when they’re admitted, and help fill in the blanks of their medical history when our patient is unable, then sign us up.

If being old school means our doctor-patient relationships are rock solid, cradled in trust, and wrapped in endless care, then we’re on board.

Like the experience in this story told by Dr. Dhand over at KevinMD, we’re totally up for letting DPC take us back to basics.

A couple of weeks ago I was on-call and had to go down to the emergency room to see a patient. Before I entered the room, I was told that the patient was accompanied by her long-time physician who was a bit “crazy and old school.”

“Hmm … that’s strange … why would her physician be in the room with her?” I thought to myself. When I went in to introduce myself, sure enough sat next to her was an elderly physician probably in his late 70s or early 80s. After he greeted me with a warm and friendly handshake, he told me that he had practiced medicine in the local area for the last several decades. I still continued to wonder exactly what he was doing there, and this thought persisted for the next few minutes.

However, as I got further into the interview, I quickly realized just why he was sitting by his patient’s side. This doctor had cared for the patient for at least the last 30 years, was in the process of winding down his practice, but felt compelled to come and visit his patient (with no financial incentive to do so) as soon as he heard she was being admitted to the hospital. The patient — elderly herself and hard of hearing — wasn’t able to give me a complete history. But that was OK, because her doctor knew her inside out. Every little detail.

Read the full story over here and after you do, a little personal reflection of your own might be just what the doctor ordered.

Posted by: AtlasMD

April 10, 2015

Selling Your Vision

Are you starting your own Direct Care practice? Maybe just thinking about it? Either way, if you’re interested in Direct Care you have a vision in mind, right? The big picture, the overarching purpose, the ultimate goal.

Then there’s the part where you lose sight of that goal and get lost in the details. That’s okay, too… to a point.

Kevin Rose, founder of Digg, has some invaluable advice on aligning the details with your vision – and what can happen when your entire team is on board.

A team aligned behind a vision will move mountains. Sell them on your roadmap and don’t compromise — care about the details, the fit and finish. Only work with those that have (as Larry Page puts it) “a healthy disregard for the impossible,” and push everyone on your team until it’s uncomfortable.

So go. Start your Direct Care practice and do your part to change the face of healthcare. Just don’t forget to sell your vision along the way. 

Posted by: AtlasMD

March 25, 2015

What’s New in the Atlas.md EMR?

What’s New in the Atlas.md EMR?

This month, simple is better. Read below for all the ways the Atlas.md EMR encourages a simpler process for running a Direct Care practice.

Simplified Prescription Interface
You’ll notice more intuitive placement of buttons, making prescribing again and refills much simpler processes. Get the details here.

Create Custom Vitals & Stats Categories
This new feature in the vitals and statistics section allows you to track the stats that mean the most to you (and your specialty!), enabling you to provide an even more personalized experience for your patients. Learn how to create a custom category over here.

Account Fax Number
You can now enter your fax number from your settings page, which means your fax recipients will be able to respond more easily since your fax number will be more visible to them.

Improved Archival Experience
Now when you’re unarchiving a patient, you’ll have the opportunity to recreate the patient’s monthly subscription. In addition, if you archive a patient who is part of a family, you have the option to archive other family members as well – saving time and money. Read more here.

More Detailed Download Records Capability
Now when you download a patient record, you get not only the patient’s chart, but all the files that come along with it. Just unzip the resulting file and view the content, which will be organized in folders.

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

March 18, 2015

Is Social Media Closing the Gap it Created in the First Place?

Technology is good for so many positive purposes when it’s put to use for the right reasons. But when it’s abused the results can be catastrophic. Take online bullying for example. It’s been linked to low self esteem, actual fights, and worst of all – suicide.

There’s a lot you can ignore while looking down at your mobile device. But can we really ignore the gap that separates the technology generation from real life eye contact? One social media platform is attempting to bridge the gap society says it created in the first place. Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

March 17, 2015

Bloomberg Business: Thousands Have Already Signed Up for Apple’s ResearchKit

“With ResearchKit, Apple has created a pool of hundreds of millions of iPhone owners worldwide, letting doctors find trial participants at unprecedented rates. Already five academic centers have developed apps that use the iPhone’s accelerometers, gyroscopes and GPS sensors to track the progression of chronic conditions like Parkinson’s disease and asthma.”

It’s a big step for Apple’s newly launched ResearchKit, and possibly an even bigger step for the future of medical research. Do you hear the song in your head? The iPhone’s connected to the (dramatic pause) bluetooth. The bluetooth’s connected to the (dramatic pause) inhaler. The inhaler’s connected to the (dramatic pause) Asthsma App. And that’s-how-research-works!

Indeed, it’s all connected, but that’s not the only hot news out of Bloomberg Business’s recent article. Get this. Within just 24 hours of launching Apple’s ResearchKit, a whopping 11,000 people signed up for a cardiovascular study. Eleven thousand. Why does this have researchers jumping up and down? That’s easy – the iPhone is doing their job for them. Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

March 2, 2015

Texting Could be Good for Your Health.

The Direct Care community is totally on board with embracing unconventional methods of communication. It’s why our patients text, email, Skype, and Tweet us in addition to making the tradition phone call. Turns out we’re on the right track.

Text messaging is a fixture in modern culture. In two separate studies, U-M Family Medicine researchers have shown that in addition to facilitating everyday conversation, texting can help people adopt healthier behaviors, and can make it easier for health researchers to gather information.

Companies are apparently using texting campaigns to send messages to people in an attempt to raise their awareness about type 2 diabetes risks. And it turns out people are pretty darn receptive to it. In fact, not only is texting turning out to be an effective way to promote healthy habits, but a new study even suggests that it could replace direct mail campaigns in urban areas where researchers are trying to conduct surveys.

Think this seems like a no-brainer? Texting has been around for a while, right? Nothing new about the technology itself, but now researchers are able to extract information – collect data that tells whether or not the campaign is working. That, friends, is new and exciting. Out with the old and in with the new, right?

Read the full article on how texting could be good for your health. >

Technology is great, but the DPC community needs to look past it to stay grounded in truly patient-centric objectives. What we’re really using technology for is to go back to the basics – before the fancy stuff even existed. The idea is to create a more personalized experience, to develop a real relationship between doctor and patient. One that never underestimates the value of a face-to-face conversation or house call.

Posted by: AtlasMD

February 3, 2015

An Open Invitation to Be Brilliant.

Atlas-Blog37

To all the docs in a traditional practice who feel trapped. To all the physicians who wrap up each day feeling exhausted, buried behind mountains of paperwork. To all those former med students who thought there would be more patient in patient care.

It’s your turn. 

Your turn to be who you always wanted to be. Provide the kind of patient care you always imagined. Run the practice you always dreamed of. Your turn to be brilliant.

Direct Care is waiting for you, and making the transition isn’t all that difficult. Truth be told, neither is starting your own practice. There are lots of people who want direct care. And lots of people who support it, too.

So before you succumb to the desire to sell tupperware, there are a few things you should know. The way it’s been doesn’t have to be the way it is. Patients want personalized medicine as much as you want to provide it. And finally, change is not only possible, but happening around the country this very minute.

Posted by: AtlasMD

December 22, 2014

Go Ahead, Say It Out Loud. “I Am Direct Care!”

#IAMDIRECTCARE1Whether you want direct care, or embody it, there’s a place on the web for you.

You probably remember the launch of IWantDirectCare.com, which was the beginning of a movement to put patients who wanted Direct Care in touch with docs who provided it. This site’s doing a lot of great things, including proving the demand for better quality healthcare around the country. It’s even grown to include insurance agents in its networking nature.

Now it’s time for the movement’s progression to make its debut on the web, which is why we’re so excited for the launch of IAmDirectCare.com. With this largely socially-centered platform, supporters can show their support from a more individualized perspective.

IAmDirectCare.com captures the stories people share on social media about their wonderful experiences with Direct Care. It also shows supporters of the Direct Care movement and explains the DPC concept in simple, easy-to-grasp terms. Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

December 17, 2014

KevinMD: Setting the Record Straight

Dr. Neuhofel, family physician and owner of NeuCare Family Medicine is ready to set the record straight. He took the time to tackle a few of the most widely spread rumors, including affordability and Dr. shortage.

Myth #1: DPC is Too Expensive

  • Many DPC clinics were founded to help those who were struggling to afford care through traditional healthcare.
  • “Concierge” doesn’t mean “high priced.” Rather, most DPC clinics charge on the lower end of the retainer spectrum, landing somewhere in the $30-50/month range.
  • Savings are passed back to the patient in more ways than one: “discounts on labs, diagnostic testing, medications, procedures and more.”

“Just last week, I was able to provide nine doses of sumatriptan to a new patient for $8.12. She had previously been paying more than $100 per month through her insurance for the same amount of the drug.”

Read more