Drs. Josh and Doug huddled up for a second taping of the Atlas MD podcast. You can stream it on iTunes. The duo took a moment to discuss HIPAA compliance, HSA spending and Meaningful Use in context with direct care, as well as our new EMR that’s launching next month. And the team announced phenomenal news: Michael Palomino has reached 150 patients in only a couple months, vastly exceeding the predicted 10 patients per month increase.
Tag Archives: Direct Care
July 22, 2013
July 18, 2013
Are Health Plans REALLY Going To Fall 50% in New York?
Many outlets are reporting on a New York Times article claiming that “health plan costs for New Yorkers are set to fall 50%” as changes under the federal health care law take effect. This was announced by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Wednesday, July 17. He is quoted as saying, “New York’s health benefits exchange will offer the type of real competition that helps drive down health insurance costs for consumers and businesses.”
One problem with the article is that it actually says, “While the rates will fall over all, apples-to-apples comparisons are impossible from this year to next because all of the plans are essentially new insurance products.” This immediately got us thinking, well where did a 50% price drop come into play?
July 17, 2013
Healthcare Startup Helps Hospitals Launch Their Own Health Insurance Plans
The Washington Post reported on a healthcare provider facing rising insurance premiums. Instead of passing on the price increase to their employees, who would begrudge the extra cost, MedStar Health decided to offer their own insurance plan that would cover employees at their hospitals and a small network of providers. This is revolutionary, as the article states, “All of a sudden, the health system did not just send out insurance claims — it also received them… Insurance plans and hospitals are typically at loggerheads. They squabble over claims that the hospitals submit and insurers sometimes deny.” Eric Wagner, a MedStar vice president, said, “[Health insurers] make their money by not paying for health care to be delivered. We make our money by delivering care. There’s always been a natural tension.” But now a start-up in Northern Virginia named Evolent Health promises to teach hospital networks like MedStar Health how to build a health insurance plan from the ground up.
July 16, 2013
LINKS: Open Season on EMR Shortcomings
Dark Daily compiled a list of links that fire off some major EMR problems. Looks like too many messages and poor design is proving to be one step forward, two steps back for some doctors.
July 15, 2013
Study Shows That Too Many EHR Notifications Causing Missed Test Results
A new post from Dark Daily says that a study shows too many electronic alerts cause nearly 30% of primary care physicians to overlook essential clinical laboratory test results. This according to researchers, including Hardeep Singh (pictured left), M.D., MPH, who led the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center research team. Unfortunately, it looks like EHR systems are plagued by ‘alert overload.’ Which is what we’d expect, though, in an industry producing lackluster products.
In total, 5,001 VA physicians were invited to participate in the study, and of the 2,590 primary care physicians (PCPs) who did, some 29.8% overlooked test results from an EHR alert system on at least one occasion. Singh and his researchers’ survey findings suggested three factors that could lead to missed results in EHRs:
July 15, 2013
The Atlantic Advocates Healthcare Accountability
Richard Gunderman wrote a phenomenal essay for The Atlantic earlier this month. In it he explains the importance of accountable health care, claiming “We can be our best only if we bear at least some of the costs of the choices we make.” It is accepted that healthcare costs have within the last few years become the single most common cause of personal bankruptcy in the U.S. Of course, the natural reaction is to think of the indebted patients as victims, and hospitals as greedy predators. It’s not like the patients tried to get sick to they could taken on expensive medical care. Meanwhile hospitals retrofitted with marbled lobbies and elaborate amenities are indicative of surplus wealth. So Gunderman begs the question, “Who could feel sympathy for a billion-dollar corporation?”
However, he also points out that if patients are to be forgiven of their debts, we might run out of hospitals to turn to. That’s because a hospital that liberally provides free care will soon find itself overrun with patients, while the other hospitals fail to generate revenues that exceed their costs, and go out of business (this is hypothetical, but still a valid point).
July 12, 2013
Now Chicago Tribune Is Praising Direct Primary Care
Chicago Tribune writer Christopher Gearon opened his recent piece about direct primary care with a question? “Ever need to wait a week or more to see your primary care doctor?” He then recommends that you take a cue from Debra Sallee, 58, a Seattle hair salon owner. She pays a flat fee of $79 a month and can see her family physician unlimited times — with no co-payments or health insurance forms.
“It’s just so convenient. They are at my beck and call,” she says.
July 11, 2013
Can Doctors Meet Growing Patient Demand For Insurance-Free Medicine?
Dr. Doug and Dr. Josh have been spreading the gospel of direct care on Fox News, late night podcasts and CNN. But Concierge Medicine Today (CMT) has some data showing the downside in concierge medicine. They’re finding that the number of patients seeking concierge medical care exceeds the actual number of primary care and family practice doctors on the market.
“Despite what we hear in the media about the increase in concierge and private-pay physicians growing across America, there are simply not enough of these [concierge-style, direct care or membership medicine-style] physicians in the U.S. to meet the current demand,” says Michael Tetreault, Editor-In-Chief of Concierge Medicine Today “At the end of the day, the marketplace is still falling short.”
July 11, 2013
July 10, 2013
LINKS: Rage Against The Healthcare Machine
In case you needed any more reasons to get incensed with healthcare’s exorbitant costs, The New York Times has you covered. First, you’ll want to read their piece about how ridiculously overpriced it is to have a baby in this country (“American Way Of Birth, Costliest In The World” via The New York Times).
According to the article, “Women with insurance pay out of pocket an average of $3,400, according to a survey by Childbirth Connection, one of the groups behind the maternity costs report. Two decades ago, women typically paid nothing other than a small fee if they opted for a private hospital room or television.”
And that’s just the start. Read more