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Tag Archives: direct primary care
August 16, 2013
August 16, 2013
Insurance Exchange Could Save $9 Billion : Insurance-Free Prescriptions Could Save $130 Billion
According to a new collaborative study, “Smart design of health insurance exchanges that will enable Americans to purchase individual coverage under the Affordable Care Act could save consumers and the government more than $9 billion annually.”
The study was called “Can Consumers Make Affordable Care Affordable? The Value of Choice Architecture,” and it tested the ability of consumers to choose the best health insurance plan for their needs without assistance. FierceHealthIT claims, “Most participants struggled to make the most cost-effective choices for themselves and their families.” Which on one hand is just sad, that Americans have trouble buying anything (since it’s safe to say consumer spending drives our country). However, it does draw attention to an inarguable truth out–bureaucracy selling anything tends towards confusing, unfavorable market outcomes. Perhaps part of the reason is the lack of realistic motivators.
August 15, 2013
Mind The Gap Challenges Docs To Adopt One New Communication Skill
Stephen Wilkins MPH of Mind The Gap recently announced the Adopt One! Challenge. The Challenge, to be launched later the Fall, is encouraging physicians across the U.S. to commit to adopting one new patient-centered communication skill in 2014. If you’re interested in participating, you can sign up here.
August 14, 2013
A Motivation Advocate Points Out Healthcare’s Lack Of Carrots
François de Brantes is the Executive Director of the Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute (HCI3), and a staunch advocate of incorporating new motivations within healthcare.
According to Brantes, motivation fuels any professional, with morals and ethics steering the ship so to speak. As people, our motivation is to achieve certain goals. And as doctors, we’re guided by at least two primary goals–stay in business and take care of patients. Thanks to falling Medicare payments and rising cost of overhead, though, the staying in business part has taken precedence, and led to primary care physicians bringing on more and more patients. In turn this compromises the more satisfying, and important, concern–making patients healthier. Ideally, if health care professionals were free to realize that second motivation, we’d have a situation where really good care is readily available, and affordable. But that’s not the situation. And it’s clear that something’s gone wrong.
August 12, 2013
Dr. Josh Breaks Down Every Facet Of Direct Care In His Latest Interview
The Objective Standard spoke with Dr. Josh and captured a comprehensive, and digestible, overview of direct care. The conversation was conducted and transcribed by journalist Ari Armstrong and is currently available as a PDF file for private use and distribution. We’re excited to share it personally through this week’s Atlas MD newsletter (will be included as an attachment). If you haven’t signed up for our weekly direct care updates, you can do so here (make sure to check the newsletter box). Or, if you like, email hello[at]atlas.md to request your copy of the interview.
The Objective Standard is a quarterly periodical written from an Objectivist perspective (Objectivism being Ayn Rand’s philosophy of reason, egoism, and laissez-faire capitalism). Josh’s interview is slated for Fall publication.
August 9, 2013
Disappointing Doctor Survey Serves Up EMR Optimism
We mentioned the MGMA-ACMPE survey that disclosed doctors’ struggles to adapt to rapid changes, legislative pressures and fiscal uncertainty. However, something else caught our eye.
August 9, 2013
Rising Operating Costs Top List of Medical Practice Concerns
According to 1,067 medical practice executives, the most difficult daily challenge of running a medical office is dealing with rising operating costs. So says finding from a survey conducted by the MGMA-ACMPE (formerly the Medical Group Management Association-American College of Medical Practice Executives).
August 9, 2013
Why Are Doctors Driven To Direct Care
Another spot-on direct care blog post is making the rounds online. This one from The American Association Of Retired Persons (AARP). It tells the same story of doctors flocking from the broken system and taking refuge in our model. They also mention three reasons drawing doctors into the field.
August 8, 2013
Concierge Medicine Today and The Direct Care Journal to Launch New Radio Station Network This Fall
Concierge Medicine Today (CMT) and The Direct Primary Care Journal (DCJ), an affiliated multi-media news and information resource, announced they will launch their content over Internet-radio this fall. The programming will focus on our rapidly expanding healthcare model, offering education, insight and information. Listeners can follow breaking news, get the opinions of people empowering direct care and hear expert commentary from special guests (maybe Josh and Doug will be invited in for a taping?).
August 8, 2013
Will Technology Become The New House Call?
Boston’s Partners HealthCare last month launched a system that integrates at-home data with an in-house EMR. It’s not too different from what we’re doing with Atlas.md, which will sync with apps like FitBit, and relay measurements and readings directly to a direct care physician. Partner’s new system, though, allows patients to use multiple devices at home — glucometers, blood pressure cuffs, bathroom scales, and pulse oximeters (which measure blood oxygen levels) — to take regular measurements. They can upload the results from the medical devices and send them to their doctors, often wirelessly.