Wait, is this the same Association of American Family Practitioners who’s been used by dated critics to turn direct care into another Red Scare? They once warned, according to the LA Times, that direct primary care could lead to further shortage of doctors down the line. We, of course, knew better and said, No, unhappy doctors who refuse to practice altogether should be the real concern. We’ve been charging ahead, day-by-day, doing what we believe in, and the media is paying attention. Meanwhile, the AFFP maintained a strictly neutral opinion, to our awareness. But now it appears they’ve leapt off the fence and into our court, with a new article highlighting three direct care practices, including Atlas MD.
Tag Archives: direct primary care
June 28, 2013
June 24, 2013
Running List Of The Best ICD-10 Codes
And if you needed any more reasons to be concerned with the future of health care as it pertains to insurance billing, look no further. We’ve compiled some of our favorite ICD-10 billing gaffs.
Here are some straight-up laugh-worthy ICD-10 codes:
R46.1, “bizarre personal appearance”
R46.0, “very low level of personal hygiene”
W22.02XA, “walked into lamppost, initial encounter”
W22.02XD, “walked into lamppost, subsequent encounter”
V91.07XA, “burn due to water-skis on fire”
June 24, 2013
The Future of Doctor-Patient Emails Looks Bleak, for Everyone Else
Doug Farrago’s new post on Kevin MD makes a grim prognosis for docs operating within the insurance system. Looks like they will need to answer emails more promptly or risk diminishing profits.
Farrago’s future of patient emails includes not getting paid for answering them, getting dinged if you lag when responding, possibly getting sued, making bad prognoses based on cryptic messages (which you’re expected to answer or lose patients to doctors who will), and losing money since emailing patients are skipping out on the visit.
However, Farrago mentions that Dr. Josh has solved this quandary by introducing a subscription model and limiting his patient number. As we know, Atlas MD docs take calls and emails 24/7 and as Dr. Doug told CNN Money, “My professional life is better than expected, my family life and personal time is better than expected,” he said. “This is everything I wanted out of family medicine.” In fact, Atlas MD enjoys their work so much, they’re fighting to bring direct care to the masses. It feels good to be recognized as a solution in an industry riddled with incalculable problems.
Doug Farrago is a family physician who blogs at Authentic Medicine.
(Photo courtesy of pressherald.com)
June 24, 2013
LISTEN: Dr. Doug Talks Commonsense Healthcare With Night Talker Radio Network
Dr. Doug Nunamaker spoke to Michael David McGuire on his Night Talker Radio Network podcast. During the 30-minute interview Doug was met with overwhelming enthusiasm from the host. McGuire extoled our no-nonsense approach to healthcare, celebrated Kansas’ reputation for ingenuity, and had no qualms about asking Doug some personal questions about concierge medicine.
We’re grateful for opportunities like this to spread our message to an even wider audience and clear up the preconceived notion that direct care creates a two-tiered system. It’s the red tape that’s expensive, not the healthcare, Doug explains, and the way a greedy, entrenched system fixes it is with red adhesive sticking to more red tape. In our model, Doug’s able to charge a patient who used to pay $75/month for her medication alone now just $50 for unlimited visits, and a buck for her prescription. That means she’s SAVING $24/mo with her Atlas subscription.
Doug also had a chance to share our new campaign I Want Direct Care. McGuire thought it was brilliant that we’re trying to unite patients and doctors in a reasonable one-on-one relationship. And in doing so, motivate doctors who might consider early retirement or abandonment of the profession to join our movement—if only because the people demand it.
June 21, 2013
TEXAS: Dr. Casad Offers Hybrid OBGYN Concierge Model from Concierge Choice Physicians
Concierge Medicine Today (CMT) posted an article announcing the opening of a hybrid concierge medicine practice in Texas. Dr. Connie Casad is the first gynecologist in the nation to provide the hybrid concierge model for enhanced gynecologic procedures. She too is convinced in the merits of our emerging business model, saying, “Like a lot of my patients, I struggled with issues related to my health and well-being as I aged. I felt like the current healthcare model didn’t provide a system that could provide patients with what they wanted and needed. I conducted considerable research and I believe that the concierge model gives the best option possible for my patients who want to take charge of their health and who are interested in prevention and wellness.”
June 21, 2013
Breitbart Builds Massive Dialogue After Reporting on Dr. Doug’s CNN Money Feature
We told you about Dr. Doug’s CNN Money feature last week. Now, in a recent article, Breitbart quotes that “after five years of dealing with the red tape of health insurance companies and the high overhead for the staff [Dr. Doug] hired just to deal with paperwork, he switched to a system of charging his patients a monthly fee plus the price of an office visit or test.” We did want to point out that this line had a bit of an error. Dr. Doug charges extra for things like MRIs, prescriptions, blood panels, but NOT for office visits. But, regardless of the minor oversight, the article generated a massive conversation, with resounding support for concierge medicine.
June 21, 2013
Revisiting An LA Times Article From Last Year
The byline of last year’s LA Times article reads as follows: “Some physicians in solo practice, frustrated by long hours and less time with patients, opt for so-called concierge medicine. Critics say it could reduce access to care.” We’ve heard this argument before, and although it’s not entirely invalid, it does require a sweeping generalization, something theorists in academia do, or a teacher does when illuminating students to a mathematical law. And in doing so, it positions our field as more of a problem than a solution. They summarize direct primary care as follows: “The model is simple: Doctors charge their patients an annual fee and in turn, give them more time and attention.” While true, this overview is suspect, making us sound like we’re advocating a two-tiered system.
June 20, 2013
Study Finds Rate Of New Primary Care Physicians Entering the Field to be “Abysmal”
An article from Breitbart said recently that “despite a shortage of U.S. primary care doctors, less than 25 percent of new doctors go into this field, and fewer still work in rural areas.” The lead study author Dr. Candice Chen, is an assistant research professor of the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. According to her study, only 4.8 percent of the new primary care physicians set up shop in rural areas.
June 20, 2013
AP Reports The Slowdown in Health Care Costs to Continue
RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR of the Associated Press says in a recent article that there’s good news for most companies that provide health benefits for their employees: Reports indicate that America’s slowdown in medical costs may be turning into a trend, rather than a mere pause.
Four Reasons For The Overall Price Drop In health Care
1. “Patients seeking more affordable routine services in settings like clinics springing up in retail stores, as opposed to a doctor’s office or the emergency room.”
2. “Major employers contracting directly with hospital systems that have a proven record for complicated procedures such as heart surgery and certain back operations.”
3. “The government ramping up penalties on hospitals that have too many patients coming back with problems soon after being discharged.”
4. “Employers’ ongoing effort to shift more costs to workers through higher annual deductibles, the amount people must pay each year before insurance picks up.”
June 20, 2013
What is Direct Care?
Direct care is exactly what it sounds like – medical care directed straight at the patient. No insurance middle man, no red tape and certainly no opportunity for things to get lost in translation.