Posted by: AtlasMD

May 1, 2013

This Week in Concierge Medicine

Here are five thought-provoking posts on concierge medicine circulating the Web this week. Follow the links to read the complete articles.

Concierge Medicine Can Ease Escalating EHR Requirements
Wayne Lipton addresses growing concerns over new EMR guidelines and highlights some advantages of the concierge business model.

New Doctor in Town Offers Alternative to Traditional Fee Model: Concierge Medicine for the Masses
Dr. Samir Qamar see Las Vegas as the perfect market for concierge medicine. His model is slightly different than AtlasMD’s, with a subscription and a $10 fee per visit. However, he’s made it very attractive for employers who typically don’t offer insurance, like the billion-dollar service industry.

Read more

Posted by: Josh Umbehr, M.D.

May 1, 2013

Concierge Medicine Is Too Important To Be Taken Seriously

We’ve all got our favorite websites to laugh at. But I had to share this article about concierge medicine from Business Expansion Partners. It’s not funny enough to be a spoof, but it’s so wrong that I had to address it.

Here’s a list of counter points to their insulting blog post. Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

April 30, 2013

Healthcare And Fashion Collide In This Colorful Infographic

Here’s a well-designed visualization of how we’ll be wearing technology in coming years. You’ll find some healthcare monitors towards the bottom—bras that measure heart rates and wristbands that track sleep cycles.

Take it at face value. Voucher Codes created the infographic but does not guarantee complete information accuracy. Still, it’s fun to look at.

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

April 29, 2013

Tech Win for EMR Demonstrates Concierge Medicine’s Advantages Yet Again

There’s some good news for EMR software. Box, a cloud storage and information-sharing platform used in many different industries, released a statement on Thursday, saying that they acquired an “ecosystem” of app companies and are actively expanding their healthcare offerings.

One of Box’s efforts is to create a downloadable Personal Health Record that aggregates multiple inputs. Basically they want consumers to carry around a digital medical file to take to different specialists. A few of the new companies they acquired focus on text transmission, so its presumed they want to help doctors text information more effectively, too—X-rays, notes, files and the like.

Read more

Posted by: Josh Umbehr, M.D.

April 25, 2013

Just Another Day at the Concierge Medical Office

I feel like you might be tired of hearing another concierge medical success story. But then again, there’s still plenty of opposition to the model. Which brings up a post about how a concierge doctor saved a woman’s life. (Original link no longer available.)

The post from The DO, a blog for osteopathic physicians, features two doctors who successfully transitioned to the model.

One of the men, Dr. Schneiderman, a Monterey, California-based concierge medical doctor, was ready to leave his home state to practice medicine elsewhere. He was frustrated that he didn’t have actual time to spend with his patients. He tried everything. Working for the prison system, working for the Veterans Affairs system, and none of it made a difference.

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

April 23, 2013

Rising Deductibles Make Concierge Medicine Look Even More Desirable

Doctors considering transitioning to a concierge business model, take note: deductibles are on the rise. Here are the grim findings from a study conducted by Athenehealth between 2009 and 2011:

Deductibles as a percentage of contracted rate have risen by 47% in the Northeast and by 20% in the rest of the country.

Read more

Posted by: Josh Umbehr, M.D.

April 22, 2013

Harvard Business Review Is Burning Up Concierge Medicine Blogosphere

In case you missed it, Harvard Business Review (HBR) published a new article about “Patient-Centered Care.”

It’s concerning to concierge medicine, though, mostly since the three writers NEVER MENTION OUR FIELD AT ALL. Brian Powers, Amol S. Navathe and Sachin H. Jain do encourage the medical field at large to take note of the service industry, though. Their points are valid, and worth a read. Although they sound faintly reminiscent of a “rally-the-troops” speech that a CEO gives his employees at the beginning of the fiscal year. It’s impassioned, and sounds well-versed, but it’s not always clear what will ACTUALLY CHANGE.

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

April 22, 2013

Angela Dunn Rests Her Case For Technology Driving Concierge Medicine

Angela Dunn of HL7 (Health) Standards concluded her piece about technology and concierge medicine today.

She relied on Dr. Josh’s expertise and enthusiasm to prove her point. Concierge doctors are “using technology and social media as ‘tools’ to forge more human, more connected relationships with patients.”

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

April 18, 2013

Encouraging Signs for Direct Primary Care in the U.S.

The Concierge Medicine Research Collective conducted a three year study and found some promising results.

Most encouraging was news that a third of the households seeing concierge doctors made less than $100,000/yr. An effective healthcare reform needs to be affordable to a majority of Americans. More practices opening up and better technology helping doctors to run their practices all serve to drive the cost of care down. Concierge doctors win. Patients win. Even insurance can win, by paying out fewer settlements. That’s the beauty of a free market.

The survey also suggested that concierge doctors have been able to make steady incomes while expanding their services to more Americans. You can check out the full press release here. It’s worth a glance.

Posted by: Josh Umbehr, M.D.

April 17, 2013

Nicholas Genes says, “It’s just easier to insist on excellence before buying the product.”

Nicholas Genes is the ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. He posted a great piece about the problems facing EMR adoption—government regulation, concerns about efficiency, etc.

He finishes on a high note: We’re savvy shoppers and we demand a good product before we buy it.

His thought makes a double entendre, though. Of course, doctors are savvy shoppers who want to buy a helpful software product. But it’s a savvy nation of healthcare shoppers who increase the demand for that software.

Yes, savvy shoppers are one free market win. But the second win will be concierge medicine operating tech-savvy, too.

Read Nicholas’ complete article here.

Nicholas Genes // Courtesy of thinkwritepublish.org

Nicholas Genes // Courtesy of thinkwritepublish.org