Posted by: Josh Umbehr, M.D.

May 1, 2014

Straight From A DPC Physician’s Mouth: “I’m A Happy Doctor Again!”

Mary Wulfers raised a serious question after reading about ObamaCare Exchange enrollees who can’t find doctors.

She asks, Who wants to see a doctor who is being forced to treat them?

Her husband is a primary care physician and, together, they opened a cash-only practice this year. It took two years of planning, but the couple decided to cut the red tape, and offer affordable, actual care to hundreds of patients.

And, get this, Mary’s husband is 61 years old. He could have easily retired, but the joy and reward of running a cash-only practice has kept him in the practice pool.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

April 30, 2014

Why Do Great Leaders Inspire Action? They Share A Compelling “Why”.

Direct Care docs, current and aspiring, do you have a few minutes?

Then check out this TED Talk by Simon Sinek. He shares his insight on how great leaders — from Jobs to MLK, Jr. — inspire action in their supporters.

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Posted by: Josh Umbehr, M.D.

April 30, 2014

Direct Care Is A Declaration Of Doctor Independence

Originally appeared on KevinMD.com

Yes, it really is time to revoke the health-care mandates issued by bureaucrats who ARE NOT in the profession of actual healing.

Daniel F. Craviotto Jr. writes on WSJ.com, “In my 23 years as a practicing physician, I’ve learned that the only thing that matters is the doctor-patient relationship.”

Craviotto, Jr. is a doctor who embodies the fight of Direct Care. How we interact and treat our patients truly is the practice of medicine. There’s a problem with the rising cost of health care (for starters, Oregon spent over $1,000 per subscriber on just a website to sign up for coverage that might not even provide a doctor).

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Posted by: AtlasMD

April 28, 2014

Oregon Spends Over $1,000 Per Cover Oregon Enrollee — Then Bails On Their Broken Website

Oregon went “all in” on health reform, firmly embracing the Affordable Care Act. They launched a very successful Medicaid expansion — a $2 billion federal experiment to prove the state could save money by managing patients’ care better, and, of course, the state’s own online marketplace to sell Obamacare insurance.

But that last point has been a huge problem.

The Cover Oregon board decided on Friday to ditch its troubled website and join up with the federal HealthCare.gov exchange instead.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

April 26, 2014

Is This The Start Of A New Trend? Covered California Patients Are Saying They Can’t See A Doctor.

While open enrollment for coverage under the Affordable Care Act is closed, many of the newly insured are finding they can’t find doctors, landing them into a state described as “medical homelessness.”

Rotacare, a free clinic for the uninsured in Mountain View, is dealing with the problem firsthand.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

April 25, 2014

America’s Broken Health Care System: The Role of Drug, Device Manufacturers

Health care costs are dramatically higher in the U.S. than in the rest of the world. Yet our health care outcomes – from life expectancy to infant mortality – are average at best. Few dispute these facts.

The real debate starts when we ask why. While there isn’t one single answer, the rapidly rising cost of drugs and medical devices is a significant factor.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

April 24, 2014

We Can’t Say No To Patients? I Thought We Were Professionals.

Yes, the customer is almost always right — except if they’re paying cash for healthcare. In this case, yes, the “customer” has the right to take their business elsewhere. But do they have the right to complain when I won’t prescribe a drug I know they don’t need?

No way. And just like I don’t WANT to pay taxes, my accountant provides me with options to address what I need to do and what I should not do.

Of course, I don’t have to listen to my accountant. I can forego paying my taxes.

However, I shouldn’t be surprised when the IRS calls me to demand payment, garnishes my wages, and ultimately closes my practice.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

April 23, 2014

If ACA Politics Leave People Without Coverage, Maybe It’s Time To Forget The Politics.

About 8 million people have signed up for Year 1 of Obamacare, but millions of others are still falling into the law’s “coverage gap.” They earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but they don’t make enough to get federal subsidies to buy private insurance on an Affordable Care Act exchange.

The human toll of the coverage gap can be found all too easily in Hidalgo County, Texas, where less than half of non-senior adults had health insurance in 2012.

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Posted by: Josh Umbehr, M.D.

April 23, 2014

Yes, Being A Doctor Became Miserable. That’s Why I Became A Direct Care Doctor Instead.

Originally posted on KevinMD.com

“Nine of 10 doctors discourage others from joining the profession,” writes Daniela Drake on the Daily Beast.

And stats say that by the end of 2014, ~300 physicians commit suicide.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

April 18, 2014

Stream The Next Atlas MD Podcast, Episode 16 >

“Medicine is a business,” says Dr. Doug Nunamaker, “And how our nation’s doing it isn’t working.”

Listen to Drs. Josh and Doug discuss Direct Care in the latest episode of the Atlas MD podcast.

Ditching insurance companies and running a successful business isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s the only way that family care will keep doctors and patients healthy and happy.

However, one of the biggest challenges for a new Direct Care doctor will be the transition. Which is why we recommend that patients pre-enroll in your Direct Care clinic before you make the switch. Feel out which patients are going to join you, and for those who aren’t ready to follow your lead yet, no worries. With the proper planning and commitment, you can help all your current patients find primary care, and run a profitable business.

If you’re considering a transition into this affordable, powerful alternative to the hurried world of fee-for-service medicine, make sure to visit IWantDirectCare.com. There, you can create a Clinic Account to let potential Direct Care patients know where you plan to offer cash-only medicine.