Posted by: AtlasMD

April 19, 2013

Technology Will Drive Concierge Medicine

Angela Dunn cited Dr. Josh and AtlasMD’s affordability in yesterday’s post on HL7 (Health) Standards’ blog. It’s the first in a two-part piece called “Technology Driving New Models for Concierge Medicine and Direct Primary Care.”

Check out her summary of concierge medicine’s key benefits. It’s an effective case for doctors who want to practice grassroots primary care. She sums up the movement saying that it aims to “minimize the need for insurance, except for emergency and catastrophic care, and… eliminate or minimize the high administrative costs for a practice.”

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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

Posted by: Josh Umbehr, M.D.

April 9, 2013

Simplify Healthcare With Two Simple Actions

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law in March of 2010. Fortunately, Section 1301(a)(3) allows direct primary care medical homes to operate in the state-based insurance exchanges beginning in 2014. Now more Americans will be able to elect direct primary care!

What Can I Do To Support This Type of Care?

If you are a provider or a concerned citizen you can join the Direct Primary Care Coalition. Signing up is as easy as providing an email address. Then you can stay on top of everything important happening in Congress that pertains to direct primary care.

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Posted by: Josh Umbehr, M.D.

April 9, 2013

A Word on Bipartisanship

Your mother may have told you something like, Never talk about politics or religion at the dinner table. I know mine did and she was assuredly right. These topics are notoriously divisive.

AtlasMD is proud to be an industry leader in the thriving concierge medicine industry. We offer benefits such as more one-on-one time with patients and 24/7 house calls, all for the less than the cost of a cup of coffee per day. It’s easy to see why our business model has garnered support.

However, as Obamacare approaches, a wholesome conversation at the dinner table can quickly escalate into a political debate. Politics are part of life, of course, but I encourage my patients to remember what’s most important — our health and longevity.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

April 9, 2013

Look out! Josh Umbehr Is A “Top Doc” According To Concierge Medicine Today

Concierge Medicine Today (CMT) looks for physicians every year who have done great work in the industry and of course they found Dr. Josh!

Doctors can earn a “Top Doc” nod from a bunch of factors like improving patients’ lives directly, helping out in their community or State, using social media in exciting new ways, or doing anything genuinely impressive.

Fourteen doctors were selected in total this year from all across the continental U.S. According to CMT’s press release there were a ton of exceptional doctors to choose from. This comes in part because there are extraordinary practices opening up in markets like Kansas, Montana, Utah, Vermont and even Bismarck, North Dakota. And considering how rapidly the industry is growing, the recognition comes with even more prestige now.

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