May 26, 2014
The federal government has granted itself potent new authority to expel physicians from Medicare if they are found to prescribe drugs in abusive ways, following through on a proposal issued earlier this year.
Excellent news! Now fee-for-service doctors can exist like Heller-esque protgaonists, trapped by the possibility of losing funding for over-prescribing, or losing funding by under-prescribing.
April 2, 2014
Yes, it’s true. More and more primary-care and family physicians are launching concierge practices for middle- and lower-income patients. It’s not an April Fools jokes. We literally saw 5 more docs enter the field just this week!
And yes, we’re limited in scope now. But we are radically reshaping how American families get their medicine.
March 24, 2014
President Barack Obama promised affordable health insurance under his new law, and yes, Americans with serious illnesses are finding plans with relatively low monthly premiums. In a lot of cases, they’re getting first-time access to health insurance. But these cheap plans come with a staggering cost.
February 21, 2014
Wired reports on a disruptive technology entering the healthcare market. PillPack, a startup pharmacy, hopes to overthrow the archaic process of picking up prescriptions. They’re charging $20 a month to enroll. PillPack will then deliver “drugs” directly to your doorstep. With the help of robots, all of your meds are organized into “dose packets,” which are small, well-designed plastic baggies. They’re even marked with the date and time they’re supposed to be taken.
November 5, 2013
You can stream the next session of our Atlas MD podcast on iTunes. First off, congratulations to new members of the direct primary care community. Anne Riggs in Pratt City has opened her own direct primary care clinic. And Dr. Laurie in New Hampshire will be converting to a cash-only model come the first of the year.
We’ve been on what we’ve jokingly referred to as a “World Tour” and this Saturday we’ll be speaking at The Physicians’ Summit in Dallas. If it’s like any of our recent engagements, we’ll expect a “mob” of doctors and industry folks to bombard us with questions about our direct care model. But seriously, we’re equally amazed and blessed to have our take on healthcare reform met with such interest and enthusiasm. Thank you!
October 4, 2013
We recently received a query about the practicality of prescribing and filling prescriptions for your own direct care patients. Here’s why we do it, and why we encourage other doctors to as well.
46 states allow this type of operation.
Scratch the “Oh, it’s only allowed in Kansas” off your list of reasons not to give patients affordable meds. Currently, 92% of state governments are fine with doctors who prescribe the meds being the ones who provide them. (question, which states don’t allow it? We should add it if possible.)