Posted by: AtlasMD

May 6, 2015

Academic DPC: Where Direct Primary Care and Academics Meet.

As physicians and healthcare providers around the country continue to see success with their Direct Primary Care endeavors, they’re spreading the word. Sometimes it’s through social media. Other times it’s through speaking engagements. And yet other times, as is the case with Dr. James Breen, it’s digging deeper into areas previously untapped by DPC. His new blog explores something called Academic DPC:

Academic DPC is the brainchild of Dr. James Breen, an academic family physician with a clinical background in both rural and urban Federally-Qualified Health Center (FQHC), multi-specialty and academic practices.  This site is an attempt to address the ‘blind spot’ that DPC currently holds in the world of academic medicine, offering a host of information, links and resources to help academic physicians and trainees grow in their knowledge of Direct Primary Care.

Thus, the mission of Academic DPC is twofold:

1. To foster awareness of Direct Primary Care in medical education and to support DPC curricular development among academic physicians and learners; and

2. To assemble a community of academic and community physicians and other educators, as well as residents and medical students, who share a common interest in Direct Primary Care.

So let’s cheer Dr. Breen on as he continues to enlighten people in academia about the immense benefits of Direct care!

Posted by: AtlasMD

April 15, 2014

It’s The Chicken Or The Egg Again. Will Direct Care Expand Proportionately To Demand For Preventative Care?

The president’s signature legislation aims to provide every American with affordable health insurance options, but there’s been an increase in doctors becoming direct pay or cash-only practices recently.

“There’s no doubt that one of the driving forces behind direct-pay practices is frustration and anger with health care among physicians,” says Michael Smith, medical director and chief medical editor at WebMD. “More and more doctors feel they are ready to quit the system and start practicing off the grid.”

But what about patient demand for preventative care? Something that fee-for-service medicine DOES NOT ENCOURAGE — and that Direct Care thrives on.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

December 16, 2013

The Doctor Will See You All Now

We thought Time was kidding when they wrote about something called “shared medical appointments, or group visits.” But no, evidently this group therapy approach to medical care is gaining popularity. Could it be a more satisfying way to see your doctor? It’s too early to tell, but either way, we’re excited here at Atlas MD. Security issues aside, we’re behind any movement that puts the patients in the driver seat. As is the case here when we Tweet with clients, the patients have to provide authorization and be comfortable talking about themselves in front of other people.

You might be thinking, this is ludicrous. But when it comes to diabetics, it makes perfect sense. Taking care of that condition is a full-time job, and as much as family, friends, and even docs, can empathize, there’s no replacement for people who’ve gone through the same ordeal you have.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

November 23, 2013

More Dutch Inspiration – Needless ER Visits Waste Money

You know our style. We’re opinionated folks here. We speak liberally about the red tape that bloats healthcare costs—absurd ER charges for one. You’ve heard our spiel: We insist that affordable primary care like what we offer at Atlas MD can keep people out of the ER, and save everyone (patients’ wallets, insurance companies’ payouts, frazzled doctors’ sanity, even our nation’s budget) considerably.

Speaking of costly ER charges, NPR just wrote another piece about the topic. It’s also Dutch-related, and definitely worth checking out.

NPR writes, “In the United States, the growing number of uninsured Americans means more people do not have a family doctor or primary care provider. When they suffer a worrisome accident or problem, they may end up in the nearest hospital emergency room.”

And this is where we as a nation are just pouring money down the drain.

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

October 23, 2013

A Burnt-Out Doctor Decides To Quit

A Burnt-Out Doctor Decides To Quit

Diane W. Shannon, M.D., MPH, is now solely a freelance writer. That’s because primary care burned her out of practicing medicine entirely. She’s not burnt out on the industry, though, instead focusing on what she calls “performance improvement in health care.”

Dr. Shannon is exactly the doctor we refer to when critics mention that direct care might exacerbate a doctor shortage. To reiterate, every doctor in America doesn’t get to cut the red tape and instantaneously practice insurance-free medicine. No, direct care is about doctors cooperating collectively and acting independently to circumvent the administrative forces that swallow doc’s time, stress them out, and prohibit them from forming strong relationships with patients.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

August 7, 2013

Our Best Med Schools Are Producing The Fewest Primary Care Physicians

Our Best Med Schools Are Producing The Fewest Primary Care Physicians

The list is out. Medical Economics compiled the 20 schools producing the fewest primary care physicians. Yes, this is a worst-of list. And yes, we’re still optimists. But we’re also realistic. These “poor-producing” schools are actually some of the best in the nation. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Duke University, Yale-New Haven Hospital stand out on an uber-prestigious list. It looks like our finest institutions are preparing our brightest young minds to do anything but good old-fashioned family medicine. And that is a bit disappointing.

Check out the complete list of schools on Medical Economics website.

Posted by: AtlasMD

July 9, 2013

LINKS: Oh No, Everyone’s Worried About Doctor Shortages

First we came across an article in The Atlantic that discussed how doctor shortage could be the result of burnout caused by a lack of training in how to “deal with work pressures.” It was a stretch in our opinion, but we’re keeping an open mind. Unfortunately, we were not mentioned in the article as a force KEEPING doctors from retiring or getting out of practicing medicine altogether. Included within the article were some helpful links to leading publishers writing about doctor shortages. Thanks to the author Maureen Miller for directing us to this premium content.

Sunday Dialogue: Will Training More Doctors Improve Health Care? | The New York Times
One med student is one hundred percent behind insuring more Americans. Still, he asks, what’s the point if you can’t find a doctor. READ MORE

“How some states are addressing doctor shortages” | Yahoo News
An informative article comprised of blurbs about projected doctor requirements, current funding for programs, and other relevant info. It spans more than ten states including California, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio, The Dakotas and more. READ MORE

Posted by: AtlasMD

July 9, 2013

Physicians Explore Their Decision To Practice Concierge Medicine

Back in May, Forbes reported that there were now approximately 4,400 physicians who were practicing concierge-style medicine. They define the term as “a form of primary care characterized by a retainer-style fee in return for enhanced access to physician care.” In an MD News article, Jennifer Webster questions what makes physicians decide to become concierge doctors, pondering if the trade-offs are worth it — for instance, things like handing out one’s personal cell phone number.

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