Posted by: Atlas MD

November 30, 2022

How Text Messaging Reduces Post-Discharge Readmissions

There’s no feature update today, just some fantastic information that shows how simple tech protocols can have an outsized influence on patient health outcomes.

A recent study looked at the effects of using an automated-text messaging program to support primary care patients after being discharged from the hospital (as opposed to phone calls). The findings concluded that the use of an automated text message-based program was associated with 41% lower odds of readmission and the use of acute care resources for up to 30 days after being discharged. 

The study used a total of 1885 patients representing 2617 discharges. The patients each received automated check-in text messages from their primary care practice following their discharge for 30 days. This wasn’t simply one-way communication; any issues the patients had following discharge were communicated back to practice staff, and their needs were escalated accordingly.

Since ordinary telephone outreach is costly in terms of time, capital, and human resources, the automated text-messaging program offers a low-cost and scalable method of checking in on patients while reducing the burden on practice staff.

This is music to our ears, as external communication is something that Atlas.md puts a massive focus on. Alongside mass emailing and video calls, scheduled text messages are one of the key communication tools Atlas.md provides to ensure your patients are happy, healthy, and healing at all stages of treatment.

What do you think about the use of automated text messaging and digital tools to augment healthcare protocols? Do you think this is something that could be connected to ICD-10 in the future? And which diagnoses do you think would benefit most from a greater frequency of scheduled messaging?

Posted by: Atlas MD

July 16, 2021

Direct Care and COVID-19

It’s no secret that the outbreak of COVID-19 caused massive disruption to healthcare systems around the world. Not only were hospitals overwhelmed, but with stay-at-home orders in place, many office-based doctors struggled to keep their doors open. Those same doctors scrambled to adapt their practices to the digital demands ushered in by the pandemic. Suddenly, telemedicine and virtual visits became the norm as a way of seeing patients and offsetting the sharp decline in office-based appointments.

Perfectly Poised for a Pandemic

For many, it was a disaster. But for direct primary care physicians, it was business as usual. Unlike most primary care practices in the fee-for-service arena, most DPC practices were already set up to provide virtual office visits through telephone and video consultations, and quick check-ups via text and email. Since patients pay for services through a monthly membership, there was no need for DPC doctors to worry about how to code and bill for these non-office visit services.

Not only was this ideal for keeping patients up-to-date with necessary health information, but it allowed DPC doctors to reassure their patients during an understandably difficult period. Having the infrastructure and protocols in place to communicate directly with patients was also a godsend for disseminating factual health information during a time when misinformation was being spread from all sides. As Paul Thomas from Plum Health DPC stated on LaternDPC’s blog post, “As primary care physicians, we are uniquely equipped with not only the knowledge to educate our patients about the coronavirus, but we also have the tools to spread excellent information at our fingertips.” 

Direct Care in a Post-Pandemic World

While office-based appointments have rebounded as vaccination rates increase and restrictions ease, many doctors have come to understand the pandemic-proof potential of direct care, which, in a lot of ways, is insulated from the economic uncertainty experienced by fee-for-service doctors throughout 2020. And while patient volume is on the increase in primary care, some believe that patients will continue to avoid non-essential in-office visits for some time.

Where does this position the direct care industry as the world learns how to live with the pandemic and progresses onward into 2021? In short – things are looking good. While hospitals in the U.S. could lose between $53 and $122 billion this year, DPC practices have actually reported a significant increase in patients and revenues. A good example of this is the Texan clinic, Vida Family Medicine. According to a report in the Houston Chronicle, patient inquires doubled even during the worst of the pandemic.

This is unsurprising for two reasons. The first being that many out-of-work Americans who no longer have employer-sponsored healthcare would be looking for more affordable healthcare solutions. And secondly, should another lockdown occur, patients will have readily available access to their doctor regardless of whether or not clinic doors are open.

Financial Stability

From a physician’s perspective, the financial stability offered by direct care should another lockdown occur is undeniably attractive. With lower overheads and fewer employees than a traditional physician, an uninterrupted stream of income in the form of monthly membership fees, and the ability to continue working regardless of stay-at-home orders, the number of doctors transitioning to direct care in the wake of the pandemic is steadily on the rise. Given the benefits to both patients and physicians, it’s unlikely that this trend is going to stagnate or reverse anytime soon.

Elephant In The Room — The Projected Primary Care Shortage

Projecting future physician workforce needs is a challenging calculation. You have to consider multiple variables to avoid missing the mark. In the mid-1990s, the American Medical Association confidently predicted that the penetration of managed care would lead to a large “physician surplus” and convinced Congress to cap the number of graduate medical education (GME) positions subsidized by the Medicare program. By the look of things today, that might not have been such a wise move.

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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

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.

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