Treasure Valley Family Medicine

09/17/2023

H.R. 5378, The Lower Costs, More Transparency Act - Please tell Congress to vote YES!

Why? https://energycommerce.house.gov/posts/how-the-lower-costs-more-transparency-act-helps-patients

Of course the hospitals hate it. https://www.aha.org/lettercomment/2023-09-14-aha-comments-house-proposed-lower-costs-more-transparency-act

AHA comments regarding H.R. 5378, Lower Costs, More Transparency Act, provisions.

06/28/2023

https://idahocapitalsun.com/2023/06/28/what-happened-to-the-idaho-health-data-exchange-and-can-other-states-learn-from-it/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=d5620495-330a-4d13-9fa4-47d6242fb0e3

Care providers can pull up records from the Idaho Health Data Exchange to help fill gaps in a person’s recollection of their medical history.

12/08/2022

How many umpteen studies are required for publication that prove statins save lives, prevent strokes, and avoid heart attacks, before the general public quits refusing to take them???
Here is the latest one. https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/07/health/statin-stroke-study/index.html
I wish folks would read THIS instead of coming into the clinic claiming, "I read they were bad".

Doctors know that drugs called statins lower a person's risk of a stroke due to a blood clot. But a new study shows that the inexpensive medications can also decrease the risk of a first stroke as a result of an intracerebral hemorrhage, the deadliest kind.

09/12/2022

Be on guard! We are seeing a new scam from companies looking to exploit federal loopholes and stick you with giant pharmacy bills.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/09/09/insurance-copay-specialty-medications-cancer/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJpZCI6IjQ5OTM2OTYiLCJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNjYyODUyMTYzLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNjY0MDYxNzYzLCJpYXQiOjE2NjI4NTIxNjMsImp0aSI6ImYyMjI5ZWU4LWM5YjAtNDNlYy04NWJhLWQyZGYyZTVmOGMyZCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9vdXRsb29rLzIwMjIvMDkvMDkvaW5zdXJhbmNlLWNvcGF5LXNwZWNpYWx0eS1tZWRpY2F0aW9ucy1jYW5jZXIvIn0.pLpLsNtfsqqWIzJomIn1wvTNAtcIiF3UxvVxt4Tpi9o

If you are called by a company claiming to be "your specialty pharmacy’s specialty pharmacy", "co-pay accumulator", or "co-pay maximizer", hang up immediately.

In another example of how middlemen "pharmacy benefit managers" are working against your interests, they are now subcontracting out to companies that blow up your deductibles and max out of pocket expenses beyond your signed insurance policy agreements.

"In what’s become a standard industry practice, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) contract with secretive third-party adjusters commonly called co-pay accumulators and maximizer programs to process “specialty medication” prescriptions, including biomarker-targeted therapies for lung cancer and other chronic and deadly diseases. Once a plan engages a co-pay accumulator or maximizer, these entities reclassify these medications (some of the priciest on the market) as “nonessential.” This allows plans to exploit a loophole in the Affordable Care Act: Coverage can be denied for therapies that a plan labels “nonessential,” and a plan can reset the member’s pharmaceutical benefit deductible and out-of-pocket maximum to ANY AMOUNT of their choosing."

Even plans that are supposed to save patients money can end up costing them dearly.

09/12/2022

Want to learn more about signing up for or basic info on the topic? Check out our new web page w multiple video.

Everything you need to know about signing up for Medicare for the 2018 sign up period which is now open: (15 Oct – 7 Dec 17): Call us at 208-895-0050

08/19/2022

07/04/2022

In 2003, I was privileged to serve with the 332 Air Expeditionary Wing, Detach 1 at Balad AB, Iraq. Today, many other Americans are serving YOU overseas in defense of our country. Regardless of the chaos and political disagreements, please pray for all of our uniformed service members giving up their freedoms to protect and defend on our Independence Day.

06/28/2022

Another example of why independent doctors are preferred over hospital owned physicians: even a retired physician like Danilo Manimtim can get scammed. He was charged 20x as much as his wife for the same procedure, simply because he was duped into having his surgery at the hospital vs. an outpatient surgery center NOT owned by a hospital, like his wife attended.

IDID - Independent Doctors of Idaho

Whether a simple operation is performed under the auspices of a hospital or at an independent surgery center can make a huge difference in cost.

06/08/2022

Launches Inquiry Into Prescription Drug Middlemen Industry - It is about time! Why can our patients get cheaper prices w cash coupons compared to their insurance benefit pricing? Pharmacy benefit managers who negotiate steep discounts from pharmacies, then hold back significant savings for their own deep pockets, and fail to pass along the savings to our patients are responsible.

We hate playing the game of finding which pharmacy has the cheapest cash price for each prescription, because their insurance company price is exorbitant relative to direct cash discount pricing. Blame the PBMs who fail to pass along the volume discount savings to you.

The Federal Trade Commission announced today that it will launch an inquiry into the prescription drug middleman industry, requiring the six largest

05/24/2022

Love this post from a former military colleague on the value of primary care.

There is an antiquated mindset that primary care physicians are “general practitioners” who know just enough to diagnose and treat the basic stuff. That couldn't be further from the truth.

04/22/2022

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day offers an easy and anonymous way to dispose of unused and expired medications. This can help reduce theft and misuse of drugs. Collection sites are open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Treasure Valley sites include:

Expo Idaho/Western Idaho Fairgrounds, 5610 N. Glenwood St., Garden City
Blue Cross of Idaho, 3000 E. Pine Ave., Meridian
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1985 N. Black Cat Road, Meridian
Caldwell Police Department, 110 S. Fifth Ave., Caldwell
Emmett Police Department, 501 E. Main St., Emmett
Elmore County Sheriff’s Office/Mountain Home Police Department, 2775 E. 8th N., Mountain Home

Visit www.dea.gov/takebackday to find your nearest collection site. New sites may be added leading up to April 30.

*** ALSO, there are collection sites that accept unused and expired medications year-round, including pharmacies and law enforcement agencies. Visit https://odp.idaho.gov/ to find those locations.

Welcome to the Idaho Office of Drug Policy The Idaho Office of Drug Policy leads Idaho’s substance use and misuse policy and prevention efforts by developing and implementing strategic action […]