09/05/2024
At my office in North Myrtle Beach, we have openings for our Direct Patient Care program. The cost is $89 a month and the benefits are rediculously good. Call Ms Ela at the office at 843-222-5395 or text her to join. Below is the info on the program.
Peace of Mind Medical Care
A Direct Patient Care Outpatient Medical Office
Would it be great to know that you have access to your doctor the same day if you are sick, and can be seen the same or next business day for an appointment? No copays, no interference by insurance companies to see your primary care doctor, and a set monthly fee — with no surprises? In addition, even if you have insurance, the yearly cost is less than most deductibles? This is Direct Patient Care (DPC).
The current system is not working for patients or doctors. Patients have long waits to see a doctor, if they even get to see a doctor. Their visit is cut short due to time constraints placed by insurance companies and corporate demands. Patients have reams of paperwork, have to speak to multiple people to get anything accomplished. There is frustration from constantly leaving unanswered messages to overwhelmed offices. The goal of DPC is to provide patients with high-quality, patient centered healthcare and peace of mind that the care is readily available with their provider. This peace of mind is delivered in a system facing severe Primary Care Physician shortages which by all accounts, is only going to get worse.
Doctors and their support staff spend two to five times on paperwork and insurance demands then they spend with their patients. Medical practices have to carry huge amounts of staff to deal with these payer (insurance) requirements. A staff member to check you in. A second to take your vitals and ask questions. A third to get approval for anything. A fourth to handle prescriptions. Another for submitting claims; the list goes on. Removing these artificially imposed requirements allows the physician and office staff to focus on the needs of the patient and improving their health outcomes rather than asking permission for everything, coding, and billing.
Patients also get greatly improved access and benefits. The membership fee covers the cost of many primary care services furnished in the DPC practice. This effectively removes any additional financial barriers the patient may encounter in accessing routine care primary care, including preventative, wellness, and chronic care services. Most patients, depending on affordability, still carry insurance for coverage of healthcare services that cannot be provided in the primary care practice setting, such as specialty care and hospitalizations.
What is Direct Patient Care?
DPC providers charge their patients a recurring membership fee to be part of their practice. In exchange for that fee, patients receive access to a pre-defined set of primary care services, which typically includes better access to the provider through same or next business day appointments, remote access including text and cell phone access, longer and more in depth visits, and limited home visits, if necessary. These providers may also offer access to decreased cost laboratory, and may have low cost medications or access to medication discount programs. Direct Care providers deliver improved services, with no or greatly decreased additional cost and no copay. Most yearly contract costs for DPC services are less than most insurance deductibles.
Direct Care providers operate completely outside of the traditional fee-for-service based insurance or third-party payer system, meaning that they do not accept insurance nor attempt to get reimbursed for the services they provide. This does not mean that providers don’t charge for certain services, as mentioned above. It just means that these payments are made outside of the fee-for-service (FFS) insurance system. If you have insurance, you may use these benefits for other services outside of the practice. Examples are for medications, labs, test, specialist care and other covered services. These outside service providers will arrange for prior authorization and reimbursement.
