Living out a failing health care system during a pandemic is the latest installment in America’s primary care crisis, and the light at the end of the tunnel comes in the form of patients finally putting their foot down and realizing that they deserve so much better.
We have all seen this coming: America’s traditional, fee-for-service system is now bursting at the seams, faltering at the weight of the public’s demand for quality patient care.
The core of the problem has always been that those who know nothing about what it takes to care for patients – medical third parties such as insurance companies and corporate hospitals – are the ones who are calling the shots.
These medical third parties have created a mess out of the fee-for-service system, and this has ultimately led to overbooked, burnt-out physicians, exorbitantly expensive medical bills; and the well-being of patients being compromised.
There is a 50% higher hospitalization rate for ambulatory conditions like hypertension or diabetes in America – these are sensitive, chronic conditions that can successfully be managed with efficient primary care.
Even with the average American citizen paying a minimum of $1,122 each year for out-of-pocket health expenses (such as co-payments, insurance deductibles, and prescription medicine), our nation continues to experience the worst health outcomes compared to other countries.
Premature deaths from these ambulatory conditions are alarmingly high in the United States, ringing in over 112 deaths for every 100,000 patients.
This is why the presence of membership-based models such as Direct Primary Care could not have come at a better time.
Direct Primary Care’s seamless, proficient methods lead many medical professionals to believe that it could be the saving grace of health care in America. Moreover, it takes a 180-degree approach from the traditional, fee-for-service approach the country has grown accustomed to.
Customers are billed as per their Direct Primary Care subscription fee instead of charging them for every service they use. Another stark difference between Direct Primary Care and the traditional, insurance-based model is that the former takes problematic third parties out of the equation.
These factors alone do wonders to improve the quality of primary care in America.
Think 24/7 access to your primary care physician, emergency home visits, meaningful, deliberate clinic visits, and so much more – Direct Primary Care benefits in all respects, a blunt response to the systemic pain points of the traditional, insurance-based model.
Without a parade of administrative staff, Direct Primary Care has successfully managed to keep health care expenses at an all-time low.
Direct Primary Care bridges the gap between doctors and their patients and restores the relationship needed to keep patients healthy and satisfied.
Given that Direct Primary Care’s major thrust is to make primary care more accessible, you best believe it has found a way to make seeing your doctor more affordable for patients.
Direct Primary Care removes the financial stigma attached to keeping in touch with your primary care physician, showing patients that your doctor’s appointments should not leave you financially paralyzed and in debt.
For as low as $30 to $70 per month (as much as a couple of dinners out only), Direct Primary Care patients are entitled to discounted out-patient services, medication at wholesale cost, 24/7 access to their primary care physician’s personal line, and most importantly, above and beyond patient care.
It has reformed the way primary care physicians attend to their patients. For one, Direct Primary Care lets patients reach their physician whenever they need – a refreshing alternative to the traditional, insurance-based model where there is no such thing as urgent.
It’s as if you have a doctor in the family. They are available and within reach for emergencies, home visits, and any medical advice you may need. Patients like Mick Lowderman, find great assurance in Direct Primary Care for this specific reason.
It’s awesome that I can call or text my DPC physician, when my children are sick and that I have a solution before they leave for school. Says - Mick Lowderman, 56, who is married and has two children.
Membership-based models, such as Direct Primary Care, are spearheading new, innovative methods of extending patient care in the form of telemedicine. Gone are the days when seeing your doctor meant having to queue for 30 to 45 minutes only to spend time with your doctor for 10 to 15 minutes tops.
With Direct Primary Care, an empty clinic is a good sign. Direct Primary Care physicians can check in with their patients online or via mobile. Clinic visits are reserved for diagnostic screenings and more serious situations which require hands-on medical attention.
Other than reduced clinic visits, Direct Primary Care offers something much more important to patients: early disease diagnosis and comprehensive health management.
Significant studies show that consistent, efficient access to primary care lowers the chances of ER trips, hospitalization rates, premature deaths, and debilitating illnesses. You can nip potential illnesses in the bud and save on expensive hospitalization costs and ER trips by simply building that relationship with your primary care physician – go figure.
So is Direct Primary Care the future of health care, you ask? Well, it keeps patients satisfied and allows doctors to uphold the oath they swore when they took on their noble profession: to care for patients and keep them in the pink of health.
Those reasons alone are enough for Direct Primary Care to get our vote of confidence. Do you think you would benefit from a DPC doctor? We have the most extensive collection of DPC doctors in the US. Find your nearest DPC doctor in your area today.
