Primary care clinic taking flat monthly fee instead of insurance opening in Anniston
As a soon-to-be direct primary care physician in
"I like people, I like relationships and I enjoy treating people of different generations," Morris said. "This is my dream ... getting to spend more time with patients and it still not affect my income in a negative way."
Morris' direct primary care clinic will open to patients Monday at
The clinic is part of the
Dr.
"We've become increasingly frustrated with the inefficiency of how medicine is practiced," Snead said of himself and his fellow physicians. "Direct primary care streamlines a lot of things and makes things much more efficient."
Direct primary care works by charging patients a relatively low monthly fee, similar to a cable or Internet bill. Morris' clinic plans to charge
Member patients get unlimited visits by appointment with Morris for primary care services like chronic disease management, treatment for flu, lab testing and common antibiotic shots. Morris can still make enough money since she won't have the costly overhead needed to handle insurance paperwork.
And since Morris won't need to fill out paperwork to get reimbursed from insurers for every treatment, she can spend that extra time on her patients. Also, direct primary care physicians typically see far fewer patients in a year than their counterparts. Morris said she plans to see 600 patients a year. A regular primary care doctor usually sees at least twice as many patients annually, she said.
Seeing fewer patients also means shorter to no wait times and more interaction with doctors, Snead said.
"Many people delay going to see a doctor because they'll have a copay or will have to wait for an appointment for several days," Snead said. "With direct, you have an increased availability from your doctor."
In a Friday email to The Star,
"A primary care arrangement is a choice that we appreciate, but we have concerns about the lack of visible consumer safeguards under these arrangements," Mackin wrote. "Consumers may be exposed to the possibility of facing significant costs if they don't have additional coverage for specialty treatments and pharmaceutical drugs that are usually not covered under a primary care arrangement."
Morris pointed out that direct primary care is not a replacement for health insurance. Morris said she and other direct primary care physicians recommend patients still have insurance just for catastrophic care. Morris said the cost difference between a standard policy and high-deductible policy is commonly greater than a monthly direct primary care fee.
"This is for folks with all means," Morris said of direct primary care. "It works well with poor people and with rich people."
The direct primary care model has slowly grown in popularity around the country in recent years as some states have passed legislation to protect and regulate the practice.
Dr.
Bender said marketplace trends are driving the growth, including high uninsured rates and rising insurance plan deductibles. Bender said a subscription-fee model for primary care makes more sense than using insurance.
"Primary care is kind of like groceries since everyone needs it eventually in life," Bender said. "We usually insure things that are improbable to happen."
Dr.
"So, if you think about scarcity, that could make things worse for the general population," Curry said of direct primary care expansion.
Bender said that insurance bureaucracy and costly overhead pushes many physicians away from primary care to more lucrative practices.
"Many physicians just get burned out," Bender said.
The direct model would instead help attract more physicians to primary care, helping to reduce the shortage.
Dr.
"It lets me be a physician," Williamson said of direct primary care. "I didn't go to medical school to fill out paperwork."
Williamson said the main thing his patients like about his practice is the convenience.
"My patients get an hour per visit ... they don't feel rushed," Williamson said.
Staff writer
___
(c)2018 The Anniston Star (Anniston, Ala.)
Visit The Anniston Star (Anniston, Ala.) at www.annistonstar.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Global Buildings Insurance Market to Achieve a High CAGR Based on Market Research Analysis, Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast 2018-2023
+25% CAGR to Be Achieved by Online Life Insurance Market Based on Market Research Analysis, Opportunity and Industry Forecast 2018-2023
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News