Direct Pay - What Does It Mean to You as a Patient?Monica Kemppainen, Ph.D.
If one were to query any practitioner and/or patient if they are happy with our current healthcare system, the resounding response would be: “No!” Both practitioners and patients are searching for alternatives. Upon an extensive literature review, it was discovered that most researchers believe the following models show the most promise, rather than continuing with the traditional medical practice model:
Our research indicates the following practitioners and/or practices are the most viable for direct-care conversion:
Direct-care medicine got its start in Seattle in 1996 when former doctors for the Seattle Supersonics built a family practice that provided the same kind of highly personalized care they offered to athletes. Since 2003 there has existed a professional society of direct-care practitioners known as the Society for Innovative Medical Practice Design (SIMPD). As of mid 2008, this organization had about 200 members and by late 2008 was growing at the rate of 1 member/day. In 2009, SIMPD estimated there were over 5,000 practitioners nationwide, most of which were not SIMPD members. SIMPD offers many member benefits, including but not limited to, national care networks, discounts for direct practice practitioners on malpractice insurance, annual meetings, and many more. In late 2009, early 2010, SIMPD changed their name to the American Academy of Private Physicians (AAPP). Their website follows:http://www.aapp.org/ |
Monica Kemppainen, Ph.D.
Monica Kemppainen is an executive with a background in strategic planning, program planning, program evaluation, and Return On Investment (ROI) investigations. Her passion is to help executive teams make informed decisions. Monica specializes and has diversified experience in merger/acquisition integration, clinical information systems, major business change, interim management, project/program management, business case development, strategy/organization development, and customer relations management (CRM). Moreover, she is both a patient and/or a practitioner advocate. Contact Dr. Monica > The following is a breakdown of how many practitioners are considering direct-care medicine, by type and states:
Type
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According to the AAPP, there was significant growth in the industry in 2012--a 25% increase from 2011. Direct-care based practices are estimated to be growing by 50% annually. Most transitioned practices are family practice, primary care, and internal medicine practitioners based on the East and West coast. Currently, it is estimated that there are approximately 290,000 independent practices that need to be exposed to the benefits derived from the direct-care model.
In a 2012 survey of 13,575 practitioners across the nations, nearly 7% are considering moving to direct-care medicine in 1-3 years. Moreover, 6.8% of all practitioners are considering direct-care medicine.
How Much Does This Cost and Where Can I Find One?
Most direct-care practitioners are located on the East and West coast. As the American Medical Association (AMA) does not consider direct-care medicine to be a specialty, they do not track the number of practitioners. It is believed there are about 5,000 direct-care practitioners US-wide. Fortunately, the AAPP support these providers. If you would like to search for a practitioner using their website, it follows: http://privatephysicians.com.
In a 2012 survey of 13,575 practitioners across the nations, nearly 7% are considering moving to direct-care medicine in 1-3 years. Moreover, 6.8% of all practitioners are considering direct-care medicine.
How Much Does This Cost and Where Can I Find One?
Most direct-care practitioners are located on the East and West coast. As the American Medical Association (AMA) does not consider direct-care medicine to be a specialty, they do not track the number of practitioners. It is believed there are about 5,000 direct-care practitioners US-wide. Fortunately, the AAPP support these providers. If you would like to search for a practitioner using their website, it follows: http://privatephysicians.com.
Moreover, you can also use the Patient-Friendly-Payments website to locate more patient-friendly tools. Their website follows: http://patient-friendly-payments.com/. As with all listings, if you would like to add any practitioner that is “patient centric” to the Patient-Friendly-Payments website, please feel free to submit their contact information.
A query focused at obtaining the average fee charged for direct-care medicine follows:
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Equipped with the above-mentioned information you get to vote with your money and how you opt to spend it. Do you support the traditional medical model or do you support the direct-care medical model?
* Direct-Care plans are not insurance and does not replace any health insurance plan.
* Direct-Care plans are not insurance and does not replace any health insurance plan.