Josh Umbehr, a prior contributor to KevinMD.com, will soon complete his family practice residency, and is busy prepping his concierge practice once he finishes. A piece from The Wichita Eagle publicizes the upcoming practice:
via www.kevinmd.com
Is this the trend of the future?
It used to bother me greatly when docs went to cash-only or 'insurance free' practices but I've had a change of heart over time.
I see years of negotiations with payers, data demonstrating high quality and low cost associated with fully funded primary care. I see wave after wave of brave PCPs transforming their practices based on serving their patients better.
What I don't see is the willingness of payers to pay more than lip support or provide fractional funding of the full scope of effective primary care.
As much as it pains me I have to acknowledge that some of the public are willing and able to pay and that this can possibly open the door to more practices demonstrating exemplary primary care.
This is a game changing move. These practices break the stalemate of the current system and in so doing deserve support. But we also need to expand the pool of eligible people beyond just those with the personal finances. Let's make it possible for the average working person to receive exemplary care.
All that is going to take is a self funded employer willing to cut their own total health care costs by shifting some of their payment to practices like this.
These practices can form the core of networks that are then attractive to self funded employers desperate to purchase high quality low cost care.
It is possible. Let those with common interest work together: the public is better served in practices like this, employers do better with lower overall costs and a more productive work force, and we will feed the renaissance of primary care.
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