Dr. Tommy

Concierge Medicine Tampa Bay


5 Primary Care Myths Exploded By Direct Care

5. There is a shortage of primary care doctors, that's why the long wait for an appointment.
The long wait is a function of the patient volume through the office. Some primary care doctors see more than 40 patients per day if you can believe that. Some 'only' see 25-30 per day. Direct care/concierge medicine docs have lower overhead costs and lower volume practices; hence the absence of waits.
4. Billing for Medical Care is Extremely Complicated and Requires a Billing Department. Therefore Primary Care Doctors Should Be Employees of Large Corporate Practices.
Billing through insurance is incredibly complex. I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing ICD-10 since I started my practice before it came. That being said I remember CPT codes, ICD-9 codes, PQRS, and other meaningless numbers and widgets that are prominent in the insurance world. In Direct Care, it's 'cash, check, or charge.' Or sometimes, silver.
3. Family Doctors (and Internists) Are Going to Be Replaced by PAs and ARNPs.
In Direct Care, there is still a role for the MD or DO. They may even work alongside a PA or ARNP. There isn't the cost crunch in cash based medicine that exists in insurance medicine. In the insurance world, primary care doctors may be the first cost cut by administrators due to the ever escalating expense of the medical industrial complex, but in direct care they thrive.
2. Primary Care Doctors Get Paid the Least
While most direct care/concierge medicine doctors
didn't choose their style of practice so that they could make more money, it is true that operating outside of insurance generally results in higher pay for the doctor (and if the doctor is smart, for the staff too!).
1. Primary Care Doctors Are Getting Burned Out
While is it true that primary care doctors are quitting everyday because of the ever increasing headaches of practicing insurance medicine, many are choosing direct care and becoming revitalized. Some, like myself, finished training and embarked on a direct care path straight away. But burnout is not a given. To quote Dr. Jane Orient of the the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, 'Doctors, before you quit medicine, quit insurance. '