From the frontlines of medicine:
“Direct primary care,” which is the industry term for [Dr. Ryan] Neuhofel’s business model, does away with the bureaucratic hassle of insurance, which translates into much lower prices. “What people don’t realize is that most doctors employ an army of people for coding, billing, and gathering payment,” says Neuhofel. “That means you have to charge $200 to remove an ingrown toenail.” Neuhofel charges $50.
He consults with his patients over email and Skype in exchange for a monthly membership fee of $20-30. “I realized people would come in for visits with the simplest questions and I’d wonder, why can’t they just email me?” says Neuhofel. Traditional doctors have no way to get paid when they consult with patients over the phone or by email because insurance companies only pay for office visits.
Why did he choose this course? Neuhofel’s answer: “I didn’t want to waste my career being frustrated.”
This model is growing in popularity.
In other words, Dr Neuhofel is practicing old-fashioned medicine with modern technology. He’s skipping an awful lot of middle men, particularly the ones sent “to help” from Washington.
It gives you the feeling the the future of medicine is going to look an awful lot like the past. There will be low prices and personal service from ObamaCare-free doctors like Neuhofel. And there will be hard-to-see witch doctors under the thumb of the big chief.
Nice to know we’ll have a choice — until the big chief shuts down Neuhofel & Co.
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