Brian Pierce

@MaineMonitor @the-maine-monitor-MaineMonitor

Thanks for sharing this here!

#directprimarycare #maine #primarycare #healthcare

New England Direct Primary Care Alliance had our fall meeting this weekend in South Portland with current and interested DPC docs from #maine #massachusetts and #newhampshire

Our new direct dermatologist presented as well as discussions of progress on converting to nonprofit status, using #AI for charting, collaboration with regional information systems and Maine Medical Association.
#primarycare
#directprimarycare
#familymedicine
#internalmedicine #healthcarereform

@dan @eighthourlunch @ProPublica
I'm in #primarycare and gave up taking insurance after years of trying to keep an independent practice solvent.

Prepaying via #healthinsurance makes routine care more expensive and incredibly complicated.

#directprimarycare

@m3t00 @ProPublica
Our #directprimarycare practice spends a lot of time helping patients with this.
It's hard in #Rural #maine where several hospital networks have regional monopolies but there are some independent facilities and physician groups that offer discounts for direct pay, often significant compared to out of pocket costs for insured patients or far less, of course, than the chargemaster prices uninsured patients otherwise face.
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@Jlevinscherz
#primarycare apparentlyu doesn't have much #economiesofscale at that size.
Thousands of small #directprimarycare practices are thriving and growing though so there are better ways.
#familymedicine is complex but its business model can be simpler.

@ashleyspencer

Like many things in medicine, #healthinsurance makes it more expensive, not less.

We can dispense generic for members of our #directprimarycare #familymedicine practice for about $14 and up for 30 tabs but Mark Cuban's #costplus pharmacy has it for even less (no relationship with them):

https://costplusdrugs.com/medications/atomoxetinehcl-25mg-capsule/

@Dominic_Tyer

#onemedical #amazon to follow soon.
#primarycare is hard and doesn't seem to have much economies of scale
Independent #directprimarycare practices continue to multiply and grow though.
#familymedicine

@deonandan
I believe #directprimarycare is illegal in most provinces in #canada too.

Working well over the border here in #maine

#MedMastodon #familymedicine #primarycare #healthreform

@rvaughnmd

I'm not quite as cynical about why we're 'plunging forward". Writing notes after, or worse, during a visit takes up valuable #physician time that could be used for more direct patient care, reading up on topics, or going home a little earlier and seeing your family,

All this is true even in a fairly benign work environment like independent #directprimarycare.