February 17, 2009

2-17-09

Average day at the office. Saw 11 patients. On the business side, one uninsured patient signed up for my Zero copay wellness plan, with a monthly payment of $45. She felt it was cheap for what she was getting and allowed her to budget her money accordingly. If she paid full price for the same service , it would cost her more than double, and she would probably refrain from the service. The Wellness Plan includes a full one hour physical exam, EKG, spirometry, review of labs, and review of full personal and family medical history, while creating a game plan for health, wellness and prevention. All done without any third party intervention and at a cost most can afford, if they choose.

Part of what I like about my new system is that the time constraints have been removed. Case in point where this is helpful: I have an unfortunate patient just diagnosed a few days ago with Liver Cancer with probable mets to the lung. When he called yesterday to schedule to review his recent hospital stay, my medical assistant was able to schedule him for 40 minutes. His son, also a patient in the practice, came along for the visit. I had plenty of time in my schedule to review the hospital chart with the patient and help to coordinate his future care. This would have been very difficult a few years ago, when anything over 15 minutes per patient would have caused a hardship.

One of the joys I have in Family Practice is the building of trust and relationships with patients and their families. When a patient refers their family member, it is one of the nicest compliments I can get. Unfortunately, in the case I mentioned earlier, this can also be one of the sorrows of family practice. Seeing how bad medical news affects other patients, especially family members, can be very trying.

DoctorSH