Physician Consulting Inc, a Colorado-based consulting company, is helping primary care physicians across the country develop thriving prevention-focused practices through incorporation of safe, effective, and scientifically-sound non-pharmaceutical therapies.
Data from Holistic Primary Care’s first annual survey of primary care physicians reveal that some very positive changes are going on in the trenches of clinical practice these days. A lot more physicians are turning toward holistic approaches, with nutrition taking a much more prominent place in day-to-day practice. It seems that the “integration” we’ve been hearing so much about is really happening!
Two years ago, Dr. William Lee was like many family physicians, stuck in a treadmill of a group practice that forced him to see 20-30 patients per day just to keep from going under. Then he discovered concierge-based practice. Dr. Lee describes his transition to a model that enabled him to fall in love with medicine again.
The “concierge” or membership approach to primary care is growing at a brisk pace, and appears to be fairly recession-proof. Moreover, it can significantly improve clinical outcomes for patients, even those of fairly modest means.
Primary care reimbursement is not likely to rise any time soon. If anything, doctors will continue to face downward economic pressure. If you want to survive, you need to learn how to cut practice overhead without compromising patient care. Dr. Brian Forrest, a major advocate for low-overhead practice, offers tips for cutting practice costs, saving money & improving your bottom line.
Mr. Gerry Sikorski and his team of 85 health care attorneys at Holland & Knight, a DC-based law firm, have plumbed the depths of the new health care reform bill. They’re uniquely qualified to advise doctors on what to expect. Their bottom line? While the reform plan considers primary care and preventive medicine as essential, it isn’t putting much money on the table for primary care doctors, and it isn’t going to make it any easier for solo & small group practices to survive.
Practice models in which patients pay directly for physician services without insurance company involvement offer financial advantages to physicians. But do they foster better health care? Yes, says Dr. Brian Forrest, and he’s got numbers to prove it.
Our second annual Heal Thy Practice conference in Charlotte, NC, featured some of the nation’s pioneers of new models for prevention-focused primary care. Learn how you can transform your practice so it supports your deepest values and delivers optimal health care for your patients.
Just as lifestyle change can be hard for patients because it requires them to embrace new ways of doing things, nutrition and lifestyle-based medicine can be challenging for many doctors because it requires new skill sets, new routines, and a willingness to change. But don’t let that stop you! The need for lifestyle-based medicine has never been greater and neither have the opportunities who can provide patients with healthy ways to lose weight and improve wellbeing.
The American Medical Association has published a number of recommendations and guidance documents for establishment of physician fees charged directly to patients, and for direct-to-consumer advertising. Here are some key excerpts from these recommendations.
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