Dear Patients,
Thank you for allowing me to be your family physician — some of you for over 15 years! I have valued our relationship a great deal. In recent years, I have become increasingly concerned about the way insurance paperwork, corporate bureaucracy and antiquated health system operations have taken away time and energy that I could have devoted to caring for patients. The current healthcare delivery system needs a complete overhaul due to the inherent lack of transparency, often inconvenient accessibility and a sub-optimal patient experience.
To better serve you, I have chosen a new way to provide your care.
The Next Level of physician care I am planning to roll out is based on a direct primary care model. This model emphasizes the patient-doctor relationship (bottom-up) instead of the current top-down approach dictated by the insurance companies, hospitals and governmental red tape.
A next level model reduces the administrative work, freeing me to spend more time focused on your care. It improves clarity of value and opens an omnichannel of communication for me to meet your health needs more efficiently and effectively for your lifestyle. The direct care model has demonstrated improved health outcomes, higher patient satisfaction and lower health cost by reducing need for emergency and hospitalized care.
As part of the upcoming change, my practice will be charging a monthly fee in lieu of accepting insurance. This monthly payment will cover almost all of the care you are used to getting from me now. It eliminates co-pays and hidden costs you are later billed for after the visit. The monthly fee will also include a comprehensive annual physical with labs that will last 30-60 minutes so that we can spend more time determining your current state of health, how to maintain your healthy choices, and strategize a game plan for any needed improvement.
Since the monthly fee only includes my services, it is important for you to maintain health insurance coverage for care you get elsewhere. Some insurance companies offer a new kind of insurance policy that specifically covers care from sub-specialists and hospitals; it is called a “wraparound” policy. If your insurance company offers this type of policy, you might consider changing policies, potentially saving money on your premiums. You also may want to check with your employer to find out whether part of your employer’s contribution to your health insurance premiums could go toward my monthly fee, or if the monthly fee can go toward your deductible. Some employers have worked with this new direct care model and understand how it can improve overall employee health and well-being.
I look forward to providing you the care you expect and deserve!
Sincerely,
Brent Beadling, MD
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