
For many people the idea of a medical practice that doesn't take insurance is unfamiliar and some think that it's not worth it to pay for office visits on top of paying for insurance. So I want to explain my thinking and create some context for you. Here's why I think it's a good idea. In order to work with insurance a practice needs to see more people in the same amount of time, which generates more paperwork. The increased number of people and the increased paperwork requires a practice to hire someone for billing and someone for scheduling. This is very difficult for newly graduated Physicians to do because they already have medical school loans to pay off at the same time they are starting a family. Consequently, most Physicians join practices that are owned by hospitals or other large organizations. Then, all of the other people in those organisations need to get a piece of the pie, so prices increase. Patients don't see these prices because insurance pays for them, but they experience the friction created by being cared for by a practice owned by a very large organization in the form of long wait times, a very slow response rate to phone calls or emails, rushed office visits, and impersonalized service. After everything is factored in people end up spending more through the costs of wasted time, increased stress, and avoidable visits to urgent care or the ER due to slow office response times.
In our practice you will not wait more than 20 minutes without being compensated for your time, you have direct cell access to your provider and will receive a return call, text, or email within 48 hrs, visit times are never rushed, and we will know and actually care about you. Since we are a small physician owned practice our overhead is low, so we can offer these services at affordable prices. The new patient visit is about the cost of a nice dinner for two people, $100 - $150. Follow-up visits are about the cost it takes to fill up a SUV with a full tank of gas, $50 - $75. These charges are based upon the amount of time needed for the visit. insurance will still take care of any labs or Imaging we order, and we draw labs in office for your convenience. For your average person who only needs to come and see the doctor two to four times a year (price range for 2-4 vists $150-$375), the cost is quite low for what you get.
In our practice you will not wait more than 20 minutes without being compensated for your time, you have direct cell access to your provider and will receive a return call, text, or email within 48 hrs, visit times are never rushed, and we will know and actually care about you. Since we are a small physician owned practice our overhead is low, so we can offer these services at affordable prices. The new patient visit is about the cost of a nice dinner for two people, $100 - $150. Follow-up visits are about the cost it takes to fill up a SUV with a full tank of gas, $50 - $75. These charges are based upon the amount of time needed for the visit. insurance will still take care of any labs or Imaging we order, and we draw labs in office for your convenience. For your average person who only needs to come and see the doctor two to four times a year (price range for 2-4 vists $150-$375), the cost is quite low for what you get.