As part of the move to our new space this Novemeber 4th we will begin providing primary care to patients. This does not mean patients have to do their primary care with us if they want to recieve only Osteopathic manipulation and keep their current primary care provider. The same is true if you want to come to the clinic for Primary Care, you are not required to receive Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine. Our goals in providing Primary Care are to create a healing environment where you feel at home. One where the provider-patient relationship is taken care of. In service to this goal we will not be working with insurance because of the constraints that are placed on that relationship if we do. The main reason that working with insurance constrains the patient-doctor relationship is that it provides no incentive to take care of that relationship. It only incentivizes the physician to go as quickly as possible, to see the most patients in order to bill the most. Then the physician is left with a mountain of paperwork that they frequently stay after work to complete. If the provider is not happy and ease, he or she will not be fully available to take care of their patients. If they're not fully available, they may miss something. By taking Insurance out of the picture we can take our time and decrease the typical stresses associated with seeking Medical Care.This does not mean that our prices will be unattainable. in fact, we plan for a simple follow-up (15-30 minutes) visit cost somewhere from $50 - $100 And a new patient visit (about 45 min - 1 hr) to cost between $125 - $175. We know that the relationship with the patient is a piece that has been undervalued in recent years. This is because it's not reimbursed by Insurance, so it tends to fall by the wayside. The trend has been for Physicians to spend less and less time with their patients, and this rush has decreased their job satisfaction, the quality of the relationship with the patient, and led them to focus too much on what medication can they prescribe. This approach makes it difficult to be holistic. The top five causes of death in the United States are lifestyle-related, that means they're created by daily choices. Thus, preventative medicine is a crucial component for Physicians to focus on in our society today. The current Insurance system makes it difficult to do that well. We take the time to consider the context in which you live. Inquiring about diet, exercise, relationships, vices, and fulfillment with life in general. All of these aspects of your life influence health and well-being. of course we are also able to take care of all of those other typical Primary Care things such as prescriptions, Laboratories, Imaging, Etc. In fact, we have a relationship with a laboratory so we will do in office collection for all of our labs, which means you won't have to run over to another place to get it done. Additionally, we have a relationship with a pharmacy that can deliver medicines directly to your home. Our goal is to minimize the stress of Medical Care as completely as possible, and hopefully make an enjoyable experience were you know that you are important and you feel taken care of. This is our commitment to you.
|
AuthorDr. William Starsiak owner and physician at Starsiak Osteopathic Clinic and former associate professor at Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Archives
May 2023
Categories |