DIRECT PRIMARY CARE
— Better care. Less expensive. Zero hassle. —
Sample patient scenarios.
Direct Primary Care is such a new concept that many can't believe that something so revolutionary could be right for them. We've provided some sample scenarios to help illustrate situations that you may find yourself in – and ways that Remedy Health can help.
Imagine you’re home with your four children ages 7, 5, 2 years old, and 9 months. They are all vomiting and having diarrhea. You know there’s been a “stomach bug” going around. You call your doctor, but you can’t speak to him or her and only get their staff. They want you to bring all four of them into the office because they can't treat any of them without seeing them. You dread having to load up 4 young, puking children and go to the clinic…
At Remedy Health
You Instead go to your Favorites and call Dr. Sudduth at Remedy Health. He answers the phone and you’re talking to him immediately. He asks you questions and makes
some recommendations over the phone. He prepares a prescription for anti-nausea medication for your spouse to pick up at lunch and bring home to your kids. Dr. Sudduth calls you the next morning to check in on your family. Your kids have stopped vomiting and are holding their fluids down. He tells you about some warning signs for dehydration to watch out for and tells you to call with any concerns. You’re so thankful to have a personal physician on call when you need him and is flexible in meeting your family’s healthcare needs. You are so Happy.
You Saved
- Four co-pays at your pediatrician’s office or a costly urgent care or ER bill
- A drive to the clinic or hospital
- Turning your carpool into a pool of vomit
Imagine you own a small construction company. You want to do what’s right for your people, but your insurance premiums have been going up 20% each year for four years. The math just doesn’t add up and you can’t continue to afford medical care for your employees.
You call a meeting and explain to them that you’ll either have to let two people go or cancel everyone’s health insurance. You're likely stressed out about letting people go, unemployment costs, and the impact on the rest of the team.
At Remedy Health
Before you decide whether to let two people go or cut everyone’s health insurance, you hear about this new “direct primary care” practice in Tulsa.
They have an insurance expert who helps you hammer out a high-deductible catastrophic policy and an ERISA health insurance plan for your company.
For you primary care benefit, you offer to pay your employees' $79 monthly fee. Your group of approximately 50 people are covered by this plan and receive 24/7/365 care by Remedy Health DPC.
Claims for doctor visits, urgent care, the ER, medications, and labs are non-existent. Your insurance premiums drop by over 60% saving you thousands per month and you receive an annual refund on your ERISA plan of tens of thousands of dollars. You're able to leverage those funds to grow your business, give raises you've been forced to hold off on, and even higher a few more people.
All that and you've provided better care, better access, and a benefit few other employers have even figured out for their employees, retention, and growth.
You Saved
- Having to decide between eliminating health benefits or cutting people’s jobs
- Delayed growth of your business. Instead, you were able to increase your own profits and provide your workers with an even higher quality of health benefits
Imagine you’re a 27-year-old woman. You notice what you think is a bug bite low on the right side of your abdomen. You think about calling the doctor, but you know she’ll just want you to come in and you don’t have time. You decide to wait a few days and see what happens. The next day, it looks worse and has gone from itching to a sore. You call your doctor’s office and they want to see you. They schedule you for the next day in the afternoon. The third day, the bite is significantly worse. It’s painful and there’s an opening in the middle of it that’s beginning to drain. It’s frightening so you decide not to wait for your afternoon appointment - you go to an urgent care center. A doctor there says they have to cut it open and drain it. It’s painful, gross, and you missed a day of work. Three days later you follow up with your primary care doctor who tells you that you have to continue squeezing it and draining it. This sucks because it is very tender. You have an open wound for a couple weeks…
At Remedy Health
You notice a bump and you think it’s a bug bite. You take a picture of it and send it to Dr. Sudduth. You receive a text message back 10 minutes later that says it looks like a bug bite. You are asked for an updated photo the next day. The next day it looks worse. Dr. Sudduth sees the photo and tells you it looks like a skin infection. He asks if you can run by the office at your convenience to pick up some Bactrim, which only costs $1.00! Because of the rapid communication with your doctor, you improve over the next few days. You are thankful that you avoided an abscess because the problem was fixed early as it should be. You’re so happy you have your personal doctor to rely on.
You Saved
- 1-2 days of time off work
- The hassle of having an open wound
- An expensive urgent care visit
- A lot of worry about something that thankfully didn’t progress to something worse
- Two copays at your doctor’s office
Imagine you’re 51-years-old and have a few chronic illnesses. You take 5 or 6 medications and you’re quite stable on them. Your labs are always fine, but the cost of the meds is wearing you down.
You don’t want to quit taking them because your illnesses are well-controlled. You wonder why you’re paying so much for health insurance when you pay so much out of pocket for medications and hardly ever see a doctor. You also don’t understand why your copays are so high…
At Remedy Health
You are a member of a direct primary care practice for just a monthly membership fee of $79.
You establish care with Dr. Street and experience unprecedented access to your doctor. You can text him or FaceTime whenever needed.
On top of that, deeply discounted medications are available through our partnerships with cash providers! The total cost out of pocket for your meds is now just $40 per month.
You realize that by joining the practice, you’ve saved over $100 per month on your medications - including the membership fee! You haven’t even counted the quarterly lab charges you’re saving and you have much better care than you did before. You can’t believe how it’s possible to get such great care at such an affordable price!
You Saved
- $20 per month to put in your pocket. You were paying $140 for medications alone, but now you get your medications and unlimited access to your personal physician for just $120 per month.
- You get better quality, more personalized care and more convenient medicine at a lower price than what you were already paying.
You’re a hard-working guy in your 30’s. You make your living with your hands and though you aren’t rich, you pay your bills and are proud to earn what you get.
You never really get sick and when you do, you go to work anyway because that’s what you do to provide for your family.
Your company doesn’t provide health insurance and the private insurance you are paying for is destroying your budget. You wish you could get rid of it, but you and your wife have 3 small children and you know you need to keep coverage for them.
You wonder how you can possibly take care of your family’s insurance needs and still put food on the table…
At Remedy Health
You hear from your friend that there’s a new type of medical practice in town where direct primary care is offered at an affordable rate. You investigate online and find out that you, your wife, and your 3 small children can have unlimited access to an experienced doctor for just $245 per month.
You’re still concerned about protecting yourself financially, so you switch your insurance plan to one that provides catastrophic coverage just in case something terrible happens and save a ton of premium dollars and have access for your whole family to amazing care, avoid co-pays, and no more expensive trips to urgent care.
You beginning seeing Dr. Sudduth and can now call or text your own personal physician anytime you have a medical question.
You thought it was only the way things used to be done a long time ago. You are simply amazed!
You Saved
- Several thousands of dollars a year on the insurance plan that was crippling your budget
- You now have peace of mind and easy access to a doctor who does whatever it takes to keep you and your family healthy
You’re a 61-year-old man with high blood pressure and cholesterol, and you’re in for your annual wellness visit. You waited 25 minutes in a room of sick people before you were called in by a nurse who took your vitals and left you in a room to wait for the doctor.
Lately, you’ve been noticing that you have some low back pain, stress at work is making your stomach hurt, and you wonder about your testosterone level because of the commercials.
When he comes in, your doctor quickly reviews your labs saying they look good. He refills your medications for you - faxing them to your regular pharmacy, and gets up to go. You quickly mention your concerns about testosterone and tell him there are a couple of other things you’d like to talk about.
He says he’ll be glad to check your testosterone level and have you come back for a specialized visit. You’re frustrated because that means another copay, another visit, and another half-day off work because your doctor is very busy and is never on time…
At Remedy Health
Dr. Street had your lab work done the previous week to prepare for your annual executive physical. On the day of your visit, you are greeted personally and there’s no wait at the office. Twenty minutes into your visit with your Dr. Street, you are done talking about your cholesterol, blood pressure, and recommended cancer screenings.
You want to ask about the other things on your mind and are told, “Sure, we still have 40 minutes. Tell me what’s going on.” All of your questions are heard without interruption, and all of your questions are answered.
For the last 10 minutes of your visit, you have nothing left to ask that’s medical-related. Dr. Street asks about your grandson’s football games. You’re so happy you have someone you trust who cares about you and really listens to you as your doctor.
You Saved
- $32 on lab fees if your normal lab had a $40 copay
- A second trip to the doctor to talk about testosterone and your stomach and back pain
- Extra time waiting for your appointment or for the doctor