Family medicine physician Todd Johnson, MD, of Lincoln, Neb., abandoned insurance companies in favor of a fee-based practice, and is turning the traditional model of healthcare payment on its head, according to a Live Well Nebraska report.
Here are six key notes:
1. Dr. Johnson provides direct primary care where patients pay a monthly membership fee to see their physician and receive services.
2. There are other models of direct primary care that require retainer fees on top of accepting insurance to give wealthier patients better access to care, longer appointments and more personal care in the concierge medicine model. However, Dr. Johnson took a different route.
3. Dr. Johnson charges $50 per month for young adults, $75 for middle-aged adults and $100 for senior citizens and his patients can have unlimited consultations and office visits.
4. Since the practice doesn’t accept insurances, the membership doesn’t require patients to pay copays or worry about deductibles. Many of his patients do have insurance, but he doesn’t collect from them.
5. The no-insurance policy allows him to focus on patients instead of processing insurance company paperwork or trying to collect from the insurance companies.
6. Some of his patients prefer longer visits and Dr. Johnson can give them more individualized care.