Flat Fee Medicine & Dr. Adkins

[Guest guest]

Interesting name for the retainer or concierge type system - Flat Fee Medicine.

 

Also interesting - Dr. Adkins based his $75/month fee at that rate because that was the cost for monthly cable in his area.

Love it. Life is full of choices.

 

Here is Dr. Adkins website...and his slogan -- Here for you today and all your todays to come.

 

http://65.111.39.90/

Self Pay Discount Fee Schedule

Initial Visit $85.00, $110.00, $135.00

(depending on complexity of visit)

Follow Up Visit  $60.00, $85.00, $110.00

(depending on complexity of visit)

 

What's Included

All Preventative Service Visits

15 Visits per year with $10.00 co-pay. (if more than 15 are needed, the patient will be charged according to the Self-Pay fee schedule)

$75/month Membership Fee or $200 quartly fee ($25 discount)

 

And his contract -- http://65.111.39.90/MEMBERSHIPAGREEMENT-FIN.pdf

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http://www.thedenverchannel.com/health/22914637/detail.html

 

Instead of turning his back, Adkins set up a flat-fee system where patients pay $75 a month for a year.

" It's a very easy way to perform in the office, " said Adkins.

Patients get 15 visits a year and access to all services, including blood tests, EKGs and pap smears. Adkins said 30 percent of his patients are on the self-pay system.

 

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/all_headlines/79936

 

Health care gets a price tag

 

It used to be that doctors posted fees on their office wall.

Then came Medicare and health insurance, and no one knew what doctors were charging, what insurers were paying and what patients were getting for their premiums.

Enough, decided Dr. H. Lee Adkins, a primary care physician who runs Fort Myers Family Medicine in Florida.

Adkins recently changed his Web site, posting what he charges for everything from office visits to lab work. For example, an initial office visit can run from $75 to $100 or $125, while lab work varies from $8 for a glucose blood test to $100 for the human papilloma virus.

His move is part of a national push toward greater transparency in health care, as more Americans go without health insurance and there's expected to be an uptick in people moving into high-deductible health plans that force consumers to consider the cost of services.

Thirty-three states, including Florida, so far have some sort of laws requiring price transparency, according to the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. Some medical and policy experts believe greater transparency will lower care costs.

snip/snip

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http://www.king5.com/health/Some-doctors-using-flat-fee-system-89876617.html

 

Some doctors using flat-fee system

 

by JEAN ENERSEN / KING 5 News

Posted on April 4, 2010 at 1:20 PM

Updated Sunday, Apr 4 at 6:05 PM

Related:

Qliance flat-fee health care

Family physician Lee Adkins runs a unique practice.

" About three years ago, I found out there was an increase in missed appointments and when I talked to the patients, I found out many of them had lost their insurance, " he said.

So Dr. Adkins set up a flat-fee system where patients pay $75 a month for a year.

" It's a very easy way to perform in the office, " said Adkins.

Patients get 15 visits a year and access to all services, including blood tests, EKGs and pap smears.

Adkins says the flat-fee system has helped his bottom line.

" Last month, we were up 30 percent over last year, " he said.

While it's difficult to track, one estimate reveals several hundred primary care physicians have begun to offer prepaid plans. Critics say some doctors who use flat-fee services are operating like insurance companies, without proper licensing.  But Dr. Adkins says he's just offering patients a way to get care.

" If the doctors don't get active and do something, we'll have less qualified people making our decisions for us, " he said.

Mike lost his insurance when he lost his job.  Thanks to Dr. Adkins, his health isn't suffering.

" It offered an opportunity to recheck for my diabetes, to keep it in control, and that's what I wanted to be able to do, " said .

Kim Turano also used to have insurance. When she lost it, her health took a back seat.

" What this program allows is for me to get the care that I had been ignoring in the past, " she said. 

Dr. Adkins says the flat-fee approach saves him money by eliminating administrative costs that come from dealing with insurance companies.

Locally, Qliance offers a similar approach, charging a monthly fee and bypassing insurance.