Weekly Standard article --> Dr. Forrest in the News - Cash - Membership Practice

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Dr. Forrest has a nice article in the Weekly Standard...see article after info below.Here is info from  his website. http://prosites-bforrest.homestead.com/

" We strive to make quality healthcare more affordable, available, and less complicated to access. Our fees are so reasonable you do not need to use health insurance. "

Office Visits $49Childrens' Camp and Sports Physicals $25

ACCESS CARDs- for a fee of  $350

per year you can receive comprehensive physical exam and wellness

screening that includes an extensive panel of bloodwork that can help

identify cancer, diabetes, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, leukemia,

anemia, parasites, kidney or liver disease, and other diseases that may

not have symptoms but when caught early can result in better health. 

Included with purchase of this annual exam is an  " Access Card " which

will allow you to be scheduled for visits for a fee of only $20

each visit for a period of 12 months. There is no extra charge for most

basic labwork for people with an access card or any additional charge

for the visit. Some non-routine labwork that is sent out is a fee based

on actual costs. All Access Cards are nonrefundable once any office visits or labwork has been completed.

These cards represent a private 1 year contract between Access

Healthcare and the patient which is executed after payment has been

made and initial services rendered.  Some insurance companies will

reimburse for annual exam. Access Cards are not a type of insurance,

they are only a type of prepaid discount plan.  Some insurers will

reimburse patients directly for any claims they submit for services

such as office visits.  Access Healthcare makes no guarantees regarding

reimbursement by insurance companies and does not file insurance claims

or sign in insurance contracts.  Medicare and Medicaid patients are not

allowed to file claims.  Services like sutures or supplies (like

injections) are not discounted with the Access Card.   * Basic labs

that will not be an an additional charge in this discount are the CMP,

Lipid panel, TSH, PSA, HgbA1C, CBC, and  an annual routine Pap Smear. 

If you would like to make monthly payments for the Comprehensive Annual

Exam with Access Card you may do so for a fee of $100 up front and $25 per month for the following 12 months.

Fees:

We

believe that insurance companies, the government, and HMO's can get in

the way of quality healthcare.  Our office does not file insurance of

any type.  Our fees have been dramatically reduced to make our 

services affordable even without using insurance.  We offer these

reduced fees while providing excellent service and top quality medical

care.  This fee schedule will be beneficial for those in our community

who are unable to afford health insurance and will also be appealing to

those who have insurance but do not want to wait long periods of time

to be seen by a doctor on their insurance plan.  It will also be

helpful for those with high deductibles.  Our goal is to make it easy

for those in our community to access quality healthcare without the

hassle and drawbacks to managed care.  We do not sign contracts with

insurance companies or HMOs that cause us to have the insurance

companies' interests ahead of our patients- At Access Healthcare you

are our # 1 priority- not your insurance company or the government. 

Unlike most offices that take insurance and send your personal health

record to the insurance company or the government to get paid, we do

not.  Your health inofrmation never leaves our office without your

expressed request to do so(unless requested by legal authorities).

Although existing patients have access to same day or walk-in

appointments for visits, new patients are taken on a limited basis and

it may take several weeks for a new patient to become established at

the practice with their first visit.Office visits $49 to schedule (this fee is normally $93-$150 at other offices)

Work Physicals $49 to schedule plus any labs if needed

Sports Physicals $25

Lab

work: Blood tests are processed by LABCORP-We offer a significant

discount for our patients regardless of insurance- can be as much as

85% off standard LABCORP prices.  One example is that we charge $30 for a complete cholesterol panel with comprehensive breakdown..

Housecalls - On an individual basis and with pricing depending on location- normally $199

*other services and supplies such as strep test, stiches, and braces would be an additional but reasonable charge

Lab

results- We feel it is important for you to get lab results back in a

timely manner.  At many large practices this is difficult.  However, we

are a personalized practice and want every patient to be our priority. 

Usually, your healthcare provider will personally notify you of your

lab results and their significance the next day (if you are available

by telephone.)  Some labs may take longer and we will notify you if

this is the case. =============================================http://news.yahoo.com/s/weeklystandard/20100517/cm_weeklystandard/cashfordoctors

http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/cash-doctors

Cash for Doctors

And other ways to escape the diktats of Obamacare.

BY Tony Mecia

May 24, 2010, Vol. 15, No. 34

On a wall inside Dr. Forrest’s medical office in a suburb of

Raleigh, North Carolina, is something you won’t find in most doctors’

offices, a price list:

Office visit  $49

Wrist splint $41

Pap-smear  $51.

Those are the prices patients pay for the services, and they pay on

the spot. Forrest doesn’t take insurance. If he did, the prices would

be far higher and not nearly as transparent. He says listing prices up

front is about trying to do business in a straightforward way, “like a

Jiffy Lube.”

Forrest’s practice, Access Healthcare, was born out of his

frustration with the bureaucratic system run by major health care

providers and insurance companies. His epiphany came about 10 years

ago, as he was completing his family medicine residency at Wake Forest

University. “I was basically being told I needed to see 30 patients a

day every day, and that’s what we had to do,” he recalls, speaking with

a soft drawl. He didn’t care for that pace, preferring to spend 45

minutes to an hour with each patient.snip/snip Locke, MD