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Announcement: New Practice!
Announcement : November 18, 2013
Dr. Rhonda Carlson is excited to offer patients a different type of practice honoring the classic doctor-patient relationship, which is the moral and ethical backbone of the medical profession.
On January 1, 2014 Dr. Carlson will implement a membership-based "direct primary care" practice which removes insurance plan issues from how she delivers primary care. She will join a growing number of physicians throughout the country who have decided that, instead of leaving the practice of medicine, they will get back to basics and work only for the benefit of the patient.
Dr. Carlson's practice offers physician services directly to the patient for a reasonable monthly membership fee without requiring insurance for that care. Easy physician access, relaxed visits, and smaller practice size mean patients get more personalized care - all for less than a daily trip to the coffee shop. There is greater continuity of care, which means better-informed decisions about a patient's health and more time for preventive care. Insurance continues to function as usual outside of her office for hospital and other non-primary care services. Dr. Carlson is considered "out of network" for insurance purposes although some insurance plans might reimburse the patient for her services.
But why should patients invest in this model if they have health insurance? Answer: Because health insurance is not health care.
With so much uncertainty in the healthcare industry these days, what once seemed like a luxury could soon be a necessity.
With high-deductible insurance plans on the rise, healthcare costs often come directly out of the pocket of the patient. Well-trained primary care physicians are known for their ability to provide comprehensive, high quality care at low cost - but require time to do it well. Many primary care physicians relying solely on insurance plan reimbursement must see upwards of 25-35 patients a day, in 6-10 minute increments, to stay afloat. By eliminating insurance burdens to deliver basic primary care, Dr. Carlson will have more time to do what she was trained to do as a physician. She can focus on better understanding each patient's individual needs with decreased time constraints. She will have ample time to diagnose and treat underlying problems, coordinate care, and be a strong advocate for her patient.
There are no copays or deductibles and no extra charge for services, tests and medications routinely provided by Dr. Carlson in her office. These include well exams and all office visits, email, phone calls, EKG, breathing treatments, skin lesion removal, joint injections, cryosurgery, urinalysis, pregnancy test, strep throat test, B12 shots, Toradol shots, antibiotic shots, steroid shots, ear wax removal...and more! Patients can save 50-90% on discounted cash labs, imaging, medications and other out-of-office services, or they may elect to use their insurance depending on what is to their best advantage.
This model could help stave the exodus from primary care that has been occurring over the past decade.
If you have any questions about Dr. Carlson's direct pay practice, please call her at 530-893-3575.
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Article in Upgraded Living
A Doctor Who Cares: Rhonda Carlson
Posted By Alyssa Worley on Apr 3, 2014
Many of us inherently expect a certain environment when visiting the doctor: stiff handshakes, cold sterility, and an extremely long wait. We have come to terms that when it comes to healthcare you do what you have to do and don't question the process. Dr. Rhonda Carlson urges the public to think again.
Direct Primary Care is when a physician offers medical services directly to the patient without requiring insurance or medical plan reimbursement for that care. You pay an incredibly affordable once a month membership fee based on age that covers significant physician services. Dr. Carlson has been offering quality healthcare within this model since January 1st 2014, and has never been happier. "I know my patients. I hear about their mother-in-law who's driving them nuts. I know about their circumstances and what's important to them," she says.
Back in the day, families had one doctor that they saw for all their basic needs. It worked for everybody. Direct care is getting back to those roots. When you're sick you want to be seen by a knowledgeable professional who can treat you with ease and in a timely fashion. Dr. Carlson will get you in for care on the same day or next with no wait. She gets to spend one-on-one time with every individual, assessing needs and being the patient's medical support. What other doctor would take time out of their day to make numerous phone calls around town to find the most affordable testing, prescriptions, or specialty physicians? Not many.
Doctors want to use their brains to help people. They don't want to be coders, billers, or data entry clerks, which is often the case with insurance-based practices. All of us are conditioned to think that having health insurance means getting health care. With high deductible insurance plans rising, primary care costs often come directly out-of-pocket. By investing in Dr. Carlson's membership, "The goal is to avoid or minimize more severe or chronic conditions that trigger high out-of-pocket costs and take a toll on you and your loved ones."
Dr. Rhonda Carlson genuinely loves her patients. She greets with a hug, not a pat on the back. There is a sense of empowerment in taking your health care into your own hands and having an advocate entirely on your side. People are paying "tons of money for health insurance with no real care. We need price transparency in this business." Dr. Carlson's decision to move to direct care is the result of her promise as a physician to deliver the best care possible to the patient who receives it. Her practice is ethical, moral, and brings care back to basics. I was taught that we all have a choice and Dr. Rhonda Carlson is out to spread that word.