Health Providers Doing Things Differently

Hi there -

As an agency that does a lot of healthcare marketing, we like to stay up on the trends in the industry. I've been hearing a lot about changes in the healthcare field, brought on by frustrations with the current system, but until last night, I hadn't been affected, nor had I seen real evidence of change. Then I received this letter from my primary care physician:


Dear Patients:

As many of you already know, I have been considering changing the way I practice medicine. Over the past decade, pressure from insurance companies and HMO's has grown intensely, resulting in less time for direct patient care, added referral-preauthorization requirements, and more restrictive medication formularies. The Doctor-Patient relationship has been trivialized. Health care delivery is laden with unnecessary delays and obstacles. We are all frustrated.

I have decided to break free of this system and cease participation in the present insurance environment. I invite you to join me in a new practic limited to a maximum of 600 patients, as opposed to the current 3,000+. This will enable me to provide personalized and comprehensive outpatient preventive healthcare. Appointments will be a half hour long, with same or next day access. The rush and interference of a larger practice will be eliminated, and it its place will be ample time to answer all your questions and meet all your needs. I will be on call twenty-four hours a day. Appropriate coverage would be arranged if I am on vacation or ill. My staff and I will deliver timely, caring, and comprehensive care. The Doctor-Patient relationship will return to what it used to be, a collaborative effort where the doctor is an advocate and a partner in achieving the greater good as opposed to a bureaucratic intermediary forced to make decisions based on formularies, regulations, and cost containment.

To achieve this goal of substantially fewer patients and more personalized service, there will be an annual professional fee of $1,300 paid annually, $1,400 paid semiannually, or $1,500 paid quarterly. Dependents and children younger than twenty-five years old will be half the adult fee. The annual will cover one comprehensive physical examination and associated routine lab work, outpatient sick visits for a year, routine immunizations (i.e. tetanus, flu and pneumonia), EKG's, and pulmonary function testing. Patients with all types of insurance can join, but this arrangement will not be a substitute for health insurance. I will not be able to write referrals for HMO's directly, but would facilitate obtaining them from a designated primary care provider.

If you are interested in investigating this exciting opportunity, please contact me as soon as possible by completing and returning the enclosed, nonbinding survey............


I was floored when I read this. Part of me was excited and intrigued that a doctor would care so much for patient care that he would be willing to take a chance like this. Another part of me was ticked that I probably wouldn't be able to pay that right now to stay with him. I think this kind of service should be marketed to the affluent - those that expect the best and can also pay for it. I'm sure he'll be able to keep a good amount of his patients.

As more health professionals go in this direction, I predict healthcare marketing and advertising will change. We're excited about the change, and hope many new client relationships ensue as a result. I invite any that are exploring a similar change to call us to discuss.

As for my doctor - I am going to give him a call and encourage him to talk with us about marketing this concept. It gives his brand incredible leverage and a USP that most don't have. It will also require an entirely different marketing strategy.

Best,

Garret Ohm