Open Enrollment: An opportunity to explore direct primary care (DPC)

Direct Primary Care directly connects you, the patient, to your doctor without the interference of a middleman. This philosophy is spelled out on my website in the embedded pamphlet “Common Sense Medicine.” The goal is to enable you to get the most out of your medical visits without being rushed through inconvenient, short visits where you barely have a chance to recite your concerns and have them thoughtfully addressed.

During the open enrollment period, there is an opportunity to make room for membership fees for a direct primary care practice that puts you in the driver’s seat for managing your health concerns. One strategy is to combine a high deductible insurance plan with a health savings account (HSA). An HSA is generally a much better option than the older Flexible Spending Account (FSA).

With my membership model, primary care medical costs are much more predictable. The membership fee covers all expenses incurred in my office. No surprise billing, no co-pays, and no charges for procedures, injections, and selected skin care. Your membership also includes an unlimited number of visits. Furthermore, your questions can be fully explored, including non-traditional approaches, and results from “Dr. Google.”

Call or drop by the office to discuss our practice to determine how it will benefit you.

413-300-2233

John Diggs MD

Direct Primary Care: Frank Thoughts on Membership

My personal interest in medicine stems from a holistic view of the person being a spirit and mind in a body. Optimum health is the excellent coordination of all three aspects. Of course, we live in a world where the Second Law of Thermodynamics is true: all things run down over time, including our bodies. Or, as Geoffrey Chaucer put it, “Time and tide wait for no man.”

Of 7 billion people on the planet, we all have our own DNA, sensitivities, and interactions with our environment. Consequently, although we have made great strides in medical care, each of our bodies communicates with us differently. Each patient communicates with doctors differently. It is a challenge to be a doctor. I gladly take on this challenge, with the goal of applying my experience and perpetual training to the mystery which is every unique human being.

The new office that I am opening in Wilbraham, MA, is physically designed to optimize care and prevent cross-contamination from other patients. It is brand new. It is beautiful!

I believe that patients find doctors and doctors find patients that are compatible with each other. At the end of the day, people vote with their feet. I had the pleasure of having the largest primary care practice in the Baystate system. My style of practice is personal and interactive. I ask a lot of questions in an effort to understand each person’s individual attitudes, priorities and previous experiences. Some people like that; some people do not.

Direct Primary Care does not appeal to everyone. While it can save money in some instances, the emphasis is on quality service more than lower cost. The cost savings are sometimes unrecognized. For example:

• See me on time rather than an hour or more after your scheduled time. You don’t have to take a half day off work.

• For urgent but not emergent care, you can usually be seen on short notice. I can periodically arrange visits outside the usual office hours

• Catch illness before it develops to the degree that emergency care (and ER co-pays) are necessary

Direct Primary Care practices are more common in other areas of the country, and I am looking forward to bringing this model to New England!

Come check us out. Meet-and-greet sessions and some community-based information sessions are in the process of being scheduled.