Fall Sports Physicals - Why Wait?

As the school season is upon us again, I get a lot of calls from parents looking for an appointment for school and sports physicals and sometimes immunizations too.  Can we see your child ASAP - yes we can!

When you call your child's pediatrician or family doctor - how soon can they get in for a physical?  Well, if you've experienced what most patients and families calling me have experienced, the answer is about three months - if you're lucky!

In the current system, the typical practice has a many months waiting period for "routine" visits because each doctor has to carry a large patient panel (think 1000s!) and always be "booked up" to cover costs.  In a Direct Primary Care practice, like Direct Doctors, we limit our panel size to less than 500 patients per doctor.  Why?  Without taking insurance (no copays for visits, no bill to your insurance company that might result in a co-insurance bill), we eliminate many costs and headaches for our practice.  That leaves us to be DOCTORS - that's right, just doctors - not insurance billing experts, not coding experts, and certainly not third party payer experts.  

When we get to focus on doctoring, we get to change how we do everything.  So, the other day when a colleague called asking if I could see her daughter "tomorrow for her school physical" before she started school the next day, I said sure!  We will always be able to get you in - when YOU need it and when it WORKS for you.  

You may find it hard to wrap your head around the idea of "paying out of pocket" for this higher level of service and access - but at $10 per month per child with a parent subscription (which is usually $50), you may find it's money very well spent (much better spent than the hundreds or thousands you spend in insurance premiums that only allow you the privilege of paying a copay and a deductible to see your doctor in three months).  Sure, you still need health insurance to cover those things that come up (medications, bloodwork, emergencies, specialty visits), but we're happy to help you evaluate a switch to a higher deductible plan coupled with our practice membership so that the money you spend results in access and quality, instead of costs and wait times. 

Dr. Mark Turshen MD and Dr. Lauren Hedde DO are accepting new patients at their Direct Doctors family practice in North Kingstown (Wickford), Rhode Island.  Direct Doctors is an innovative primary care practice emphasizing an improved doctor-patient relationship.  Drs. Hedde and Turshen offer 24/7 access, no waiting, same day visits, home visits, and a doctor who knows YOU well!  If you are frustrated with “fast-food”, “cookie-cutter” health care, Direct Doctors may be just the prescription for you. Check out the Direct Doctors difference at www.directdoctors.org, email[email protected], or call 401-400-2699.