Let me share this article called Can We Reduce Health Care Costs With Better Primary Care? from Forbes.com. It is written by John C. Goodman (not that actor) who is a big wig policy maker, and he does a decent job. So, let’s dissect this a bit, shall we?

First, the image above is the image they used minus the arrows. I put them in because it is typical of the stock photos that all publications use but are NEVER based in reality. Doctors never smile anymore in the system. I wish they used real smiles from real DPC docs but, alas, I guess they just couldn’t find a picture. Here’s one:

Ok, back to the article. Goodman’s premise is that an increase in the primary care supply will improve the population health and this will “happen naturally when markets are free to meet consumer needs.” And he’s right! The free market is the only thing that can save this broken healthcare system. Goodman goes on to describe the problems of price controls that doctors have in the system when they are hooked to insurance companies and the government. He uses some nice analogies of restaurants and car dealerships. Lastly, Goodman introduces DPC:

Virtually every patient-pleasing deviation from what I just described has emerged outside the third-party payer system, with its Medicare-imposed pricing. What we used to call “concierge” medicine is now called direct primary care(DPC), and the price has come way down. Instead of fee-for-service payment, patients pay a monthly fee (say, $50 a month for a mother and $10 for her child) for all primary care. Patients are usually able to reach their doctor by phone at nights and on weekends as an alternative to visiting the emergency room.

The DPC market is booming, and employers are enrolling their employees. The whole process would be easier if the employer could put funds in a Health Savings Account and let the employee pay the monthly fee to the DPC of his or her choice. This is one of several public policy changes I recommend to help the market work better.

Pretty good stuff. I wished he had ended it there but unfortunately, he goes on to talk about Medici, which looks like a massive teleDINO. Dammit!! Here is their description on LinkedIn:

Medici is a virtual health care system that gives enrolled stakeholders and dependents access to a personal medical team made up of exceptional doctors, nurses, and specialists. Medici seamlessly integrates primary care, sick care, navigation, pediatric advice, counseling, condition management, medications, lab work, imaging, and even veterinary advice into one system, accessible from your phone.

Virtual? Isn’t the definition of virtual “almost but not the same”? Well, that’s what Medici is to DPC. There are two primary care docs listed on their site. Two.

Everyone wants to capitalize on DPC and scale it for their shareholders. Sorry, it just won’t happen. Instead, it will be the “mom and pop” shops that grow independently and organically around the country that are “free to meet the consumer needs.” I wish Mr. Goodman would write about that.