Missing the Obvious
I was forwarded this article called Why Everyone Needs Their Own Emergency Medicine Doctor and was really unimpressed. The authors believe they have discovered something new which is “a service everyone should have.” Here are some points they bring up:
- Why doesn’t everyone have an ED doctor they can call?
- A recent JAMA study from Ontario, Canada, found that patients with virtual visits who saw outside family physicians (whom they had never met) compared with their own family physicians were 66% more likely to visit an ED within 7 days after the visit.
- Probably the closest thing to having your own personal emergency medicine doctor is concierge medicine, which combines personalized care and accessibility. Concierge doctors come in many forms, but they usually charge a fixed fee for 24/7 availability and same-day appointments. A downside of concierge medicine is its expense ($2000–$3500 per year), and that many don’t take insurance. Concierge medicine is also criticized because, as doctors gravitate toward it, people in the community often lose their physician if they can’t afford the fees.
Please read the article from Medscape and join me in commenting. How in the hell did they not know Direct Primary Care exists? Listen, ED docs want to do ED stuff in the ED. Most do not want to do primary care as an add-on.
DPC docs do EVERYTHING these doctors describe. How are two physician authors ignorant of the fastest growing movement in the healthcare industry? Beats me.
Hello Doug,
Printed below is the text of the voicemail greeting callers hear when they dial our mobile phone number which is available to all 401-305-0879. We are not DPC, accept all the major commercial insurers and are all doing very well both financially and mentally. No burnout here.
“Drs Frank Savoretti, Alberto Savoretti and Amber Messitt of Ocean State Medical here. For Emergencies Call 911. Our established patients may just walk-in. No appointment needed. You
are always welcome! Our office is open for patients from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM Mondays through Thursdays, Drs Frank and Alberto from 6:00 AM to 11 AM, Dr Amber from 12 Noon to 5:00 PM. If
you need medical attention after office hours please text your Doctor directly who can very likely arrange for a Telemedicinep visit with you to address your concerns. Send a text message to
Drs Frank and Alberto at 401-305-0879; text Dr Amber at 401-484-1390.
For medication refills please contact your pharmacy directly as they will send a refill request electronically directly to your Doctor. Much more efficient for all concerned.
To communicate directly with your Doctor about referrals, making or rescheduling an appointment or any NON urgent administrative matter please go to our website OceanStateMedical.org to access your Patient Portal.
The easiest way to login to the Patient Portal is by using your mobile phone and mobile phone number to login. If you would like to leave a voice mail message you may certainly do so at the end of this greeting when you hear the tone BUT it is much more efficient for both patients and their Doctors to use our patient portal to communicate directly with your Doctor at our website OceanStateMedical.org
You may text your Doctor for Urgent or Emergent matters and the Doctor can arrange to Video Call you back to conduct a TeleMedicine visit for which there is a charge but most insurers cover most of the cost. Patients are always responsible for their copays and deductibles.
We’re very available for urgent matters if you need attention so don’t be bashful. For Drs Frank or Alberto Savoretti text us at 401-305-0879. Text Dr Amber Messitt 401-484-1390.
New Patients should text photos of their Driver’s License and their Health Insurance Card with a list of their medications to the Doctor of their choice so the Doctor can decide if they can accommodate you. Drs Frank and Alberto: 401-305-0879 Dr Amber 401-484-1390. If you can’t get through to your Doctor text me, Dr Frank Savoretti. I am always available if necessary.
If you need the attention of an Emergency Room please go to our very much preferred Hospitals: Roger Williams and Our Lady of Fatima. The waiting times are usually very short and the Doctors there are good colleagues, know us very well and keep us informed about your care. Roger Williams and Fatima Hospitals are part of our medical family.
Our fax number is 401-272-3417.
Thank you for calling.”
I am happy for you, Frank, but unfortunately, your group is a zebra.
As usual Doug you are correct! We are atypical by design. By eliminating barriers to care we eliminated much of the stress. We see patients on demand. They just walk in during our regular office hours. We do telemedicine frequently after hours. Everybody is happy.