The title of this website is DPC News, which stands for Direct Primary Care, but we want to give recognition to our specialist counterparts who are leaving the system. Medscape just published a nice piece on them and you can find it here. And a shout out to Dr. Girnita who we highlighted way back.

I highly recommend you read the whole piece but here are some highlights:

• Following the trend of some primary care practices, more rheumatologists who are dissatisfied with the status quo are embracing these models of care.
• Direct and concierge care are often mentioned in tandem, but there are nuanced differences. Direct specialty care removes third-party payers to protect the best interests of patients, according to Diana Girnita, MD, founder and CEO of Rheumatologist OnCall, a direct care practice. Her patient base hails from rural and urban areas in least 10 states. She also created a Facebook group for specialists in direct care and is the cofounder of the Direct Specialty Care Alliance.
• Direct care “reduces hospital visits because physicians significantly have much more time to spend with the patient and address the needs of the patient.”
• Adopters of direct care/concierge services counter that it’s the insurance and pharmaceutical companies driving up costs. Patients — especially those who have high-deductible plans — save money through these models. “In the direct care model, doctors have worked out advocacy for patients that are unsurpassed. Insurance companies don’t do that,” McKnight said.
• Direct care/concierge medicine isn’t for all doctors. But for Kazmers, it’s the best option for her at this point in her career. “I’ve been practicing for 45 years in various models, including academic positions and private practice employment. I have worked for years in settings accepting Medicaid. I understand that if every rheumatologist went concierge tomorrow, this would constrict access to needed specialty care. But in my case, it provided a viable alternative to closing the practice’s doors altogether.”

There is a lot more to dig into so go check it out.

And spread the word to other specialists that there are options other than suckling at the teet of the insurance companies.