Is Direct Specialist Care a new concept? No. Not at all. You may think of it as form Concierge Medicine without the price tag! Let’s answer some questions for you.

Why Direct Specialist Care?

 As many of you know I have been practicing Interventional Pain in Saint Augustine for over two decades, treating patients with painful arthritic conditions, sports injuries and spine conditions and also Regenerative Medicine using Prolotherapy and Orthobiologics such as Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), Micro Fragmented Fat (MFAT) and Bone Marrow Aspiration (BMAC).

Along the years, as we all have noticed, the practice of medicine has become more and more controlled by insurance companies and hospital executives, to the point that if a physician is going to play by their rules the patients suffer with high deductibles ($5000, $7000 and higher) and copays ($15, $25 and even $50 and more) and by not getting the indicated treatment because the insurance company want to save money and not approve it.

Additionally, there is a high percentage of physicians experiencing burnout because of the stress of it all and having to jump all the hoops!  What is the solution, you may ask? The solution is really simple and will save you money and grief and provide you better care. Here is the solution 

You may have heard of "Direct Primary Care".Well, we have created for our patients “Direct Specialist Care”, a program to provide you the care that a primary care doctor is not trained to provide without all the hazzels of insurance such as deductibles, copays, coinsurance or surprise billing.

The insurance model imposed on all of us is so outrageous that even in view of the high insurance premiums paid by patients that can afford them, they still face outrageously high deductibles and copays that the patient has to pay out of pocket before the insurance company pays a dime for them.

Unfortunately, most patients find out about this when they arrive at the doctor’s office and it really hits home after repeated office visits for procedures etc. because it all comes out of their pocket! If doctors dont collec these ammounts, they basically go unpaid.

So, lets say you are one of those that can afford to pay for a health insurance policy primium. Let’s say the monthly insurance premium for you alone is $500 and you have a yearly deductible of $5,000, $7000 or $10000. That means your yearly cost out of pocket before the company pays a dime is $11,000, $13000 or $16000Wow! AND THAT COST REPEATS ITSELF EVERY YEAR!

Compare that to the cost of our plan for a year! (@ $4200) And with our plan you get services and perks that no insurance plan covers in addition to advance Regenerative and Orthobiologic procedures above mentioned that are not covered by any insurance company! 

 On top of the above, the physician faces all kinds of barriers, such as having to jump thru hoops to be able order this or that test on his patient such as (e.g., MRI) which he feels the patient needs after performing the appropriate physical exam. Instead, the doctor gets told by an insurance company employee (not a doctor) that before they approve that test (MRI), the patient will have to complete six weeks of physical therapy or conservative therapy. In the meantime, the patient suffers with the pain.

 Consequences of Insurance Medicine

Presently there is a trend to see more and more patients and do more to the patients to compensate for the decrease in payments by insurance companies over the years to doctors, to the point that medical practices have become a revolving door kind of practice and very impersonal.  In an out quick kind of care. It has become more about checking boxes than caring for patients.

Ask yourself why patients use urgent care and pharmacy clinic more and more instead of their primary care doctor or their specialist office. Why? The answer is simple. Often at their primary care office or specialist office there is two weeks wait or more, because they have to see more and more patients.

Additionally, you can’t get anyone in the office to answer the phone because they are so busy or if you leave a message usually takes a long time to get a call back.

Finally, when the patient gets scheduled, the patient will sit in the waiting room for a long time and then, if they are lucky, they get seen by the doctor or at times, if they are not so lucky, by a "mid level provider" such as  physician assistant or nurse practitioner, for five minutes and are told not to worry, “that is nothing serious”. It’s called rush-rush-rush kind of medicine. This nationwide problem occurs in all specialties unfortunately.

Given these above-mentioned issues, the traditional insurance healthcare model has made it increasingly difficult to see patients in the manner that I believe is necessary to provide good care. 

What's the solution you may ask? 

We hope that the "Direct Specialist Care" model we have created for our practice becomes popular and be the solution for many patients. Patients will be better served and the practice of the specialty will be more what it should be: a relaxed physician-patient relationship eliminating the front office routine, insurance billing, and administration routine. Basically, a more personalized care close patient patient doctor relation. With our "Direct Specialist Care" practice there is less volume of patients, which allows same day or next day appointments, timely appointments, unhurried appointments, ability to interact directly on the phone with the doctor, have the ability to offer the patient the technology available when needed and not when the insurance allows it.

 

How our "Direct Specialist Care" program work?

 

Think about your Amazon Prime or YouTube TV subscription plan. Every month, you pay a flat fee and gain access to priority or free shipping or their TV shows and movies.

In our practice, the Direct Specialist Care membership plans provides you with unlimited  number of visits and clinical services, easy access to appointments, better communication with the doctor (email, text, phone), and give you access to specialized medical care. With  Direct Specialist Care there is no copay, or deductibles, no coinsurance and no surprise bills.

1. To be a member what do I need?

Initially a no charge short pre-enrollment first visit is always needed to see if we can help you and if we are a good fit for your medical care. In this visit no test will be ordered. If the doctor determines you are a good candidate for our practice, you will be ask to sign a membership agreement and other documents required to continue care in our practice. 

2. Here are the benefits for members:

• Longer time with the physician one-on-one

• No rushed appointments

• Better patient-physician relationship

• Direct communication with the physician

• Same day/next office day appointments

• Personalized referrals when needed

• Transparent pricing disclosed up-front

• No surprise bills

• No copays or deductible

• Discounted pricing on independent outside labs 

• Discounted pricing on independent outside imaging

• Access to advanced treatment procedures not covered by any insurance such as Prolotherapy and FDA clear Orthobiologics such as Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), Micro Fragmented Fat (MFAT) and Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC)

I look forward to having you join our Direct Specialist Care subscription plan. The practice model all patients deserve! Welcome to the new model of Direct Specialist Care provided by Dr. Dieguez at The Orthobiologic Clinic in Saint Augustine, Florida 32086. (904) 824-0955.

If you are a patient suffering with pain and have no insurance because you can’t afford it, or you have an insurance with a high deductible and/or a high copay of which we are not a participating provider and you want better service than what you are getting, because of insurance restrictions, check us out. Remember your insurance plan, if you have one, has to be one which we are not a participating provider. Contact us to schedule your first appointment if you are interested in direct specialty care services. Our office number is (904) 824-0955

 

“Direct Specialty Care” Membership Pricing" 

       * A Free Pre-enrollment “Initial Consult” is required. The reason is that we want to determine if you are a good fit for the practice and also to see if we can help you. There is no charge for this consult and no test will be ordered at this time. 

      * Enrollment fee.  There is no enrollment fee.

      * Monthly membership fee per patient: To be charged to a credit card on file the day of enrollment and every 30 days thereafter. This rates are guaranty for a year from the date of enrollment . The monthly membership fee is $350.00 for unlimited appointments. 

      *Additional fees. For bracing and orthotics we give you the prescription and you buy them. 

       * Prolotherapy and orthobiologics such as (PRP)procedures, (MFAT) and (BMAC). Are included if the patient stays with the practice for a 12 month period after the procedure. If the patient leaves the practice before, the credit card on file will be charge the full regular price of these procedures.                 

        * Direct Cell phone access and textingwith the doctor.  These are intended to resolve simple personal issues like refill medications we prescribed, questions regarding medications or need for non-acute diagnostic testing. These services may come in handy at the time for expert advice.