Direct Primary Care
Available to Members 24/7
For some direct care physicians, the idea of being available to patients around the clock may seem daunting. Who wants to be awakened every night in the middle of the night? However, most direct care physicians also find that they are able to develop a relationship with their patients that includes respect, boundaries, and established expectations.
The idea behind the direct care model is that patients pay a monthly fee and, in return, have access to basic primary care services during office hours as well as access to their physician after hours.
That is an enticement for both doctor and patient, that the patient interaction is not limited to a 10-15 minute visit during the day. The physician can spend more time during each visit, getting to know that patient more completely, and the patient feels free to ask follow-up questions and clarify instructions before and after the visit.
Direct care physicians have found that their patients do tend to respect their time and do not take advantage of their 24/7 availability, but it helps to establish expectations up front. Some direct care physicians will state that they are available by text or email – but not phone calls – between certain hours. They may also specify when it is appropriate to contact them after hours. For example, a question about scheduling or administrative issues must wait until office hours.
When the direct care physician offers 24/7 availability and the patient does call in the middle of the night, however, the physician should be responsive to continue that positive relationship. If the call went to voice mail, the physician should return the call. Likewise, a text or email should be answered promptly. Of course, all physicians direct their patients to call 911 when they have such emergency situations as a potential heart attack.
Balanced Physician Care Members appreciate the peace of mind of 24/7 care by our providers. Find out more at 904.930.4774
*Article written by Krystle Thornton | Elation Health - December 14, 2018
Healthcare over Health Insurance: The Case for Direct Primary Care
Direct Primary Care (DPC) challenges the very definition of healthcare in America.
More and more research has shown that DPC improves the access to and the quality of care, as well as reduces healthcare cost, mostly by reducing unnecessary healthcare utilization. Unnecessary healthcare utilization is a scourge: It is responsible for upwards of 10 percent of our nation’s healthcare bill. Certainly, the tests and procedures we perform in medicine saves lives, but unnecessary tests and procedures expose patients to unjustified risks.
In February 2016, I founded Balanced Physician Care to bring this emerging model of Direct Care to Northeast Florida. Since then, my love for my profession has returned. Having enough time to spend with each patient has invigorated my passion for medicine. I’m finally practicing medicine the way I always envisioned I could and should. I mention this because the joy I now feel in the practice of medicine is in fact what makes the Direct Primary Care model not just viable but essential.
Critics have argued that widespread adoption of the DPC model will only exacerbate the primary care physician shortage because by necessity it will significantly reduce the number of patients each physician sees. In the short run, this might indeed prove true. But unless a workable solution is found to reverse primary care physician dissatisfaction, a critical shortage is already inevitable. According to a survey conducted by the Urban Institute in 2012, 30 percent of primary care physicians between the ages of 35 to 49 and 53 percent of primary care physicians over the age of 50 want to quit medicine altogether.
Primary care physician patient panel sizes haven’t risen to their current levels of 2,500 to 4,000 patients because primary care physicians believe that these sizes are optimal for patient care. They’ve risen to these levels because insurance reimbursement for primary care hasn’t kept pace with the expense of running a practice, and primary care physicians have been forced to increase the number of patients they see to survive financially. This has resulted not only in poorer access to care, poorer quality of care and increased healthcare costs, but also in dramatically increased primary care physician dissatisfaction. What’s required is a new model that attracts physicians into primary care.
Personalized, quality healthcare is not possible when physicians are handing patient panels of over 4,000 or more in size. No matter how many wellness screenings are being performed. Direct Primary Care has been proven to bring quality, personalized medicine back. According to an article in the British Medical Journal in October 2013, patients of DPC practices enjoy 65 percent less ER visits, 35 percent less hospitalizations and 82 percent less urgent care visits.
Primary care — and with it, all of healthcare — is in crisis. Access to personalized care is limited, the quality of care is poor (despite spending more per capita on healthcare than any other country in the world), the life expectancy of U.S. citizens ranks only 26th out of the 36 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and costs are spiraling out of control. Though many view the new model of Direct Primary Care with skepticism, derision and even fear, new models that ultimately prove successful are often initially greeted that way. But if we can challenge our fear, personally changing to a direct primary care model might just prove in the big picture to be the single most effective solution for the most significant problems facing American healthcare today and even more importantly, ensuring the health of the ones you love.
Optimize Your Health, Simplify Your Life,
Dr Sharyl Truty MD
Dr. Sharyl Truty is the physician-owner of a Direct Primary Care practice called Balanced Physician Care located in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. She has been in practice as both a board-certified Family Medicine and a board-certified Sports Medicine physician for over 15 years. She has completed a fellowship in Integrative Medicine from the University of Arizona with Dr. Andrew Weil. She has practiced Acupuncture for over 12 years after having trained in China and completed the UCLA physician acupuncture certification. Dr.Truty is committed to finding the best solutions to help you live the best-balanced life possible.
Why Direct Primary Care Health Coverage Should Be Incorporated Into Your Employee Benefits Package
Here are 7 reasons why Direct Primary Care health coverage should be incorporated into your employee benefits package:
It saves money. Direct Primary Care can provide substantial savings and improved cost controls for employers in managing overall health benefit expenses. The goal is to reduce utilization of the insurance plan at urgent care and emergency rooms. This approach typically saves employers double-digits over traditional group plans, while delivering a far better care experience. Also it can minimize employees’ out-of-pocket expenses and helps solve their avoidance of care for financial reasons – workers should not have to forgo healthcare because they don’t want to pay their co-pay, or their deductible is sky high.
It reduces absenteeism and presenteeism. By taking advantage of the proactive, preventative nature of direct primary care, employees stay active in the workforce and keep out of the hospital and urgent care clinics.
It’s convenient. Direct Primary Care provides employees convenient and unfettered access to their primary care physician—enjoying prompt appointments, exceptional care, and easy utilization. By having direct cell phone and email access to the doctor, employees no longer have to wait hours in a waiting room to interact with the doctor to answer a simple question, get a shot of support, or even a prescription refill.
It helps employers retain their best employees. As competition for talented employees intensifies in the coming years, small businesses will have to find ways to attract and keep good workers. So, providing quality health coverage is an important bargaining chip to give you the competitive edge for attracting and retaining talented employees.
It boosts employee engagement. Whatever an employer can do to improve morale—and quality health benefits do that—makes employees feel more positive about their work and their employer.
It heightens job satisfaction. Health benefits communicate to the employee a concern for their physical well-being and shows them a desire of their employer to invest in their total well-being, helping them achieve a better work/life balance.
It sets a good example. Placing value on healthcare in the workplace can energize workers to place importance on it at home as well. This is important for busy adults who have limited free time due to job and family commitments. But when an employer places a lot of emphasis on healthcare, that helps place emphasis at home too.
So before your next renewal, or if you’re interested in starting a health benefits program for your employees, let Balanced Physician Care provide you with a free, no obligation analysis of your current (or future) health benefits’ plan.
Many employers are converting their health insurance policies to high deductible, often with a deductible as high as $10,000 per person or family per year. For a family with members that have chronic illnesses, the costs of healthcare will be very substantial indeed at this level. Employees will arguably feel that their employer has walked away from them and saddled them with costs that they simply cannot bear. The company can partially offset the inherent anger this generates among its employees by paying the fee for a direct primary care practice. It is especially valuable for the individual with multiple chronic illnesses since quality primary care can mean much better health, many fewer tests, prescriptions, specialist referrals and hospitalizations. I suspect that employers will be the major reason for direct primary care membership/retainer-based practice growth in the coming years as they will essentially demand that level of service for their employees — and in so doing they will be reducing their company health care costs as a result of high quality primary care.
As a bonus service, we can potentially reduce your worker’s compensation costs by treating some worker injuries within our Balanced Physician Care plan, which reduces the overall costs of claims filed. Over time, lower claim costs could reduce your workers’ comp premium costs.
Optimize Your Health, Simplify Your Life,
Balanced Physician Care Membership
Give us a call at 904-930-4774 and we will setup a free, no obligation analysis of your current, or future health benefits program.
We now have Two Membership Options starting as low as $69 per month!
Direct Primary Care Talk
Dr Sharyl Truty of Balanced Physician Care presents Direct Primary Care to the patrons of the Ponte Vedra Rotary
Health Sharing Ministries and Direct Primary Care
Audio provided by DPC Podcasts on Liberty Healthshare
High Deductible Blues
It is the beginning of the year and you have health insurance, right? You chose a high-deductible plan because it was the best you could afford. However, with a high deductible plan you essentially are likely going to pay for everything out of pocket unless you end-up having a medical event or surgery that puts you in the hospital.
What is your strategy for your health? Do you have a plan or will you just worry about it when it happens? Let us play through a few scenarios and see which one seems to work better if you have a high deductible plan.
Scenario #1
It is Friday night and you start getting a headache and over-the-counter medications just don't cut it. The Urgent Care is closed at 8pm and your choice is the ER. You go to the ER and are seen your blood pressure is high and the cause of your headache. After a CT scan, bloodwork and a long night in the ER. Your health bill totals over $3000.
Scenario #2
You cut your hand on Thursday morning making breakfast. It is not a deep cut, but enough that you need stitches. You to the local Urgent Care and they say they are unable to stitch you up because the cut it is located in a place the provider is not comfortable with, so they tell you to go to the ER. You head to the ER and there is a long wait. After about 4 hours and over $1000 later you are finally done. You get an antibiotic to take to prevent infection, but you go to the pharmacy and it costs $70. What choice do you have? Do you need it? Is there an alternative? There is no one to call.
Is there another option? You're a victim of the system what can you do?
There is another option.
Scenario #3
You had a headache a week ago and emailed your new DPC physician. She reminded you to check your blood pressure and because it was high and you had no other issues she called in a higher dose of your medication and you came in to the office the next day at a convenient time for you. She was able to quote you the price of your medication over the phone, so that it only cost you $4. Today, you cut yourself with a kitchen knife. You called her and you were in the office later that day and out in 30 min all stitched up. You only lost 90 min at work.
The cost a Direct Primary Membership.
Direct Primary Care Membership + a High Deductble Plan
Gives you COMPLETE coverage at a low fixed cost. (Like adding a "rider" to your insurance plan)
For less than $1500 a year (Less than the cost of 1 ER Visit)
- You get personal care on nights and weekends
- You get complete advice at the tips of your fingers thorugh email.
- You get care in your home or work through home phone calls and video visits
- You get the best deals in town on health testing because your DPC membership shops for them.
- You save on prescriptions because you and your doctor discuss the price before you leave.
- Your get a doctor who coordinates specialists and helps you sort through conflicting advice.
- Consider a long-term view of your health. Add some kick to your health care plan.
Call about Direct Primary Care today!
Dr Sharyl Truty MD is Physician Owner of Balanced Physician Care located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. She has been engaged in family medicine, sports medicine, acupuncture and orthopedics for almost 15 years in many different capacities. Dr. Sharyl is Board Certified in Family Practice and Sports Medicine, and fellow of the Integrative Medicine Program at the University of Arizona (Dr Weil) and a graduate of the UCLA Physician Acupuncture Program. Please call 1-833-HEAL JAX to find out on how to become a member.
Telemedicine, One Better
Telemedicine is emerging in healthcare. If you do an internet search you can find several companies where you can schedule a visit and see a physician instantly for a low cash price. It seems like a great deal, does it not?
The biggest issue however, is that it is NOT your own doctor. If you don't list all of your medications or medical problems in the pre-visit question section, the physician you see is missing information that may be critical to your care. Furthermore, you not sure what type of physician you are getting because you have not met them, do they practice the type of medicine you want to have? Is there a better solution when it comes to telemedicine?
There is...
Direct Primary Care + Telemedicine = Quality, Convenient Care
Direct Primary Care is an emerging membership model throughout the country. At its core is the premise that you have direct access to your doctor when you need it. You get to meet your doctor and see if they are right for you. You doctor gets to know you before you have an issue. If you get sick afterhours and weekends, a direct primary care doctor uses a telemedicine visit to care for your needs from the comfort of your own home. There is no need to make sure you've entered everything in the computer because you doctor knows you. The visits are fast, convenient and very satisfying.
Regardless of your Telemedicine choice, there are a few things I do recommend doing to prepare for your visit:
1) Get a Thermometer. Check your temperature. A lot of decisions when you are sick with an upper respitory infection depend upon whether you have a fever.
2) Get a blood pressure machine. This is especially true if you have any heart or blood pressure issues. Knowing your blood pressure can go a long way in making decisions.
3) Be open to an alternative diagnosis. You've done your research on the internet and you are absolutely sure you know the diagnosis and just want to a quick prescription medication. Sound familiar? Remember, the sign of a good doctor is to entertain the unusual to be sure you are not missing something else. Be patient with any questioning that they may provide and be open if they think something else is going on or ask you to follow-up with your own physician in a few days.
4) Realize that not everything can be done on-line. Abdominal pain, skin abscesses and dizziness issues are just a few things that are best still seen in person. Be open to the on-line doctor telling you that you need to go in somewhere to be seen. A good physician's credo is "do no harm", so often it is a wise decision to recommend a visit in person even if it turns out to be nothing serious. It is always better to error on the cautious even if inconvenient side when it comes to protecting your health.
Optimize Your Health, Simplify Your Life
Dr Sharyl Truty MD
Find out more about Direct Primary Care in Jacksonville, the Beaches, & Ponte Vedra at BalancedPhysicianCare.com
Direct Primary Care for Athletes
Learn How Direct Primary Care Helps Athletes and Weekend Warriors Stay at the Top of Their Game
Whether you’re a weekend warrior or professional, a fitness enthusiast, or you just enjoy to be active, you understand the need for training and conditioning your body. How your body looks on the outside is just as important as how it looks on the inside. To maintain your current fitness level and ensure you stay at the top of your game for many years to come, you will need regular advice from a physician you can trust. At Balanced Physician Care, we offer Direct Primary Care (“DPC”) memberships for weekend warriors and endurance athletes that will keep your body and mind conditioned so you can stay at the top of your game.
The following outlines the benefits of a DPC membership for weekend warriors and endurance athletes:
Our Founder Is Sports Medicine Board Certified
A Sports Medicine Physician is specially trained for total care of athletes and active individuals. After graduating medical school from Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine in Illinois, our founder, Dr. Sharyl Truty, a former college basketball player at the University of Indianapolis herself, completed the Phoebe Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Program in Georgia and trained in acupuncture through the UCLA-Helms Acupuncture certification for physicians. She served as primary care physician for the Chicago Red Stars women’s professional soccer team and has covered the Chicago Marathon yearly for 15 years. She also recently completed an Integrative Medicine Fellowship at the University of Arizona with Dr. Andrew Weil. As a physician, athlete and mother, Dr. Sharyl strives to provide all athletes the most trusted and balanced perspective on their health.
Feel Like a Pro with Direct Primary Care’s White Glove Services
Direct Primary Care membership offers 24/7 access to your physician by phone and text. For in office visits, we offer relaxed, extended appointment times. You will never feel rushed or have to wait. As a Direct Primary Care member at Balanced Physician Care, our physicians can help you with:
- Acute injuries such as ankle sprains, dislocations and non-surgical fractures;
- Overuse injuries including stress fractures, tendonitis and osteoarthritis;
- Traumatic brain injuries or concussions;
- Acute illnesses such as asthma, mononucleosis, cold or flu;
- Exercise prescriptions for people who want to be more active;
- Return to play decisions for injured or ill athletes;
- Evaluations of supplements, multivitamins and herbal medications;
- Acupuncture consultations and treatments;
- Cortisone injections;
- Cupping therapy;
- Dry needling;
- Trigger point injections;
- Mindfulness education; and
- Mind body techniques for improving performance.
Every membership includes an annual wellness physical, comprehensive 60-minute exam, biometric lab panel, and pap or prostate screening. We offer unlimited in office visits with no copays. Three (3) complimentary acupuncture visits are also included, along with holistic and integrative medicine consultations.
Prevent Injuries and Speed Recovery Times with Direct Primary Care
As we age, our muscles and joints do not recover as quickly as they used to and are more prone to injuries. Whether you are starting a new workout routine or continuing with an old one, it’s important to ensure your body is in optimal health. As your Direct Primary Care sports medicine physician, we will work with you to create an exercise plan to help prevent injuries. When injuries occur, our physicians will work with you to explore options beyond surgery.
Stay Active With Direct Primary Care
For athletes and active individuals to stay at the top of their game, they need a proper nutrition plan, exercise routine, and regular checkups with a Sport Medicine physician they can trust – a former athlete, now physician. At Balanced Physician Care, we offer affordable Direct Primary Care plans designed to simplify your life and optimize your health. For more information on Balanced Physician Care, call (904) 930-4774 or visit www.balancedphysiciancare.com.
Direct Primary Care for Pediatrics
Learn Why You Should Choose This Innovative Healthcare Model for Your Children
At Balanced Physician Care, we offer affordable Direct Primary Care membership plans for parents and their children. Direct Primary Care (“DPC”) is an innovative model of medical care that provides transparent, comprehensive, affordable, and accessible care. For a small monthly fee, your family can have full access to a physician 24/7 by phone and text. This level of care is designed to help you simplify your life and optimize the health of everyone in your family.
The following outlines the benefits of a DPC membership for your children:
We Offer Improved Patient Relationships & Convenient Care
Our physicians don’t work for insurance companies. Instead, we work for patients and their families. In addition to being available 24/7 by phone and text, we also offer same day in office appointments with no wait times. If your child is severely allergic to insect bites and gets bit by fire ants, instead of rushing to the hospital or an acute care center to wait hours for someone to see you, you can text a photo of the bite to your physician, who will review the photo, and call, text or email you immediately with care instructions. If your child gets a cold or the flu, by going through a series of questions, your physician can diagnose your child’s infection and order an antibiotic by phone, without you ever having to leave the comforts of your home.
We Help Manage Your Child’s Chronic Illness
When a child is diagnosed with a chronic illness such as asthma, diabetes, obesity, or mental illness, regardless of your wealth, it is a burden on any family. Children with chronic illness may be well at any given time, but they are always living with their condition. Parents are required to deal with the child’s needs on a daily basis. At Balanced Physician Care, our goal is to create a treatment plan that helps reduce your child’s symptoms and your family’s overall healthcare costs. If your child suffers from a chronic disease such as diabetes, our physicians can provide the tools your family needs including, nutrition and diet evaluations, advice on supplements and multi vitamins, and help creating personalized exercise programs.
We Help Keep Your Child’s Brain and Body Conditioned
Whether your child is an all-star athlete or all-star mathlete, to ensure they perform at the top of their game, they will need diet, nutrition and exercise advice from a medical professional. At Balanced Physician Care, we offer annual physicals for all of our members, including Sports Physicals. Additionally, our physicians will work with you and your child to develop a diet and exercise plan, teach injury prevention strategies, and mind-body techniques for improving performance.
We Prescribe Wellness, Not More Meds
When thinking about your child’s health, it is important to also think about the long-term effects of taking medications. Some medications are absolutely necessary; while some can be completely avoided by improving diet, sleep habits, and physical activity. At Balanced Physician Care, our founder & physician, Dr. Sharyl Truty is board certified in Family Medicine and Sports Medicine. Dr. Sharyl uses her background in Integrative Medicine to apply a holistic approach to healing for our patients and their children. From managing chronic illness symptoms to pulled muscles and other acute injuries, our physicians will work with you and your child to create a holistic treatment plan that you can trust.
Invest in Direct Primary Care for Your Child Today!
Dr Sharyl Truty MD
At Balanced Physician Care, we work with your family to create a wellness plan that simplifies your life and optimizes your health. Child Add-On Memberships are either just $69 a month for Premier Plan and $49 per month for Basic Plan.
And the more family you add, the bigger the savings...
We offer 2 different Family Plans, With the purchase of two, Adult DPC Memberships, you can include up to 3 dependent children for a discount rate per month. For more information on Balanced Physician Care, call (904) 930-4774 or visit BalancedPhysicianCare.com
