An Affordable Option for Preventive Health Care
Are you a small business owner with high-deductible health insurance or no insurance at all? Does affordable health care seem out of reach? If so, the Morgan Park Beverly Hills Business Association invites you to learn about a new option that could be beneficial for you and your employees.
Direct Primary Care is affordable, high quality health care that works just like a gym membership. You pay a flat monthly subscription and receive unlimited in-office and virtual visits, including steep discounts on most medications.
Maria Jefferson-Walker, of Hope Wellness Center & Spa, will explain the ins and outs of Direct Primary Care on Wed., Jan. 24, at 8:30 am. The location is the 19th Ward community room at 10402 S. Western Ave. This business workshop, which includes refreshments, is hosted by the Morgan Park Beverly Hills Business Association.
Maria is a family nurse practitioner who opened her own DPC practice in Beverly in October 2017. She is currently accepting subscribers for her program at Hope Wellness Center and Spa.
DPC works best as a supplement to a low premium, high deductible plan that can be used for
catastrophic events. DPC is used for preventive care, such as physical exams, pap smears, and annual lab work. The program also works well for treating acute conditions—sore throat, urinary tract infections, sinusitis, abscess drainage, laceration repair, and more. And it’s ideal for the treatment and management of chronic conditions, including asthma, hypertension, and diabetes.
Walker says that DPC has three key benefits:
- Better access to care (and unlimited access to your provider)
- Cost savings
- Convenience
The DPC model by design is meant to be small, with a max of about 600 patients, according to Walker. In this way, providers ensure that patients can get same day or next day appointments. A typical visit takes 45 to 60 minutes, with a very short wait time. If you can’t make it into the office for an appointment with Walker, you can initiate a telemedicine visit with her.
There are no deductibles or copays, apart from the monthly subscription fee. DPC works independently from health insurance, although Walker’s practice does accept Medicare.
Compared with a typical health care provider’s patient load of 3,000 to 4,000 patients and about 15 minutes per patient visit, DPC has the potential to provide more responsive and comprehensive care, Walker said.
For more information on DPC, please call Maria Jefferson-Walker at 773-985-5734 or email info@hopewellnessspa.com.