Total Access Medical - Direct Primary Care Blog

In 2016, an estimated 1,685,210 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and 595,690 people will die from the disease. Although a few patients diagnosed with cancer can attribute their illness to a hereditary abnormal gene, most people believe their cancer was a result of a DNA mutation possibly caused by a handful of external factors such as environmental radiation, toxins, and poor diet. However, this may not be the case, as some bouts of cancer may be linked to the manner in which cancer cells produce energy.

"Insurance-based primary care has grown increasingly complex, inefficient, and restrictive, driving frustrated physicians and patients to seek alternatives. Direct primary care is a rapidly growing form of health care that not only alleviates such frustrations, but also goes above and beyond to offer increased access and improved care at an affordable cost." - Dr. David Perkins 

The way companies and their employees get access to health care is evolving quickly. Employers, employees and their families are starting to demand more convenient, on-demand access to health care. It is clear that this trend will continue, especially as today’s higher deductibles are causing increased consumer sensitivity to health care costs.

Research shows that memory loss can begin as early as your 20s, and it continues as you age. Thankfully, taking a few easy steps throughout your day can help you stay sharp. When you eat a heart-healthy diet that is low in saturated fat, you reduce your risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, all of which are believed to contribute to memory loss.

Getting older is a natural part of life. As we grow older, we experience an increasing number of major life changes, including career changes, retirement, children leaving home, the loss of loved ones, and mental and physical changes as well. How we handle and grow from these changes is the key to staying healthy. 

A common issue regarding healthcare today is that people feel that their doctor’s appointments are rushed. Many people say that they don’t get enough time to ask questions and, consequently, do not fully understand the instructions their doctor gave them. Everyone gets about 15 minutes of face time with their doctor (unless you're a member of a direct primary care practice), so it’s often difficult to remember everything you wanted to bring up or that was discussed. Being prepared beforehand with a list of questions for your next doctor’s appointment will help ensure a more productive visit and increase the potential for a more effective outcome. Use these tips to prepare yourself for your next office visit:

With the older population of Americans steadily increasing along with the demand for primary care physicians, we at Total Access Medical are firm believers that direct primary care movement is not just a phase. Patients who belong to these kind of practices experience better care for less money while physicians experience stronger relationships with their patients and little overhead costs due to no insurance. But for patients unfamiliar with direct primary care, the concept may be confusing.

The #1 travel nightmare for older adults and adults with chronic diseases is to forget, lose or misplace medications. What do you do when you're on the road or even overseas without your daily medication? If you're in the United States, it should not be much of a problem but if you're traveling abroad, it could be a much more serious issue. The seriousness of the missing medication depends on your health condition. For some travelers, missing medication is a mild issue but for others it can be life threatening. Before we get started with what to do when your medications go missing, let’s look at how to avoid the problem.

There are countless reasons why you may be searching for a new primary care doctor. Perhaps you moved to new area, or have a new insurance plan. Maybe your primary care physician is retiring or you want to try out a different type of healthcare, such as concierge medical care. But where should you start? Use this checklist to make the process of finding a primary care physician easier. 

In an study published last week entitled, “Direct Primary Care: Practice Distribution and Cost Across the Nation,” Philip Eskew, DO, JD, MBA and Kathleen Klink, MD, document, research and analyze Concierge Medical Practices and Direct Primary Care (DPC) practices spanning across the United States. Topics include: the stigma associated with the term "concierge," a distinction between the various healthcare models, an explanation of why DPC is growing in today’s medical world, and an an analysis of how it meets the basic desires of both physicians and patients and how it is priced across the U.S.