Total Access Medical - Direct Primary Care Blog

Telemedicine—what is it, why does it matter, and what should you be aware of before diving in? Here are telemedicine pros and cons as we see it. 

What is telemedicine?

The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) says, "Formally defined, telemedicine is the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications to improve a patient’s clinical health status. Telemedicine includes a growing variety of applications and services using two-way video, email, smart phones, wireless tools and other forms of telecommunications technology." 

While every physician's reason to move to a concierge medicine model is uniquely their own, there are some overarching themes that we've seen. Here are some of the reasons.

1. The concierge medicine model allows physicians to spend more time with patients.

It's no secret that traditional healthcare models are based on volume, meaning the more patients a doctor sees in a day, the better—at least for the practice. Primary care physicians often carry a caseload of 2000+ patients, an unwieldy number that results in shorter and shorter visits.

Remember, your personal wellness plan is supposed to encourage you, not defeat you. Here's how to make sure it helps instead of hurts.

A half century ago, it wasn't uncommon for doctors to make house calls. But by the 80s, this practice had fallen by the wayside along with other once-popular trends like go-go boots and granny glasses.

Last month, it was all about safety. This month, it's National Parks and Recreation Month,

which means it's all about having fun! Help celebrate with these summer health tips that'll keep you moving, smiling, and laughing.

1. Embrace the obvious summer sports.

Swimming, beach volleyball, tennis, golf—all of these are great activities that get our bodies moving. The great thing is that so many of these activities don't feel like traditional exercise. They just provide lots of sweaty fun.

In March, we started a new tradition of sharing the latest and greatest news regarding concierge care and other health-related topics. Here's our next installment.

July is National Concierge Medicine Awareness Month. Started by Concierge Medicine Today, the goal of the month is to educate the public on concierge care, including its many benefits.

In case you haven't read enough stories about the millennial demographic, here are five millennial-driven healthcare trends. We thought this point was especially interesting: "One in five respondents overall called unexpected bills their top healthcare concern; moreover, millennials were most likely to ask for cost information upfront at 41 percent, compared to only 18 percent of seniors and 21 percent of boomers."

You've done your research and you love what concierge medicine has to offer. You know the next step is meeting with concierge care physicians so that you can find the right fit.

Here are five tips for conducting those all-important meet-and-greets.

We've talked a lot about the many benefits concierge doctors provide their patients. One of these benefits has to do with vacation planning.

Because your concierge doctor has a significantly reduced patient caseload, he or she has the time to help you with your vacation plans—at least, the items dealing with your health and wellness (haggling with the airlines is still your job!).

Here's how your concierge doctor can help simplify your vacation planning.

Juggling one person's medical issues can be challenging. So what happens when you have to juggle your spouse, your kids, and yourself (and maybe parents and in-laws to boot)? You likely feel stressed out and perhaps even a bit frustrated.