By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    mosquito misting spray to fight malaria
    Avoid Malaria with Mosquito Misting Systems
    June 12, 2023
    Medical Surveys
    Beyond the Clinic: Medical Surveys Are a Roadmap to Passive Income for Doctors
    September 23, 2023
    Glutathione
    What Are The Benefits of Glutathione?
    January 22, 2024
    Latest News
    6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
    September 10, 2025
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Tips for Older Travelers
    April 14, 2012
    Anti-RUC Suit Challenges Process for Setting Doc Pay Scales
    October 25, 2011
    Math Matters: Dosing Errors Can Be Deadly
    May 1, 2012
    Latest News
    Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
    September 9, 2025
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: The New (Old) Family Doctor: Cheaper, Better Care Without Insurance
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Wellness > Home Health > The New (Old) Family Doctor: Cheaper, Better Care Without Insurance
Home Health

The New (Old) Family Doctor: Cheaper, Better Care Without Insurance

Bruce Watson
Bruce Watson
Share
7 Min Read
Image
SHARE

Image

Image

In old movies and TV shows, medical care always seems like a simple thing. When Beaver Cleaver or Jem Finch is sick or injured, the kindly neighborhood doctor shows up, fixes everything, and gives the parents a bill. Payment usually occurs off screen, but the medical expenses never seem especially onerous: the “Beaver’s Tonsils” episode of Leave it to Beaver doesn’t finish with Mr. Cleaver telling his son to hold on for a month until finances are better. And the broken arm scene in To Kill a Mockingbird doesn’t end with Atticus telling Jem to man up until they can make it to the free clinic. Instead, the process is simple: injury, treatment, payment, healing.

For a growing number of doctors who are trying to recapture the simplicity — and profitability — of old fashioned family medicine, the solution seems to lie in taking out one ingredient: insurance companies. These non-insurance practices, which generally go under the name “concierge doctors” or “direct primary care practices,” are usually aimed toward high-end patients, who can pay thousands of dollars per year to retain doctors who will see them at a moment’s notice. But while the concierge model is attractive, it is also out of the price range of most people.

More Read

Here’s What To Know And Expect About The Future Of Healthcare
Long Term Services and Supports Scorecard
Caregiver Depression Two Times National Average
4 Things That Could Happen in Health Reform
Wearables are Improving Clinical Trial Research

 

Re-creating the Small Town Doctor

In Lawrence, Kansas, Dr. Ryan Neuhofel, DO, MPH is approaching direct primary care from a different angle. While in medical school, he realized that the traditional model of medical care wasn’t for him. “I had an overly romantic vision of what a small-town doctor could be in today’s health care system,” he recalls. “I wanted to build a direct model that would work for most people.”

Dr. Ryan Neuhofel Dr. Ryan Neuhofel
Dr. Neuhofel’s patients pay a base fee that starts at $10 per month for someone under 30 and ranges up to $50 per month for a family. In return, they have 24/7 web and phone access to the doctor, as well as free administration and processing of many basic lab tests. Beyond that, patientspay for each service, from $10 for a cholesterol panel to $100 for certain kinds of casts. In-office visits cost $20 for 15 minutes; house calls — house calls! — cost $100.

 

Neuhofel’s prices are far below market rate. “I’m able to charge less than half the Medicare cost for most procedures,” he says. “While insurance policies vary, I think that most of my prices are about what a patient would usually pay for a copay.” And, because he doesn’t have to spend hours wrangling with insurers — or, worse yet, hiring a staff member to do so — Neuhofel can make a tidy profit, even with his lower prices.

On an immediate level, this translates into much closer contact with each of his patients. The average family practice doctor sees 2,000 to 3,000 patients per year. By comparison, Neuhofel is hoping to build a practice with about 1,000 patients. “That number will enable me to make about the same amount of money as the average general practitioner, while also allowing me to give them a much higher level of service,” he explains.

Cutting Back on Insurance

The trouble with the current system, Neuhofel argues, is not that patients havehealth insurance, but rather that they are entirely dependent upon it. “I tell people that insurance is best reserved for expensive, unexpected events,” he explains. For health maintenance and minor problems, he believes, most people should probably be paying out-of-pocket. “Health insurance should be like car insurance,” he says.”You don’t bill your car insurance for oil changes or little scratches in your car’s paint job.”

 

With that in mind, Neuhofel advises his patients to get catastrophic, high-deductible insurance to give them protection against severe health problems. “Personally, I have health insurance for catastrophic problems,” he says. “I hope that I never have to use it!”

Even so, Neuhofel estimates that 70 percent of his patients are uninsured; in fact, many are referrals from local emergency rooms, where the cost of care would be untenable. For these patients, he’s a serious bargain. “I’ve seen people in my area pay $2,000, $3,000 or even $4,000 for something that I could have handled for $50.”

 

Streamlining to Save Money

But for all of his old-fashioned customer service, Neuhofel also makes use of some very advanced technologies in his attempts to keep prices low. His office is almost entirely paperless, and he schedules most appointments through e-mail or via phone message.

And many of Neuhofel’s more basic consultations take place online: Patients send him questions, often accompanied by pictures, and he advises them on a course of action. In a traditional medical setting, a doctor couldn’t do phone consultations, largely because there would be no way for them to get payment for the time involved. Because of Neuhofel’s membership model, he doesn’t need to worry that the time he spends with patients won’t be reimbursed.

“Our only concern is making things easier for our patients,” Neuhofel explains. “They know that I’m paying attention, and the fact that I’m not rushed means that I am able to make a better diagnosis.” And in the end, that’s a profitable outcome for everyone … with the possible exception of insurance companies.

 

Original Post

TAGGED:doctor/patient relationshiphealth insurance
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Home HealthWellness

The Most Important Health And Wellness Essentials

March 28, 2019
Business

Cynical Thoughts about Medical Insurance

December 31, 2012
Home HealthWellness

Beat the Heat (As Best You Can) with These Simple Tips

July 16, 2013

The Mandate May Fall, But Not Reform

March 26, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?