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Friday, January 24, 2003So two years ago, Advani jumped off the modern medical treadmill and started Pearls of Hope, a family medical practice that aims to bring back what he calls the "golden age of medicine." He charges just $25 for office visits -- cash please. He's willing to see patients after normal business hours, and he even makes the occasional house call for those who can't get in to see him. Advani doesn't take any form of insurance. That would be too time-consuming and raise overhead costs, he says. Buying or leasing a medical office is also expensive, so, like physicians of old, Advani's 17th Street home doubles as his office. Another doctor in the story has also stepped away from insurance processing, but he hasn’t lowered his prices much (he’s not working from his home like the other guy): San Francisco internist William Andereck, who heads up a committee that focuses on solo and small-group medical practices for the California Medical Association, says more doctors like Advani are searching for a better way. "The bottom line is, the health care system in the United States is irreparably broken," Andereck said. "The corporate players, including the physicians, have sucked the money out of the system. Patients have become a means to an end. "Doctors are working for the insurance companies, not the patients," he said. "Every patient senses it." Andereck says his patients now all pay upfront for their treatments -- and receive better care because of it. But they pay about $65 per visit, and it is left to patients to deal with the insurance company. Though Advani does not turn away insured patients, he says he specifically targets the nearly 20 percent of Kern County residents who have no medical coverage. When it comes to every day outpatient medical care, smaller really is better. posted by Sydney on 1/24/2003 07:52:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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