Private Pay Health Care

Private Pay is the basis upon which the healthcare financing system began. Patients paid physicians a fee-for-service. In its purest sense, the Private Pay model includes only the physician and patient in the exchange of compensation for medical care provided. Over the years as healthcare financing arrangements have changed, entities paying a fee-for-service includes all payers-public and private. Recently, the healthcare industry has referred to physician practices that do not accept health insurance as cash-only practices or Private Pay offices. Private Pay vastly reduces the traditional overhead expenses by not having to bill and abide by contractual requirements of third party payers. Further, collection rates may be higher with fewer bad debt expenses. Physicians in a pure Private Pay practice may want to continue to see patients with private insurance who are willing to pay cash and submit their own claims. Before charging privately insured patients on a cash basis, the physician should determine that there are no contractual or legal restrictions on doing so. This will necessitate a review of existing contracts and state insurance regulations. Certain states protect enrollee’s in particular private insurance plans from being billed for any sums beyond what the insurance company pays, except for co-pays and deductibles. Opponents of a completely Private Pay practice model would argue that it violates the professional principle of ensuring equal access for all. Individuals with insurance may not be able to afford seeing a physician who does not participate with their health plan due to the added financial responsibilities. Thus, the Private Pay practice is limiting its level of patients’ access to care based on one’s financial means. There are already millions of Americans who cannot afford private health insurance and have Medicaid coverage. Others self-insure due to their financial resources being such that they can pay out-of-pocket for their medical expenses. Physicians who wish to move to a pure Private Pay practice and still take Medicare patients must privately contract with such patients. If still accepting Medicare, it is advisable to follow the Medicare fee schedule as to avoid causing any red flags to be raised. The rules related to treating Medicaid patients on a Private Pay basis will vary from state to state. It is advisable to contact the state Medicaid agency for their terms on charging patients directly.

Executive Physical

Executive Physical offers busy executives an efficient, cost-effective way to manage their health and reduce medical absences. Thousands of executives from companies throughout the world participate in the Executive Health Programs. For corporate executives who understand the benefits of watching their health, many of the nation's top medical institutions offer "executive health care programs" tailored to their time-pressed needs. The comprehensive physical exams and lengthy physician consultations are conducted with an efficiency and attentiveness worthy of their high-powered clientele. IPA includes a comprehensive medical history review and physical exam by an internal medicine specialist and referrals to sub-specialists, as necessary. It includes a full range of preventive screening tests, a cardiovascular (heart) fitness evaluation. Tailoring the evaluation to the personal health needs and is strictly confidential. You may need to stay for more days if the initial health review identifies issues requiring follow-up. The program blends IPA well-known diagnostic expertise with the latest in preventive medicine. Many a previously undiscovered condition following an executive health exam has been successfully treated. IPA executive health doctors have extensive experience in evaluating health risk factors in healthy people and in people experiencing symptoms of illness or injury. They have access to all of the resources of the Mayo Clinic and can coordinate the care, if you have multiple health concerns.

Internal Medicine

Doctors of internal medicine focus on adult medicine and have had special study and training focusing on the prevention and treatment of adult diseases. At least three of their seven or more years of medical school and postgraduate training are to learning how to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases that affect adults. Internists are sometimes known as the doctor's doctor, because they act as consultants to other physicians to help solve puzzling diagnostic problems. Internists can choose to focus their practice on general internal medicine, or may take additional training to sub-specialize in one of 13 areas of internal medicine. Cardiologists, for example, are doctors of internal medicine who sub-specialize in diseases of the heart. The training an internist receives to sub-specialize in a particular medical area is both broad and deep. Subspecialty training usually requires an additional one to three years beyond the standard three-year general internal medicine residency. Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Doctors of internal medicine, also known as internists, are sometimes the doctor's doctor, because other physicians consult them to help solve puzzling diagnostic problems. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes. An internist cares for hospitalized and ambulatory patients and may play a major role in teaching or research. Internal medicine is also a type of veterinary specialty. The term internal medicine comes from the German term "Innere Medizin," popularized in Germany in the late 19th century to describe physicians who combined the science of the laboratory with the care of patients. Many early-20th-century American doctors studied medicine in Germany and brought this medical field to the United States. Specialists in internal medicine are internists in the United States. In modern practice, most internists are subspecialists; that is, in general, they limit their medical practice to problems of one organ system or to one particular area of medical knowledge. For example, gastroenterologists and nephrologists specialize in diseases of the gut and the kidneys, respectively.

Retainer medicine is practiced by physicians have decided to drop out of all third party payer programs. These practitioners have offered a limited number of patients the opportunity to pay a fixed annual fee in exchange for premium services and amenities. Retainers Doctors generally limited by a drastic amount the number of patients, which they will service. Retainer Medicine Concierge medicine goes by many names, boutique medicine, retainer medicine, executive health, VIP medicine, and personalized medicine. By any name, concierge medicine is the solution for doctors trying to maintain their integrity and independence in today’s difficult healthcare environment. Concierge Medicine

Retinoids Topical Acne Treatment

Retinoids are a group of medications that normalize the follicle cell lifecycle. There are topical retinoids such as tretinoin (brand name Retin-A), adapalene (brand name Differin) and tazarotene (brand name Tazorac). Like isotretinoin, these medications are similar to vitamin A, but they are topical treatments and generally have much milder side effects. However, they can cause significant irritation of the skin. The retinoids appear to influence the creation and death lifecycle of cells in the follicle lining. This helps prevent the hyper-keratinization of these cells that can create a blockage. Retinol, a form of vitamin A, has similar but milder effects and doctors prescribe because it also contains moisturizers. Doctors have prescribed topical retinoids for over 30 years, but are not available over the counter, so they are not as widely used as other topical treatments. Topical retinoids often cause an initial flare up of acne and facial flushing.