Free Republic

A few weeks ago, patients of Dr. Chad Savage received an alarming email. The Brighton, Michigan, primary care physician told them that because of skyrocketing medical costs such as “expensive medications, crushing doctor bills and double digit insurance premium increases,” he would have to raise his own office rates. By…. $0. “Yup! That’s right. Nothing! Zero, nada, zip,” his note said. As a direct primary care (DPC) physician, Savage — not insurance companies or government regulators — sets his own rates. His patients pay a monthly fee for unlimited access to office visits and free in-office testing and procedures. And...

Let’s start with the doctor/patient relationship—the disappearance of which has been lamented by many. The pertinent definition of “relationship” in the Oxford Dictionaries deems it: “The way in which two or more people or organizations regard and behave toward each other.” In one sense, every patient wants to be treated well by his physician, and in many cases, so-called “continuity of care” is most desirable. Likewise, the physician may wish to spend more time with a particular patient, but is forced by economic realities to rush the process. Perhaps, some of this search for the ideal doctor/patient relationship is driven...