Aggravating Allergies
For people with allergies, Missouri is Misery
Unfortunately for allergy sufferers, we here in Missouri have one of the worst allergy climates in the country. The main culprit in a bad case of seasonal allergic rhinitis is pollen. So what can we do about allergies? We can figure out your allergies through a simple and inexpensive blood test.
Direct Primary Care vs. Concierge Doctor
It’s hard find a doctor and nearly impossible to get in to see them when you need them. These are common issues with insurance-only doctors’ offices. There are two kinds of practice models that you’ll see mentioned when you’re researching alternative options practices: “concierge medicine” and “DPC,” or Direct Primary Care.
How to Find a Direct Primary Care Doctor
DPC Frontier Mapper (linked here) is a good source for finding DPC practices in your area. But beyond that, what are the things you should be thinking about to determine which practice(s) will be the best fit for you?
Please Bother Me! That’s What I’m Here For
Twice in the last two weeks, I’ve talked with patients who have had urgent issues pop up after-hours. Both patients decided to head to an urgent care clinic and got good treatment, though it was expensive. One of them said “I didn’t want to bother you.”
And that made me stop and think — how do my patients know when to go to the emergency room, and when to use an urgent care center? And when should they call me instead?
Does DPC Save Money?
Sometimes people balk at the idea of a subscription fee to a DPC doctor. You still need to have health insurance to cover emergency and catastrophic care (although some people opt out of this). So this is just more money spent, right? But there are financial savings, too.