Direct Med Clinic Collaborates With Sesame Care

1. COVID-19 Is Here To Stay. Thankfully, So Is Telemedicine.
2. The Value of Direct Primary Care Through Telemedicine
3. Telemedicine Without Insurance
4. Affordable Telemedicine
5. Virtual Comp Clinic

COVID-19 Is Here To Stay. Thankfully, So Is Telemedicine.

While many providers are finding it challenging to continue to provide care for their patients and to keep their doors open, clinicians who were already utilizing telemedicine in the Direct Primary Care setting are not facing the same battle. Patients have been able to access their healthcare providers through telemedicine and virtual care for years, as is the case with Direct Med Clinic. Members have supplemented their in-person visits with telemedicine consultations. Since members are able to pay cash in exchange for direct care visits, they have also managed to maintain control over access to their doctor. Patients in the direct primary care model are less limited by third-party interest groups, which can often deny coverage or dictate the type of care they can receive. Many doctors are becoming “teledoctors” overnight, (thanks in part to the temporary waiver of HIPAA requirements the government has provided), to keep up with healthcare demands. Dr. Roger Moczygemba, the lead physician of Direct Med Clinic, has long been acquainted with the telemedicine industry since 2004, however. Considered a pioneer of telemedicine with years of experience, Dr. Moczygemba is not new to telehealth. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has brought many challenges, Direct Med Clinic is happy to provide continuity of primary care to patients by combining professional medical care with state-of-the-art, HIPAA-compliant technology.

Now that it is becoming clear that COVID-19 is here to stay, even after a vaccine, and as we approach a “new normal,” more companies have begun to embrace the telehealth platform. Direct Med Clinic is pleased to collaborate with Sesame Care, “a healthcare online direct-pay marketplace that connects patients and providers.” Sesame Care is a company that encourages price transparency and the collaboration of independent healthcare innovators by assisting with the listing of direct-pay services and availability. Transactions are hassle-free, quick, and easy—a stark shift away from the complexities of health insurance. Patients are able to search, book, and pay upfront prices for healthcare services online, and with cash, bypassing insurance to pay their provider directly.

The Value of Direct Primary Care Through Telemedicine

Before COVID-19, primary care providers were typically limited with the amount of time spent with patients, averaging 10-12 minutes for a routine visit. Doctors do more than look into the eyes, nose, and throat, however. Direct Primary Care doctors double their time with patients at the very least, allowing for more time to establish a doctor-patient relationship, develop a history and help with early detection of disease with primary care intervention. Still, patients do need alternatives to face-to-face primary care.

Since at least the 1960’s and 1970’s, remote health checks and patient monitoring have been a solution. For astronauts in orbit aboard the International Space Station and beyond Earth (e.g., Artemis astronauts on the way to the Moon), people in remote areas, tribal reservations, and other patients who cannot go to see a doctor, telemedicine has been a solution.

“In the early 1970s, NASA partnered with the Papago (now Tohono O’odham) Nation of southern Arizona to establish the Space Technology Applied to the Rural Papago Advanced Health Care (STARPAHC) project. This effort proved to be an important step in developing the techniques needed to deliver health care in remote locations.“

Telemedicine Without Insurance

While Direct Med Clinic does not intend to replace in-person visits with virtual visits, there are reasons patients may not be able to get to a non-emergency appointment. Today, even those who are not confined by time constraints, physical distance, or other reasons have had stifled in-person gatherings and meetings, and limited direct care with doctors due to COVID-19 regulations.

Under traditional primary care, direct access to a doctor affordably and transparently during COVID-19 is not likely a part of the model. Many Americans who are already struggling with financial stability and economic fears are paying a fortune for COVID-19 care. With a Direct Med Clinic membership modeled on direct primary care, there are no surprise bills or extra costs that will come with an “extra” phone call, text message or video consultation to the doctor. In fact, a Direct Med Clinic membership costs less than a monthly phone bill, bringing incredible savings and value to a Direct Med Clinic member! No insurance is required.

Affordable Telemedicine

Since most providers who practice telemedicine will not be the same every time, the continuity of care is often lacking. Many Direct Med Clinic clients have already established care with our dedicated providers, making it easier for employees to be screened regularly without compromising quality or continuity. For many employers, these kinds of services can be astronomical, especially when paying fee-for-service and incurring an itemized bill. High and unpredictable costs deter employees from being seen often by a doctor, as patients cannot afford to pay for the services regularly. However, chronic diseases can become life-threatening when left untreated, and complications occur, resulting in sickness, employee absenteeism, and low worker productivity. Direct Med Clinic membership has a flat rate of $79 per month, which includes telemedicine visits at no additional charge. For occupational medicine or employer memberships, this includes work injury and evaluation management.

Healthcare coverage is continuously dwindling for most Americans. There are limits on the services provided, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Providers are combining direct primary care with telemedicine to reach new bounds, and Sesame Care is helping.

With the flexibility of the Sesame Care platform, patients can search for an array of telemedicine services, and Direct Med Clinic is pleased to partner with Sesame Care for more specialists to help to provide more care, such as:

• Physical Therapy
• Optometry
• Audiology
• Dental care & treatments
• Mental & behavioral health
• Pain management
• Imaging

“Thanks to Sesame, I finally got a knee MRI that was denied three times by my insurance. Now, I can get treatment without worrying about further damage.”

-Eileen

Virtual Comp Clinic

Direct Med Clinic offers wellness and preventive care, minor urgent care, diagnosis, treatment, and even prescription management through telemedicine. Direct Med Clinic’s virtual workers’ comp care can treat 85% of work injuries, for example, making virtual care not to be underestimated.  Direct Med Clinic is changing utilization by decreasing expenditure, keeping preventive care as top priority.

“I like that they don’t just say to lose weight and exercise. They take the time to discuss how I can do this in my life.”

– President Ernesto Gomez, Cool Component

In-person visits at Direct Med Clinic are only $0 for members. Due to COVID-19, more patients will find themselves online with virtual care technology and telemedicine, which is included for free in our membership. Telemedicine is transcending the problem associated with time constraints, travel, and especially COVID-19 related financial hardships.

Considering the unknowns about COVID-19, the duration of the pandemic, it is worth investing into technological shifts for caring for population health management. For employers with a relationship with Direct Med Clinic, they are able to receive pop-up COVID-19 testing sites in place of onsite clinics.

Direct Med Clinic is happy to support a platform that encourages innovation, such as Sesame’s direct-pay telemedicine platform. We believe that it will help to connect patients and providers in San Antonio. Until we are all able to meet in person once again, be safe!