Anthony
Hopp | Posted: Aug 26, 2020 12:10 PM
The opinions expressed by columnists are their
own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.
One would
think, in these days of COVID-19, that America’s doctors and patients are as
reliant on our hospitals as they’ve ever been. And that they’re going to stay
that way.
Guess again.
Today, even
as the health care system and the economy face strains from the coronavirus and
its complications, scores of doctors and patients avoiding large bureaucratic
hospitals and instead flocking toward leaner and meaner models of health care.
Professional
providers of all types—from surgeons to drug store owners—are focusing on innovation.
Even better, they’re now treating patients as consumers who value quality care
at reasonable prices they can know in advance.
Walgreens
and VillageMD, for instance, have partnered to open primary-care centers in
500 to 700 drugstores over a five-year period. These centers will provide
annual check-ups, walk-in appointments, and many other services. Physician-led
teams of four people will treat up to 120 patients per day at these mostly
3,300-square-foot locations.
This model
is the latest iteration of a trend called decentralized care, in which patients obtain
treatment through telehealth services and outpatient surgery centers and
clinics rather than by visiting hospitals. Think about it: for two decades, the
late Harvard Business professor Clayton Christensen predicted that
decentralization in health care would follow other industries on this path,
such as travel, retail, and financial services. It was only a matter of time,
said Christensen, before health care innovators improved access to services and
reduced costs.
That time is
now.
Two key
factors are driving this emerging trend, as a recent Healthline.com article pointed out: 1)
urgent care clinics and expanded pharmacy services are improving the efficiency
of health care delivery; and 2) more people, especially older adults, are
receiving care at home. Americans who support this free-market health trend
share some of the top reasons for its popularity, including convenience and
price transparency. The media has been reporting on the trend, too.Yahoo Finance, for example, ran a piece this
summer about the expected growth of urgent care centers over the next five
years.
Dr.
Christopher Vaughn, owner of the free-market medical facility Freedom
Orthopedic in Toccoa, Georgia, says his decentralized, direct-pay model allows
him to give patients the attention they need—and crave.
“Medically,
we are better able to care for patients by being more flexible,” Vaughn said in
an interview. “When there is a big medical or financial decision, we can
discuss it and see if that is what they want to do. I can use the
decision-making skills that I was trained to use after discussing options with
the patient. This is without waiting for a third-party, non-medical person
inserting himself or herself into our physician-patient relationship. All of
this adds up to better health care for patients.”
For the past
decade, innovative doctors such as Vaughn have been experimenting with ways to
keep patient satisfaction at the core of their practice models, starting with
price transparency. For example, the Surgery Center of Oklahoma, founded and
operated by Dr. Keith Smith and partners, performs 600 to 700 surgeries per
month at prices it posts on its website.
Freedom
Orthopedic also posts transparent prices online—and in many cases offers
high-quality care for less than 50 percent of the cost, as compared to other
facilities.
“Freedom
Orthopedic has been able to help patients financially in multiple ways,
first by offering pricing that is visible online,” Vaughn said. “The cost to
‘get in the door’ is usually far less than that of half of most orthopedic
offices. If somebody needs a cast or injection, that service is included in
that visit.”
Today, as
more than 1.2 million Americans—including Vaughn himself—have moved to health
care sharing, they pay their health care bills directly. So, it behooves them
to find out the actual cost of care before they purchase it. Think about it:
Would today’s consumers purchase anything else without knowing the price of it
beforehand?
“If patients
want to check our costs against those that other orthopedic surgeons are
offering, they can go to our website,” Vaughn said. “If it helps them negotiate
better with the orthopedic surgeons they might be used to seeing, I am happy
for them."
“Our
surgical pricing helps them know what their total costs are going to be,”
Vaughn continued. “This is often very difficult for most patients to determine,
as the cost will include surgery, facility, and anesthesia.”
Too often,
patients obtain health care services without asking or knowing
the costs ahead of time. Then, weeks or months later, they’re surprised—and
potentially crushed—when they finally see the bill. Patients should know upfront
from their health care providers—and have absolute clarity about—the cost of a
health service before obtaining care.
This is not
only a reasonable request for a patient to make. It’s absolutely necessary.
The
decentralization of health care comes with spiritual benefits as well. The
separation from a hospital system allows physicians such as Vaughn the flexibility
to share the Gospel.
“I have the
freedom to address a person’s spiritual needs as well as his or her medical
needs—and thus I can care for the whole patient,” Vaughn said.
Anthony Hopp
is Vice President for External Relations for Samaritan Ministries International, a
health care sharing ministry.
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