News & Releases

Check out the Erie Times New article on our transition to a Direct Primary Care practice beginning in Sept 2013. We are excited to bring a new option for primary care to the Erie community this fall. For the record, we did not use the word "kicked out" in reference to Medicare. We made a difficult decision not to participate due to poor reimbursements from Medicare, along with the threatened pay cuts that were to go into effect on 1 Jan 2013. Those pay cuts would have had a significant implication on the financial viability of our practice. We continue to see Medicare patients outside of their insurance through a private contract per Medicare guidelines. Our new model will help patients: those who are underinsured with high deductibles, uninsured, and Medicare patients by saving them money through wholesale medications and lab testing. The wholesale medication program will especially help Medicare patients because they won't have to worry about the donut-hole and those without insurance. The savings are pretty significant. The additional savings also come in the form of no copays, no deductible, and no non-covered service fees. We also include other in-house testing and procedures free of charge.

We did not invent Direct Primary Care; we took what's been working nationwide.  We are bringing this new health care model to the Erie and surrounding communities this fall. Direct Primary Care is a physician fix for physicians for patients. If we can simplify the process of delivering care, we can vastly increase the value and affordability of health care. Direct Primary Care is a legal option under the health care reform bill. Once the health exchanges open in October, many people will understand that a Direct Primary Care practice is an approved option. In short, the best option for many patients will be an "exchange qualified" major medical type plan or high deductible traditional insurance combined with a Direct Primary Care provider like our practice. This combination will save the maximum amount of money, while also allowing for a maximum amount of health care for patients. As the article says, we know this is not going to work for everyone, but we believe we can help improve access to quality care for patients who otherwise would avoid going to the doctor due to high deductible plans or not having insurance. 

Our recommendation is a high deductible plan that covers major medical expenses, catastrophic illnesses, or serious medical conditions requiring hospitalization, surgeries, or prolonged treatments. This allows patients to be protected against life altering circumstances in the most cost-effective manner. Essentially the insurance plan will function as just that: insurance against major medical expenses. This type of coverage is much, much cheaper than an attempt to cover foreseeable standard medical expenses with insurance. We are positioning our practice to be the most cost-effective option.

The wholesale prices on prescription medications and discounted diagnostic testing that we are able to offer by not participating with traditional insurances provides additional saving for our patients. We are excited to have the opportunity not only to offer these discounts, but also to be able to do so while increasing both our availability to our patients and the amount of time we can spend with them.  We are here to help! If you like what you have seen and have questions, review our website, Facebook page, or call our office with any questions. Your care is our Primary Care! Also, 'LIKE' our FB page for updates and please share us with people you may know that could benefit from our new model of primary care!  Thanks! Drs. Jon & Harry