I’ve received quite a bit of input lately from former patients who are having trouble finding a doctor who will listen and is willing to prescribe the meds needed. Mel did that for them when we had our own clinic, and they loved him for it. They knew he cared.

But it turned out that he couldn’t take the time he wanted to treat his patients as human beings and make an income of any kind. Because of the need for billing specialists and coding specialists to meet government and insurance regulations, all income we received went to extra staff. Due to government and insurance interference, we were told we would have to see 30-35 patients a day in order to meet a quota and make a living. That was when, after 4 1/2 years, we realized we were done. Mel couldn’t keep moonlighting on weekends and keep the clinic going. It seemed independent physicians were a part of history, and Mel went back to full-time ER work.

We have found, however, that some independent family physicians have successfully disconnected from the interference of government and insurance. They were once called concierge doctors. They take monthly payments from patients, and are available 24/7 for those patients. In fact, Samaritan Ministries is a huge proponent of concierge–or as they call it, direct care–medicine. Not only do patients of direct care doctors receive better individual care, they are prone to fewer illnesses because their doctors have time to take more complete measures to prevent chronic illness.  Patients of direct care physicians see the inside of a hospital less often, naturally, because of excellent patient care.

If you’re looking for a new doctor, you might look up direct care physicians in your area and see if there’s one who would successfully care for you and your family. If you go that direction and then join Samaritan Ministries, the cost of medical care could become a fraction of what you might now pay.

I found my new doctor today. He’s a doctor of osteopathy, like Mel, and they are often more tuned in to my need for functional medicine–a combination of traditional medicine and a naturopathic approach. He even asked me if I took iodine regularly–he went all Dr. David Brownstein on me! Of course I take iodine every day. Doesn’t everyone? It’s a vital element that our bodies are usually missing!

But I digress. It’s exciting to find a physician who will actually listen to you and work with you in a way that will best meet your needs. If you’re not happy with the situation you’re in–and many aren’t–just consider direct care, D.O.s, and Samaritan Ministries. That’s a knockout combo that might just keep you healthy for many years to come!