Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
The À La Carte Direct Primary Care (DPC) model is new alternative payment model for improving access to high-functioning healthcare without a monthly membership fee or high annual commitments. No third-party billing. No interference or restrictions from health insurance companies. The defining element of DPC is an enduring and trusting relationship between a patient and his or her primary care provider. Patients have extraordinary access to a provider of their choice. The Health Care Providers are accountable first and foremost to their patients.
Better Health Outcomes:
Health & Wellness Magazine asked Latitude Clinic’s owner Vanessa Hamalian why she created the À La Carte DPC model for her practice.
Hamalian: “The concept for Latitude Clinic has been cooking in my brain for a long time. It is rooted in the original Direct Primary Care concept, which historically offers a low recurring monthly fee rather than an annual fee as is typical in Concierge Care.
As much as I love the Direct Primary Care concept, I find myself personally not willing to pay the monthly fee. I perceive myself as not needing a doctor very often at all. However, I do want the “small office feel, personal attention, and ease of access that direct primary care and concierge care offer. I am happy to pay for the access I want.”
Lower Costs:
Health & Wellness asked: How can not having insurance save my family money?
Hamalian: “Basically, my concept is to provide all the good things that DPC offers without the monthly fee. For a person that utilizes care once a month or more, traditional DPC would be the better option. For the person that needs medical care on average less than once per month, the à la carte will be a better financial option. Its concierge care for the financially savvy individuals and families!”
Enhanced Patient Experience:
Health and Wellness asked: What makes Latitude Clinic a place I want to bring my family?
Hamalian: “We offer personalized care AND easy access. We do NOT allow insurance companies to dictate what we can and can’t do. This concept is most beneficial to people that tend to think outside the box when it comes to healthcare and medicine. Maybe they want a more or a less aggressive treatment than what is considered “traditional western healthcare.” Sometimes they want more screenings or less screenings or different options for screening.
We do not judge. We do not talk down to our patients or fire them when they choose a path outside of our suggestions. We listen to hear the patient’s perspective and understand the root of their concern. We share our perspectives, professional opinions, and treatment options. Ultimately, we understand the patient is the decision maker. We place the power and the responsibility in the patient’s hands and will honor their decisions.”
Health & Wellness asked: What happens if there is a major life event and I need surgery or I am diagnosed with something serious like cancer or diabetes?
Hamalian: “Most people carry catastrophic insurance or a Christian Health Share Plan like CHM or Medishare, which is, in essence, catastrophic coverage. DPC and the À La Carte version we offer at Latitude Clinic is the “regular maintenance care” model.
If you think of a person as a car, we all need gas and preventative maintenance. Car insurance would be much more expensive and unwieldy if it covered gas, oil, tires and brakes. If your car insurance covered the regular maintenance, then the insurance company would be dictating which tires, oil, and gas you buy. Instead, we maintain our own cars, and then carry auto insurance for unforeseen events, like accidents and hailstorms. In the À La Carte DPC model, you are taking care of your own body the way YOU choose. You are often saving money and making your own choices.
Health and Wellness: So what happens when your body suffers a “hail storm”?
Hamalian: Our recommendation is always to carry catastrophic insurance. In our opinion, the quality of the “maintenance care” is better when the free market and the individual’s free will guide the purchase rather than the insurance company. At Latitude Clinic, you can control your costs and make your own choice of doctor and services.
Latitude Pediatric & Family Clinic: Where individual rights meet professional advice! We provide primary care to the entire family, starting with our sweet newborns and throughout the lifespan. Medicine is not one size fits all. Here, you are given the latitude to be the master of your path and destiny. Our goal is to provide medical recommendations while truly hearing and understanding and respecting your concerns and goals.
Latitude Pediatric and Family Clinic
2831 Ringling Blvd, Suite F220
Sarasota FL, 34237
941-253-2530
www.latitudeclinic.com
