Living Life to the Fullest Program

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Living Life to the Fullest
At Ponderosa Medical we have created a new healthcare option we are calling, "Living Life to the Fullest". We believe there is so much more we can do to provide assessment and direct options for long term optimization of one's health. We hope that you will see its value and potential and join us in raising the bar on physicians access and scope of services
[ About Living Life to the Fullest ] [ Living Life to the Fullest gives patients ] [ Annual Retainer ] [ Fees & Insurance ] [ Cost Analysis ] [ What Living Life to the Fullest is not ]	About Living Life to the Fullest In our current Medical climate, the downward reimbursement pressure by health insurance companies pushes physicians to take less and less time with their patients so as to be able to see more and more patients per day. It is not uncommon for physicians to see 60 or more patients a day, some even as high as 145 patients per day. In our opinion this results in a severe loss to the quality of patient care. The average face-to-face time, between patient and physician, in primary care medicine is 6 minutes per visit. Full practice schedules leave few slots for acute-need appointments. This results in delays in getting an appointment and lengthens the waiting time in the office. The complexities of managing a medical office spur the growth of large medical clinics, thus further distancing patients from doctors. Management experts push doctors to increase productivity. This "cattle-herding" approach is what healthcare has become, but it demoralizes doctors and frustrates patients. It has spawned terms such as PCP (Primary Care Provider) and in turn has removed the terms "Doctor" and "Physician". Doctors have been turned into a commodity. Ponderosa Medical stresses the medical importance of forming a long-term partnership between physician and patient. We believe an informed patient makes the best decisions based on his or her own personal value system. Our job is to listen, diagnose, monitor, teach and advocate for our patients. As we step back and look at the full spectrum of healthcare, to us it encompasses a synergy of resources. When those resources are accessed it typifies what it means to live in Central Oregon, a synergy of skills that engage the mind, body and spirit, "Living Life to the Fullest". Health insurance does not fully reimburse the expanded vision we have for healthcare. The Living Life to the Fullest Program may not be for everyone, but it puts extra value on the patient-physician relationship. Trust and mutual respect are powerful healers. The Living Life to the Fullest Program involves self-knowledge. Sharing of chart notes, test results and medical records via e-mail is part of the process of involving the patient in their own healthcare. Identifying areas of improvement and the resources to direct change is the long-term at Ponderosa Medical.
	Living Life to the Fullest gives patients • Direct access to their physician 24/7 via cell phone and E-mail. • Patients may call from anywhere in the world to get medical advice or prescriptions if medically indicated and allowed by law. Patients will be given their doctor's cell phone number for their personal use • Physicians will have time reserved daily for patient members of the Living Life to the Fullest Program to walk-in, without a scheduled appointment or priority at scheduled times. • Annual Exams based on the planning for health which include a menu of options geared towards expanding patient's health "habits". • Exercise Prescriptions & Physical Assessment Testing • Emotional wellness assessments • Genetic testing and counseling • Diet Coaching • Participation in educational classes • Comprehensive primary care medical services available through the Living Life to the Fullest Program, free of charge [1] include: • Annual Preventative Physical Exam with Doctor • Gynecological annual preventative exam with Doctor • Baseline Electrocardiogram and exercise treadmill testing • Screening fecal occult blood testing and flexible sigmoidoscopy • Preventative Tetanus, Flu vaccines, and Pneumovax • Arranging referrals to any needed specialists • Your doctor will serve as your advisor and advocate when you are ill. Medical decisions will be made by Patient and Doctor and not a "gatekeeper", employer, or insurance company.
[ About Living Life to the Fullest ] [ Living Life to the Fullest gives patients ] [ Annual Retainer ] [ Fees & Insurance ] [ Cost Analysis ] [ What Living Life to the Fullest is not ]	Annual Retainer The annual retainer is paid in monthly installments of $100 per month for 12 months via automatic EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer), credit card payment or check. The annual retainer can also be paid annually $1,000 per member per year. The annual payment plan can also be paid via automatic EFT or check. We also offer a family discount of $1,750 per year or $175 per month for couples
	Fees & Insurance • The Living Life to the Fullest Program is not health insurance. Patients are advised to carry health insurance to protect against catastrophic financial loss. • The Doctor may bill health insurance for services rendered according to accepted healthcare standards. • The Doctor may bill any balance to the Patient for services, not covered by the Living Life to the Fullest Program • The Living Life to the Fullest Program does not restrict Patient to Doctor's services when a specialist's services would be more appropriate. The Patient must allow Doctor to transfer care to another Physician whenever Doctor's judgment so dictates.
	Cost Analysis It is difficult to do a full cost analysis as everyone has different types of health coverage insurance, as well as different types of healthcare needs. Most health insurance is actually illness insurance and will not cover preventative medicine and care. Medicare's coverage is very minimal in terms of preventative services. Services in Living Life to the Fullest are considered non-covered services by most insurance companies. Many patients living in Bend and Central Oregon do so only on a part time basis and either do a lot of traveling for business or have a second home in one of the warmer states. For such patients it would be very advantageous to have communications with one's personal physician to deal with certain healthcare needs remotely. Healthcare insurance companies do not reimburse physicians for phone or e-mail healthcare and correspondence. Secure remote access to one's healthcare records would assist other care providers who might need to attend to patients. With all that in mind, we would like to try and put at least a partial quantitative value to the Living Life to the Fullest Program. • Preventative Exam $ 200-$250 • EKG $ 50 • Stress Test $ 190 • Pulmonary Testing $ 100 • Exercise Evaluation &Prescription $ 200 • Emotional Wellness Evaluation $ 100 • Diet Coaching $ 100 • Remote access to Medical Records $ 100 • Web access to medical advice $ 200 • Direct access to your Doctor's cell-phone. (Priceless) - • Urgent Care same day access to your Doctor. (Priceless) -
[TOP]	What Living Life to the Fullest is not Living Life to the Fullest is not an Access Fee. All patients at Ponderosa Medical have the ability to schedule an appointment within the time frame of insurance and community standards. There is 24/7 access to an on call provider for urgent and emergent issues that are inappropriate to put off until the next clinic day for all patients. Living Life to the Fullest is not Health Insurance. Living Life to the Fullest provides a defined list of procedures and services that are typically no covered by most health insurance plans or at best partially covered This is not "coordination of care" or "extra time" with patients. There is no promise of "higher quality" implied. Participating clients will not be given preference over the urgent care of another patient.
	[1] Free from charge means that the Doctor may bill the patient's health insurance and retain any payment from the health insurance company. There will be no balance billing of any remaining balance to the patient for the listed services.