An Affordable Alternative to Major Hospital Systems?

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.

Today, even as the health care system and the economy face strains from the coronavirus and its complications, scores of doctors and patients are avoiding large bureaucratic hospitals and instead flocking toward leaner and meaner models of health care.

Professional providers of all types -- from surgeons to drugstore 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. 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.

I think this trend would work well with restructured health insurance — make it like car insurance. Doesn’t matter where you live, you can be covered by AllState if that’s your choice. Pick a health insurance carrier and keep them your whole life, if that’s your choice. Or switch any time. It should have nothing to do with your job.

Healthcare could be a commodity that you just don’t have to think about.

This would be a HUGE boon to those of us that live rural. If I need emergency medical care, my VA is over an hour away. I’m going to the hospital ER that’s 20 minutes away and I’ll worry about fighting it out with who pays for what...if I’m still alive!

Getting shots and maybe a throat swab or treatment for a minor gash at a Walgreens or CVS makes total sense. Annual exams, diabetes checks, etc.

We are also looking into a local Doctor that has set up practice the ‘old fashioned way.’ She charges a flat fee for her services and doesn’t deal with insurance companies at all. You pay cash or put it on your CC.

I’m sure Mother Government and her Big Insurance Lackeys will be shutting her down soon enough. :(

Surgery Center of Oklahoma - online prices, flat fee structure

surgerycenterok ^
Posted on 9/1/2020, 9:39:21 AM by AggregateThreat

About SCO

The Surgery Center of Oklahoma is a 32,535 square foot, state-of-the-art multispecialty facility in Oklahoma City, owned and operated by approximately 40 of the top surgeons and anesthesiologists in central Oklahoma.

The facility has been accredited by the AAAHC since 1998 without interruption and has annually provided care to thousands of patients.

If you have a high deductible or are part of a self-insured plan at a large company, you owe it to yourself or your business to take a look at our facility and pricing which is listed on this site. If you are considering a trip to a foreign country to have your surgery, you should look here first. Finally, if you have no insurance at all, this facility will provide quality and pricing that we believe are unmatched. Providing High Quality Care at Affordable Prices

It is no secret to anyone that the pricing of surgical services is at the top of the list of problems in our dysfunctional healthcare system. Bureaucracy at the insurance and hospital levels, cost shifting and the absence of free market principles are among the culprits for what has caused surgical care in the United States to be cost prohibitive. As more and more patients find themselves paying more and more out of pocket, it is clear that something must change. We believe that a very different approach is necessary, one involving transparent and direct pricing.

Transparent, direct, package pricing means the patient knows exactly what the cost of the service will be upfront.

(Excerpt) Read more at surgerycenterok.com ...

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