Amara and her employer saved time and money (and she avoided radiation!) By receiving her hip arthritis care at SALTA.
Post by Daniel Seidman, DO MPH – 9.16.2022
Amara is 59 and began suffering from some hip stiffness and pain when walking with her friends. She sees a colleague of mine for primary care, who sent her to physical therapy. Amara continued to have pain with walking, so an x-ray was ordered which showed hip arthritis.
In many primary care offices, this patient would be referred to orthopedics. After an office visit, a scheduled procedure would be done under x-ray (two separate appointments!). Instead, I was able to evaluate Jill at her workplace clinic, view the x-rays, and complete an ultrasound- guided hip injection. She was able to walk back up to work after the 30-minute procedure. This is all included in our monthly fee, which is covered by Amara’s employer.
Here’s what that looks like at SALTA Direct Primary Care:
| Drive time (both ways) + wait time (one visit) | 2 minutes |
| Lost productivity at work (one visit) | 30 minutes |
| Amount billed to insurance (medical office) | $0 |
| Amount billed to insurance (on hospital campus) | $0 |
If the patient was seen in the traditional setting and referred to orthopedics, here’s what that would look like:
| Drive time (both ways) + wait time (two visits) | 2-3 hours |
| Lost productivity at work (two visits) | 8 hours |
| Amount billed to insurance (medical office) | $380 |
| Amount billed to insurance (on hospitals campus) | $1591 |
Everyone wins! The patient gets pain relief, minimal disruption to her day, and pays $0. The self-insured employer avoids a bill ranging from $380-1591 and the loss of 8 hours of employee productivity. The physician (myself) is happy to help an appreciative patient.
If you’re a self-insured employer, it’s time for Direct Primary Care.
Dr. Daniel Seidman is the Senior Medical Director at SALTA Direct Primary Care, Michigan’s largest membership-based primary care solution for individuals and employers.
