A lot of people don’t like going to the doctor. Of course, there are the worried well, but for the most part it’s a dreaded experience. Wait times are never predictable, and when patients finally interact with a primary care physician, the visit lasts for an average of 8 minutes. The doctor might order a prescription, or refer their patient to see a specialist for a more complex medical problem. Yet one-third of specialist referrals are unnecessary, mainly because primary care docs don’t have adequate time to wholly care for their patients. They are being torn away from patient care by having to spend more time making sure they are going to get paid by insurance companies. Required medical documentation is only getting more complex.
There is now a medical app to help with the excessive referral problem. Say hello to RubiconMD, an e-consulting platform that efficiently brings specialist opinions into the primary care setting. It has proven to save patients time and an average of $370 per case simply by having top notch specialists offer their recommendations on whether specialist treatment is indeed necessary.
There is also a way that primary care docs don’t have to feel rushed with their patients. It’s called direct primary care (DPC). In fact, more DPC docs are using RubiconMD as a value-added service that is included in their patients’ monthly cash membership fee.
