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When my primary care physician left Aurora last year, I thought about what I wanted in my next doctor. I’m a generally healthy person with a few minor conditions and a good amount of health anxiety, so ideally, I hoped to find a doctor who could give me more time and attention than my last few. Someone who would really take the time to get to know me as a whole person.
Realizing that in the traditional health care model, time is money, I Googled “private practice doctor near me.” I eventually signed up for Lotus Direct Care, a Mequon primary care clinic that charges an out-of-pocket monthly fee instead of billing insurance. For as little as the cost of a few DoorDash orders per month – most local direct care doctors charge a few hundred to a few thousand dollars a month – patients get more access to their doctors.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Direct care practices vary, but in most clinics, you can get all the same things as another primary care clinic: annual check-ups, immunization and sick visits. Most direct care doctors maintain a network of outside specialists for referral. Some have specialists in house, and others even have on-site surgery.
The model, sometimes termed “concierge medicine,” is increasing in popularity not only because of the appeal to health care consumers but also as doctors realize they can spend more time caring for patients. Dr. Ruchira Varshney, founder of Sansara Concierge Medicine in Mequon, left a local health care system after realizing she’d never have time to develop deep relationships with her patients. “When time isn’t a factor, your understanding of your patients and your ability to take care of them is so much greater,” she says.
I get electronic answers to my questions within a few hours (even on weekends). I can usually get in for same-day appointments. And the appointments often last more than 30 minutes because there’s no insurance company dictating payment. “Since I don’t have any other financial incentive, I’m motivated to do what’s right for my patients all the time,” says Dr. Mark Niedfeldt, founder of Colab Concierge Physicians in Mequon.
Sometimes patients don’t even need to leave the direct care model for higher-
level care. Solstice Health, a direct primary care clinic with locations in New Berlin, Oconomowoc and Milwaukee, operates a cash-pay surgery center for outpatient procedures. “People come from all around the state and even internationally to get better prices on surgery,” says Solstice Health founder Dr. Timothy Murray.
No matter how you spin it, health care is expensive. Personally, I see direct care as a worthwhile investment. Because I get more time and attention from my doctor, I can hopefully prevent larger medical costs in the future and bypass potentially pricey urgent care or hospital visits.
“Stepping foot in an ER can cost you $1,000,” says Varshney. “If you’re in a model where you can directly call and see your doctor in the clinic instead, the value is there very quickly.”
