Direct Specialty Care: Access to Health Care and Benefits
- Direct Specialty Care is an alternative healthcare model.
- The benefits of direct care include spending quality time with a doctor and directly working with them, eliminating the need for middlemen like insurance companies.
- Direct care allows doctors to have a lower patient panel, improving the quality of care.
- Some problems with seeing a high number of patients include difficulty reaching the doctor and limited time for individual patients.
Challenges Faced by Physicians in Providing Adequate Patient Care
- Physicians often sacrifice their personal and family time to address patient issues and ensure patient care is not compromised.
- The practice of medicine is a calling, and many doctors prioritize their patients' well-being above their own self-care.
- During medical training, especially as a resident, doctors have to manage a heavy workload and work long hours, typically around 80 hours per week.
- Limited physician access can lead to inadequate counseling and patient education, resulting in preventable medical complications.
- In one instance, a patient's incorrect medication cessation led to a serious condition called status epilepticus, which could have been avoided with proper counseling and more patient time.
