BUSINESSWest Virginia looks at retainer modelOne physician's proposal includes covered primary care services in typical boutique style plus a high-deductible wrap-around plan; it could be tested later this year.By Mike Norbut, amednews staff. Jan. 2/9, 2006. A West Virginia physician's retainer practice model, at first viewed as a possible violation of insurance laws, is now being viewed as a way to provide another affordable health insurance option. Vic Wood, DO, who specializes in ambulatory medicine and runs Doctors Urgent Care, a clinic in Wheeling, W.Va., said government officials are considering creating a pilot program that combines his primary care boutique medicine concept with a wrap-around high-deductible health plan as one of many options for covering the uninsured. Dr. Wood started a program at his clinic in 2004 where he offered unlimited appointments and x-ray services to patients for a monthly fee, in typical retainer medicine style. He then would direct the patients to an insurance company, which would write an individual policy for services he could not provide, such as hospitalization and visits to specialists. The clinic also accepts private insurance and Medicaid, for those patients who do have such plans. The West Virginia Insurance Commission, however, ordered Dr. Wood not to sign up any businesses so it could investigate whether he was selling insurance in violation of state law. Since then, Dr. Wood has been a regular in government policy-making sessions as he has championed his idea to legislators. He testified in two legislative committee hearings last year and has been a member of the state's Affordable Insurance Workgroup, which is the committee assigned the task of developing better insurance options for patients. [...]Full text of American Medical News content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.
Copyright 2006 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
|
The doctors are in the house
The AMA's House of Delegates is holding its Interim Meeting Nov. 7-10 in Houston, addressing issues such as health system reform and physician payment. Meeting coverage - Slideshow Feature articlesHealth reform review The Massachusetts experience Litigation stress Being sued is personal as well as professional Comprehensive coverage
Most-viewed
Nov. 9 issueHouse option for public plan wouldn't limit physician pay to Medicare rates New database for out-of-network pay set to replace disputed Ingenix system Columns and series
From the vault: 5 years agoGenetic testing issues land in primary care practices Nov. 8, 2004 
|
SHARE
