PFMC New Membership Practice
After considerable thought and deliberation, PFMC will be changing its business model to a "membership practice" starting July 8th, 2022. This difficult decision was made due to the changing landscape of medicine. Increasing technology needs, government oversight and regulation, and lower insurance reimbursements now threaten our ability to continue to provide our current level of personalized care. At PFMC, we are committed to retaining our independence which we feel allows our patients to receive outstanding care. By creating a membership practice we will be able to continue to support your healthcare needs in a way that doesn’t compromise our values as physicians.
Membership practices are no longer unusual, many practitioners have switched to this model with success measured by increased patient and doctor satisfaction. We will provide services and care beyond what your traditional insurance covers. You still retain your current insurance. Billing is unchanged including copays and deductibles when applicable. All services that your insurance covers will not be affected. Membership is completely separate from your current insurance. With regard to your current health insurance including Medicare, nothing changes. We realize this decision will not be popular with some patients and families; many we have been seeing for three generations. Any cost increase to our patients is significant, we don’t take this lightly. We will keep membership costs as nominal as possible.
Membership may provide some services not offered by insurance plans. Examples include: office appointments not limited to one issue, weight loss management, travel counseling, non-emergency care when traveling outside the U.S., coordination of community care services and referrals, and cost-effective prescription management. We also offer in-house billing and triage with timely appointments as needed. We are also excited to start a quarterly “Med Talk”, an in-person, after-hours informal presentation and open discussion on health topics such as weight loss, tobacco cessation, aesthetic treatments, and chronic disease management, such as diabetes. This will help inspire a “proactive” rather than “reactive” approach to improving your health.
Your "Care Team" will be led by your physician and will include a Physician Assistant/Nurse Practitioner and Medical Assistants/Nurses, Your team will be working closely together to ensure prompt, efficient, and comprehensive care. You will have an opportunity to enjoy an ongoing relationship with your care team.
We do not want patients to leave PFMC for financial reasons. We acknowledge that this new practice model is not for everyone. If you are unable to afford the membership fees, we encourage you to write a letter to your physician. These will be handled on a case-by-case basis by your physician. If you decide to "opt-out" by
December 31, 2022, you will need to transition to a new primary health care provider and we will forward your medical records upon written request. We will continue to provide emergency care for 90 days.
Membership Fees are as follows:
Important Dates:
How to sign up:
We appreciate your support of PFMC and we know there will be lots of questions. We will answer all questions via our website, portal and by phone with a member of your care team or physician. Our entire staff will help assist you in the transition.
Sincerely,
Dr. Dodge, Dr. Halley, Dr. Leverett, and Dr. Smith