We treat all kinds of common everyday problems like colds, flu, strep, rashes, and injuries. We also treat more complicated chronic diseases like adult diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and thyroid disorder.
Having such unprecedented direct access to your doctor will prevent hospitalizations and specialty referrals in many cases. However, when those types of care are required, we will certainly continue to work with your hospitalist during your hospital stay as well as work closely with any specialist. Depending on the level of care and type of expertise required, we may rely on those specialized caregivers to manage your treatment.
Yes. We are happy to accept the children aged 13 years and older. At this time patients under 13 which have acute or urgent care needs can be seen and treated in the clinic via telehealth.
Of course! PCP access is one of the greatest benefits of the DPC model. Because illness and injury do not respect regular office hours, you may contact Island Time PCPs through their private phone lines (text, email, or phone) nights, weekends, and holidays. This is exclusively provided to Island Time Medical members only.
This sort of care is "baked in" to the DPC model. Because you will have your PCP's email and phone number, you can reach out to us whenever you need, wherever you are. Many illnesses can be diagnosed and treated with a simple conversation. More complex issues may require telehealth visits. We will also locate the nearest pharmacy and order the medications most appropriate for your circumstances. We can also help patients determine if an urgent care or emergency room visit is necessary.
We maintain high standards of patient privacy and will ensure we are HIPAA compliant. We will never provide your health information to any third party unless you specifically ask that we do so.
Charges will be added and applied to your preferred method of payment at the time of service.
Island Time Medical operates on a month-to-month or annual membership. We expect to have an open, honest, respectful relationship with you. If you have voiced a complaint that we cannot satisfy together, we will gladly allow you to terminate your membership and will refund any prorated membership fees paid. If you choose to re-enroll at a later date, there will be a re-enrollment penalty of $500 and membership will be subject to any current waiting list.
Unfortunately, no. Your retainer is not defined as a "medical expense" in most states and as such is not deductible. Please confer with your tax consultant to clarify tax consequences in your circumstances.
No, fortunately for both you and us. Perhaps the most critical distinction in our model of care centers on a direct, personal relationship between you and your doctor. That directness carries over to our business model as well. You might use your auto insurance to fix a smashed fender or other major damages. But you would never use it to get an oil change (or pay for gas!). For some reason, health insurance is currently being used for the equivalent of oil changes for humans - routine physicals, office visits, simple blood tests, and minor procedures. This just does not make financial sense.
We forego insurance payments to save our patients from the arbitrary, intrusive decisions that come with using insurance. Charging a direct monthly fee frees us from the typical contractual agreements that prevent non-DPC physicians from offering wholesale prices on laboratory tests, imaging, and medications.
Yes, we take care of any patient regardless of your insurance situation. Since we work completely outside of the insurance system, Island Time does not bill or accept insurance payments. However, we recommend that everyone have insurance coverage, which is still important in the event of a major health issue.
Yes. We recommend our patients continue a major medical plan with a high-deductible and health savings account. If you experience a major health issue, you will still need insurance to help cover it. We are happy to refer you to insurance representatives who can help customize an insurance plan to your specific needs. Athena Health (our EMR system) will provide courtesy billing to your insurance company for some of our services. Please note that Island Time would be considered an “out of network” provider and any payments made would be sent directly to you by your insurance company.
Yes. You need only sign a one-time waiver (“opt-out”) declaring that neither you nor your doctor will directly bill Medicare for our services. Even though Medicare will not pay us for any services you receive in our practice, your Medicare benefits will otherwise remain unchanged and can continue to be used for all other medical care received outside of our practice. Medicare will still cover any laboratory testing, imaging, and medications prescribed by our offices, as well as surgeries or hospitalizations.
As the Affordable Care Act was being drawn up, several doctors worked very diligently to insert into the health reform bill a clause that allows for Direct Primary Care practices like ours to be a legal option under the health reform bill.
The best option for many patients is an “exchange qualified” major medical type plan combined with a Direct Primary Care provider like our practice. This combination will save the maximum amount of money while also allowing for a maximum amount of health care for patients.
The Direct Primary Care practices have the ability to decrease the cost of insurance by 30-50%, thus eliminating the need for Obamacare-style regulation.
You may want to check with your human resources department regarding the use of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) as possible payment options for your membership.
If you are unable to use these funds to pay for the membership fee directly, there is a good chance that you can still use your HSA/FSA as reimbursement for certain services provided through our office. NC passed legislation stating that the DPC model was “not insurance." This should help clarify HAS/FSA reimbursement.
