It’s a brand new year, and with it comes a renewed focus on diet, exercise, and other self-care goals. This is the time of year when many people look at ways to improve their health, evaluating everything from what they’re eating to local gym options and even health care providers.
If you’re in the market for a new primary care doctor, one option is My Cullman Doctor.
“My Cullman Doctor is Cullman’s first direct primary care clinic, locally owned and operated by Dr. Justin Rushing, MD,” said Marketing and Business Manager Julia Rushing. “Our patients pay a membership fee, and can then access a full range of primary care services as needed, without paying a co-pay or billing insurance. Unlimited visits, hour-long appointment slots and your doctor’s cell phone number are all included. It’s VIP health care without the VIP price tag.”
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, the direct primary care model gives family physicians a meaningful alternative to fee-for-service insurance billing, typically by charging patients a monthly, quarterly or annual fee.
“We work for our patients, not insurance companies. This means we are able to provide longer appointment slots, flexibility and unprecedented access to your doctor. We don’t bring patients in unnecessarily, make patients fill out pointless insurance questionnaires or run tests just because insurance tells us to,” said Rushing. “We strive to give all of our patients a VIP experience - listening to what they have to say and treating each patient as an individual person, not just a chart.”
She said new patients can expect the practice to feel different.
“We’re focused on building lasting relationships with our patients and getting to know them as people, not just charts. At their first appointment, Dr. Rushing will personally meet them at the door and bring them back. We pride ourselves on our patients spending less time in the waiting room and more time with their doctor,” she said. “Dr. Rushing takes the time to listen and get to the root of patients’ problems. He’s also more accessible than your average doctor. Patients get his cell phone number and can text him with questions or concerns any time of day. He’s also able to personally follow up and treat patients via telehealth, saving them time and money.”
Many people have questions about membership and insurance, said Rushing.
“One question we get is does our membership replace your insurance. It does and it doesn’t. It covers all primary care needs - things you would normally go to the doctor or urgent care for. We also offer wholesale pricing for labs and discounted imaging, medication and specialty services through our relationships with community partners,” she explained. “Our membership doesn’t cover things like hospital stays and surgery, so we recommend our patients have some sort of insurance that covers those large emergency expenses. High-deductible, catastrophic and health-share plans are typically good options to pair with a direct primary care membership, although we are able to provide a fantastic value to those with more traditional plans as well.”
My Cullman Doctor can also partner with small businesses to give their employees health care benefits, Rushing said. “We can help business owners compete for the best talent by offering comprehensive, affordable primary care benefits packages.”
www.mycullmandoctor.com
