A Doctor’s Office saving you time and money ?
We are aware that this statement sounds quite absurd. While saving time and money is relatively unheard of in the world of medicine, at Altitude Family & Internal Medicine it’s a fact. We’ll explain all of the specific details as you read on. At its most basic essence, it comes down to one very simple philosophy…
Quality.
Do you want to hear more?
At Altitude Family & Internal Medicine, we have engineered and continually re-engineer our practice around three basic principles: quality, efficiency, and customer service . In fact, these principles go hand in hand, and they show in everything that we do.
Your time is valuable. We respect that, and we save you time in four ways…
First, our wait times are the lowest in the industry. It is sad but true that the typical wait times in the medical world are outrageous… over 40 minutes in most Outpatient Clinics, nearly an hour in the Urgent Care, and well over an hour in most Emergency Rooms. While our daily schedule in healthcare can be unpredictable and emergencies can arise, we strive to stay on time. So what is our average wait time? About 6 minutes from check-in until you see the doctor.
Second, you will not spend an eternity filling out forms in our waiting room. In fact we’ve done away with the standard page upon page upon page intake form. At your first visit just a quick signature is all that we need. Every once and awhile, when we do request some paperwork, we will always try to keep it to a tolerable one page or less.
Third, we will keep you out of the ER. In our minds, keeping you away from the doctor is just as important as seeing the doctor. As one of the few medical practices in the country recognized by the National Council on Quality Assurance as a Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH), our patients enjoy a 29% reduction in the need for Emergency Room visits.
Fourth, we will keep you out of the hospital. And if you do need to be admitted to the hospital we will get you home sooner. PCMH patients experience a 14% reduction in hospital admissions. When looking at cardiac-related hospital admissions, PCMH clients spend 35% fewer days in the hospital and have fewer readmissions than their counterparts.
Now let’s talk about money…
Please do NOT schedule an appointment with us if you are looking for the cheapest healthcare solution. We absolutely refuse to compete with other practices on cost when it means sacrificing the quality of care. However, we will proudly compare our data against any practice when it comes to… you guessed it… quality. You see when it comes to improving cost-effectiveness there are two options, decrease cost or increase effectiveness … we choose the latter every time.
So how do we actually save you money?
First, as we mentioned above, we’ll keep you out of the Urgent Care, the ER, and the Hospital. The data speaks for itself… 29% fewer ER visits, a 14% reduction in hospital admissions, and 35% fewer days in the hospital if you are admitted. If you have ever seen an ER or hospital bill, the savings with this alone are overwhelming.
Second, we’ll keep you healthy. As an example, let’s look at cardiac risk. A recent review of our own data showed over a 90% reduction in heart attack risk for our patients compared with the national average. With the typical cost of a heart attack being over $100,000, the cost savings are monumental.
Third, quality saves money. Let’s get to the math, and the answer is clear… national research reveals that every dollar spent in a Patient Centered Medical Home like Altitude Family & Internal Medicine saves you nearly three dollars in health related costs. A 3-to-1 return, now that is a sound investment.
The data speaks for itself…
A higher quality of care. Better health outcomes. Saving you time and money. That’s what we think healthcare can be and should be. If you agree, give us a call and we will be happy to show you more.