After more than a year of lockdowns and uncertainty, the American public has finally begun restarting the lives they’ve put on hold. Schools have started reopening, offices have resumed onsite operations, and wanderlusts.
Business travelers have both begun journeying both domestically and internationally. Society, it seems, is slowly learning how to live with the pandemic.
One key technology that enabled us to do this, aside from the vaccines, is the myriad of tests developed to detect COVID-19 in the human body. From the rapid antigen tests to the more precise PCR tests, we’ve only been able to contemplate reopening society.
Because these tests enable us to know if it’s safe to be near other people again. As such, it has become a basic requirement for a variety of public venues such as stadiums and airports across America.
The Delta Variant is Straining Testing Capacity
Unfortunately, fuelled by a sudden demand spike due to the more transmissible Covid-19 Variants in US i.e. DELTA variant, this key prerequisite in participating in the new normal is starting to become increasingly difficult to acquire.
While medical experts have not yet officially declared a shortage, there are indications that it may worsen in the coming days. The CVS drugstore chain, for example, has recently imposed a cap on test kit purchases an individual can make both online and over-the-counter across the state of Illinois. Maine, on the other hand, has begun prioritizing their test kit supplies for health workers.
If a shortage is indeed at hand, it could mean that we’ll have to navigate the new normal blindly through the fifth COVID wave. American society might have to take one step back and begin the lengthy and grueling process of having to qualify patients according to priority first before testing, just as things were at the beginning of the pandemic.
For Concierge and Direct Primary Care (DPC) practices, however, this shortage is not as heavily felt. COVID-19 test kits for members of these practices remain accessible with results being made available quicker than most of the larger medical institutions.
The question is how are these relatively smaller practices able to procure tests and process the results as quickly as they could?
From telehealth services to homecare packages for mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, DPC and concierge practices have always been in the best position to adapt to the pandemic. Traditional practices still using the Fee-for-Service models, on the other hand, found themselves struggling to provide much-needed healthcare for their members because of the lockdowns.
One of the main benefits of concierge medicine and DPC practices signup is that they function independently from the bureaucracy of the insurance industry.
Doctors are free to perform the necessary procedures and order the relevant tests according to how they see fit for each patient. Insurance companies do not influence how DPC and concierge physicians treat patients or how to run their clinics.
With this freedom, DPC practices and concierge medicine doctors are also free to procure whatever medicines and equipment they see fit. Fortunately, a lot of DPC clinics and concierge doctors had the foresight to procure ample amounts of test kits before the DELTA variant hit American shores.
Furthermore, the freedom from insurance companies also enables DPC and concierge doctors to see much fewer patients compared to their counterparts in the traditional FFS models.
This helps them give proper attention to the processing and analysis of COVID-19 test results for each patient making the whole process quicker and more accurate. Able to procure test kits ahead of time.
These benefits are especially important for members of the practice in need of quick results for an upcoming event being held in a venue that requires test results upon entry.
Members of DPC and Concierge Practices to get COVID-19 tests despite of.the nationwide shortage
The ease of getting a COVID-19 test from DPCs and concierge doctors also eliminate most of the pain points of getting tested. For one thing, members don’t need to line up and run the risk of exposure to the virus in hospital waiting rooms.
Most DPCs and concierge doctors can provide self-administered home test kits delivered straight to their patient's doorsteps. This eliminates the need to travel to the clinics or hospitals just to get tested.
If, on the other hand, patients require a more precise COVID-19 test conducted, concierge and DPC doctors can make themselves available via home service for swab tests. This should ensure that tests are properly administered and handled.
Because they don’t typically handle a lot of patients, DPC and concierge physicians are also able to quickly collect, process, and return test results. The wait times, therefore, should be drastically shortened compared to traditional FFS models.
DPC and concierge medical practices have been a boon to the country’s overall pandemic response by alleviating some of the pressure from traditional medical institutions. And now that the American healthcare system is showing signs of strain again because of the DELTA variant.
DPCs and concierge medicine have emerged as better alternatives to America's current health care system.
DPC and concierge practices are once again in the position to lend a hand by keeping testing capacity normal for members despite an impending national shortage keeping the dream of participating in the new normal a reality.
Those reasons alone are enough for Direct Primary Care or Conceirge medicine to get our vote of confidence. We have the most extensive collection of DPC and conceirge doctors in the US. Find your nearest DPC/Conceirge doctor in your area today at – findmydirectdoctor.com
