Rob Lamberts, MD

"I worked for 18 years doing primary care for adults and children in the insurance-run health care system. In February of 2013 I opened my new "direct care" practice, a practice where I work for the people in health care that really matter: my patients. For a low monthly fee I provide: 1. Office visits at no additional cost 2. Lab tests, procedures, and medications (when possible) at low cost. 3. Problems handled via secure messaging, video conference, phone calls, text messages, whatever my patients want. I don't force people to come in for problems I can handle using easier means. 4. High level of customer service. I don’t accept money from insurance companies, although many of my patients still have insurance (which I encourage). I find that money from insurance companies (or Medicare/Medicaid) take the focus off of the patient, distract the medical staff, and generate a huge amount of increased work and headache for everyone. Primary care should be simple. It should be between the doctor and the patient and focus more on health than sickness. Our system (with insurance) does the opposite."

"Direct Primary Care refers to care that is old-fashioned: the doctor takes care of the patient, and the patient pays the doctor. It gets rid of the usual middlemen who control health care: the insurance companies, hospitals, and government agencies. The doctor works directly for the patient, which makes a big difference. But instead of paying for each visit or procedure, as is done in the rest of health care, the doctor is paid a flat monthly fee by the patient. This means that the doctor is no longer motivated to do more procedures or stay overwhelmingly busy (as I was in my previous practice). In truth, it is this difference that makes the biggest difference in the kind of care I give."