Direct Primary Care
Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a model in which the physician does not participate in insurance. Instead there is a monthly membership fee. One of the main advantages of direct primary care is, as the name implies--direct access to your doctor, via visits, phone calls, email, skype/facetime, texts and telemedicine. I can even do house calls!Appointment times are between 30 and 90 minutes depending on need and appointment type and you can come in as often as you feel you need to. Typically, appointments can be next-day or even same-day and there is minimal waiting. There are no co-pays and no charge for procedures done in the office. It takes time to listen to people. It takes time to consider all the options. It takes time to get to know people and their strengths and weaknesses.
Most patients say they would like to be able to have more time with their physicians. Most patients in a traditional, fee-for-service practice do not feel heard, which is not surprising since a standard provider has a panel of 3,000 to 4,000 patients. By contrast, patients in a DPC practice love the time they get and feel heard. This is because the average DPC provider has a much smaller panel of around 600 patients. As a direct primary care physician, I'll be working for you instead of your insurance company. Not only can I actually see you when you need to be seen, I will save you time and money by passing along special pricing and in-clinic dispensing of certain prescriptions (no waiting at the pharmacy!) and special pricing on lab work and radiology tests. All of this is possible by not participating in insurance.
Statistically patients in a DPC practice take 50% less medication. This could be because the type of person who is attracted to this practice model is motivated to make changes in their life. I believe it is also because the physicians who practice in this model have time to actually partner with, empower and coach their clients. They have time to review literature more frequently and apply their skills and experience to answering the questions at hand. They even have time to talk to other providers.
Dr Voss & the Holistic Approach
A holistic approach to medicine conceptually derives from the Greek root ‘holos,’ meaning ‘whole,’ and was coined circa 1926 and recognizes that the integrated sum of a system is much greater than its parts in purpose and function. Just as one’s body depends upon smooth interactions of its complex systems, so does the holistic doctor bring all protocols in allopathic and complementary medicines including those of other cultures into play.
This enables the client-patient to draw upon a broad spectrum of possibilities to reinvent their optimum health. In addition to standard American medicine, Dr. Voss has an ardent interest in holistic alternative/sympathetic medicine, nutritional therapies, exercise and in coaching people to improve their lifestyle to enjoy better health. She enjoys working with people as individuals and is passionate about helping them on their journey toward optimal health. Dr. Voss finds she learns something new from her patients every day and believes healthcare should be a partnership between doctor and patient.
