3 T. olive oil
1 c. minced white onion, (about 1 small onion)
½ c. chopped zucchini
½ c. frozen cut Italian cut green beans
¼ c. minced celery, (about 1/2 stalk)
4 t. minced garlic, (about 4 cloves)
4 c. chicken broth
2 (15-oz.) cans red kidney beans, drained
2 (15-oz.) cans small white beans or great northern beans, drained
1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes
½ c. carrot, (julienned or shredded)
2 T. minced fresh parsley
1 ½ t. dried oregano
1 ½ t. salt
½ t. ground black pepper
½ t. dried basil
¼ t. dried thyme
3 c. hot water
4 c. fresh Baby Spinach
½ c. small shell pasta

1. Heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.
2. Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.
3. Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, and spices.
4. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add spinach leaves and pasta (opt: and ½ c. red wine) and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving:

• Calories: 210
• Protein: 9.5g
• Carbohydrates: 34g
• Fat: 5g

The post Minestrone Soup (serves 8) first appeared on Voyage Clinics.

1 ½ lbs chicken breast
Salt and pepper, to taste
5 T. butter, divided
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
½ c. chicken stock
1 c. heavy cream
2 T. balsamic vinegar
8 oz. mushrooms, halved
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
2 T. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. Lightly season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a large sauté pan over medium-low heat, add 2 T. of the butter and the onions. Cook until the onions are nice and caramelized, about 20 min. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside. 
2. In a separate pan, over medium-high heat, pan-sear the chicken breasts in the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Brown the chicken on both sides and then remove from pan and set aside. 
3. De-glaze the pan with chicken stock. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to low, add the heavy cream, balsamic vinegar, mushrooms and a little salt and pepper. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add the chicken breasts back to the saucepan, and simmer until the chicken is cooked all the way through, about 12 minutes
6. Remove the chicken breasts from the pan and plate. Add the Parmesan cheese and caramelized onions to the sauce and stir until the cheese is melted into the sauce. Pour the sauce over top of chicken.
7. Garnish with fresh parsley, if using.

Nutrition facts per serving:

Calories: ~560 calories
Protein: ~37g
Carbohydrates: ~9g
Fat: ~43g

The post Balsamic Chicken (Serves 6) first appeared on Voyage Clinics.

1 lb. ground beef
1 t. Salt
¼ t. Pepper
12 oz. Romaine lettuce
1 c. tomatoes, chopped
¾ c. cheddar cheese, shredded
½ c. pickles, diced

(for the dressing)
½ c. mayonnaise
2 T. pickles, diced
2 t. Mustard
1 t. Red wine vinegar
½ t. Smoked paprika
1 ½ T. sweetener of choice

1. Cook ground beef in a skillet over high heat. Season with salt and pepper. Stir fry, breaking up the pieces with a spatula, for about 7-10 minutes, until the beef is browned and moisture has evaporated.
2. Meanwhile, puree all the dressing ingredients in a blender. If dressing is thicker than you like, thin out with water or oil and puree again. Adjust sweetener to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Combine the remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add the ground beef. Toss with dressing.

Nutrition facts per serving: 368 calories, 31g fat, 3g carbohydrates, 18g protein

The post Big Mac Salad (serves 6) first appeared on Voyage Clinics.

2 ½ lbs chicken breast, boneless and skinless
6 T. butter, divided
½ t. kosher salt
¼ t. coarse ground black pepper
1 t. Italian seasoning
2 lemons, juiced and zested
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. half and half
1 T. cornstarch
1 T. chicken bouillon, (or paste)

1. In a large cast iron skillet add 1 tablespoon of butter to melt on medium high heat.
2. Add the kosher salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning to the chicken and add it to the pan.
3. Cook on each side for 4-6 minutes.
4. Add the chicken to your slow cooker.
5. Cover with lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic and the rest of the butter in pieces (I added the lemons in the before picture just for reference. Don’t cook the lemons in the slow cooker).
6. Cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours.
7. In a large measuring cup add the half and half, cornstarch and chicken base and whisk well.
8. Add the liquid, mix, and cook an additional hour on high.

NUTRITION FACTS PER SERVING (8 servings):

• Calories: 342
• Protein: 35g
• Fat: 18g
  • Saturated Fat: 11g
• Carbohydrates: 6g

The post Creamy Lemon Chicken (serves 6) first appeared on Voyage Clinics.

A couple of months ago, a self-employed family signed up with VDPC for family medical care and engaged with a health-share for catastrophic coverage. It was an affordable way for them to navigate healthcare, and they were excited about the easy access to a family physician without copays or deductibles.

A couple of days ago, that family’s father contacted me about abdominal pain. It had started 3 days earlier and gotten progressively worse. “This morning was pretty bad,” he texted. I called him directly, asked a variety of questions over the phone, and decided to evaluate him for appendicitis.

I asked that he meet me at my office for further evaluation. At the office, we had a nice visit; I learned that he is a programer working on software to better humanity. 🙂 I also met his wife and learned some details about their family of six children.

My physical exam led to a definite diagnosis of early appendicitis. I called the local hospital and was transferred to the on-call surgeon to whom I gave a brief report of my exam findings and my patient’s clinical picture.

The surgeon explained that under ordinary circumstances, he would accept the patient and schedule him for immediate surgery. The current COVID-19 crisis, however, led the hospital to require further testing to confirm the diagnosis before allowing him to perform the needed surgery.

I placed an order for labs that would be required prior to a CT scan with contrast; checking his kidney function, electrolytes, and liver (Comprehensive Metabolic Panel) and his white and red blood cells (Complete Blood Count) would cost him $10. Then I coordinated a CT scan at a local imaging center where I had pre-negotiated rates for approximately 1/3 the price of a CT scan at the hospital.

Because I had asked the imaging center to perform the CT scan as soon as possible and give me an immediate read on the images, the radiologist called within an hour to confirm my diagnosis. The scan showed an inflamed appendix and signs of infection. I immediately called the surgeon and coordinated a time for surgery that afternoon.

After the surgery, I called and spoke to my patient’s wife. She was in the post-operation recovery room accompanying her husband. She told me that the surgery had gone well and emphasized how much she appreciated the call and everything I had done for them that day.

Voyage Direct Primary Care is more than Telehealth. It’s more than super affordable labs, imaging and other diagnostic tests. It’s about truly caring for people and helping them smoothly navigate the healthcare system.

The post More Than Telehealth first appeared on Voyage Clinics.

Hello Team!

I know many of you are under tremendous stress with schools being canceled, restaurants and other businesses closing their doors and social distancing. We are in this together. I wanted to give you a couple of updates.

CHANGES IN THE OFFICE:

All routine visits are being postponed for now. This could change tomorrow based on what the CDC/WHO/local governments recommend. Please understand that this does NOT mean your general or routine health concerns are not important to us. Physicians everywhere are shifting their practices to focus on COVID19 virus. We are very appreciative of your patience, understanding and flexibility, as we adjust to meet the needs of patients experiencing acute illness and COVID19 symptoms.

Christiaan and Nessa will beworking from home, and will be best available via phone and email.

I will be the only one at the office, but with very limited hours.

If you are sick, we ARE able to take care of you! We are set up for virtual visits- emails, phone visits, text messages, and if needed, I will see you in person if we can’t manage over technology.
PROTECTING YOUR HEALTH:

HYGIENE PRACTICES:
Hand washing with soap and water (30 seconds each time).
Use hand sanitizer frequently if you are not able to wash your hands with soap and water.
Stay away from those that have any symptoms of a respiratory infection (at least 6 feet away).
Practice good cough hygiene: coughing into your elbow or a tissue then discarding it.
Avoid touching your face, eyes, nose and mouth.
Use one of the recommended cleaners on the list below to frequently clean all surfaces at home/work: https://www.americanchemistry.com/Novel-Coronavirus-Fighting-Products-List.pdf

IMPORTANT MEDICATION INFORMATION:
There are several medication/supplement updates I have researched and how they work in conjunction with the COVID19 virus. As your Partner in Health, I am recommending the following, until we get through this infectious period:

LIMIT THE USE OF THESE MEDICINES:
Motrin
Ibuprofen
Aleve
Naproxen (ALL NSAIDs)
Elderberry
Echinacea
****Tylenol is OK for pain or fever.

WHY SHOULD YOU STOP THESE?
All of the medications and supplements listed above have “anti-inflammatory” properties. They enhance a receptor in your lungs called ACE2, which creates a positive environment for COVID19 to attach and thrive.

Elderberry and Echinacea: both have been found to cause a reaction called cytokine release, which is when your immune system overreacts. This can be good at fighting some viruses but it can actually enhance the COVID19 infection, intensifying the severity of the disease.

START TAKING THESE 4 THINGS:
I have also researched what we can take to help at the bio-molecular level to protect our immune system and lungs right now. If you have questions about adding these to your routine and a potential interaction with any of your current medications, please reach out to me.

Vitamin C 1,000-2,000mg/day-
I do not recommend exceeding 2,000mg/day in a pill or capsule form. A great way to get your Vitamin C is by eating more cuties/oranges, guava, strawberries, kiwi, bell peppers, broccoli, kale. Use vitamin C from Rose hips or other non-citrus sources if you have irritable bladder or interstitial cystitis.

Vit D3 1,000-2,000IU once every evening with dinner.
Vitamin D3 is DIFFERENT than the Vitamin D we receive from the sun. Simply adding more sunlight will not be sufficient.

Zinc 5-15mg once a day with food.
Start low as higher doses can cause stomach pain or cramping) or you can eat a handful of raw pumpkin seeds, cashews.

Melatonin 0.5-1mg per night.
The lowest dose you can find. This will help with initiating and
maintaining sleep but also to protect your lungs.

WHY SHOULD YOU ADD THESE?
All of these combined help reduce a receptor in your lung called ACE2. This is where COVID19 attaches in the lungs and reproduces. When COVID19 attaches in the lungs, it leads to respiratory difficulties and can cause severe and permanent lung damage, and death.

The supplements/vitamins listed above create an environment that does not support COVID19. This does not mean this will prevent you from contracting the virus, but it allows your lungs and immune system to have the best combination of molecular support to combat or reduce the length of illness.

SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES

I know that many of my patients own their own businesses and these restrictions will be devastating for them at this time. I would like to collect this information and provide the opportunity to list your business and how we as a community can support your business during these unprecedented times.

While we may not be able to physically visit a small business right now, there are many businesses that have options for purchasing gift certificates or products online etc.

If you would like to have your small business listed, please fill out the Google Form via the link below:

https://forms.gle/NfqjTmXTQH69JkGw9

If you have any questions, please reach out to us. Stay healthy out there!

Dr. John
Family Physician

The post Support Local Business, meds/supplements to avoid, and other COVID relief efforts first appeared on Voyage Clinics.

Are you having trouble staying busy and productive while your normal activities are constrained? We get it! Just because you are limiting social interactions, however, doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do. How about curling up with a good book to help you pass the time?

For the next few days, Dr. Sander’s wife, Shaunna, is running a free promotion for both of her novels. You can head to Amazon and download the Kindle version of either one or both for free. This promotion lasts until Friday, March 20, so even if you don’t have time to read right now, you can download the novel(s) for your future reading entertainment.

Here are the details and links:

Good Morning Glory is historical romance suitable for older teens and adults. Here’s the back cover:

It’s 1926 and Kit Quinn, orphaned in childhood and raised in a boarding school, has no illusions about what life has in store for her. She needs to find a position with room and board and a little spending money for trinkets and that’s it. What she does not need to do is fall in love. Not even—especially not—with James West.

For one thing, he’s too rich. And, if she gets right down to it, he’s also too handsome and too intelligent. Plus, he’s her boss. So when he starts pushing the boundaries of their professional relationship, Kit’s got a choice to make. She can stay and hope for some fleeting happiness (he’s made it clear he intends to marry for money). Or she can leave her job but keep her self-respect. She’s read enough classic literature to know what last century’s heroines would do, but in 1926, a girl should be able to keep her man and her dignity.

If you’re looking for something for a little younger crowd, check out this YA urban fantasy:

 firebird is suitable for younger teens, age 11 or 12 and up. Here’s the back flap:

Lainey’s spent her whole life trying to look normal, a surprisingly difficult task. After all, admitting you can see fairies isn’t going to get you many votes for student council or prom royalty. But when her new boyfriend disappears and her father’s on the hook for his murder, Lainey realizes her abnormality may be the only thing that can save any of them. It’s a dangerous endeavor (death and carnage), but the payoff (a perfect first kiss) is worth the risk.

We hope you’re staying safe and sane during this difficult times. Reading is a great way to support your mental and physical well-being, especially right now. So relax, take a breather, and lose yourself in a good story.

-The Team at Voyage DPC

The post Beat the COVID-19 Blues first appeared on Voyage Clinics.

As COVID-19 is on everyone’s mind these days, Voyage DPC wants to offer some insight from a medical perspective to help you sort between fact and fiction, as well as let our members know how we plan to help out as COVID-19 spreads through our community.

First of all: you probably have enough toilet paper and water! 🙂 If you want to prepare and stock up, it would be reasonable to grab a couple weeks’ worth of non-perishable food items (in case you’re asked to self-quarantine or are caring for someone who has to quarantine) and to make sure you’ve got enough of the staples like ibuprofen/acetaminophen and your prescription medications to last a few weeks.

We are fully committed to caring for our patients in the most evidence-based, safe capacity possible. In this vein, we’ve instituted a few policies to protect ourselves and our staff, which — in turn — keeps you all as healthy as possible.

Our triage algorithm, which we invite you to review, is outlined in detail here. The most important parts to highlight are:

If you have isolated, upper respiratory symptoms and no fever, we will recommend that you stay home and care for yourself rather than come in for an in-person visit. You are always welcome to schedule a phone visit with Dr. Sanders, though, to talk through things.
If you have lower respiratory symptoms and/or fever, Dr. Sanders recommends a telephone visit to ascertain if an in-person visit is warranted.
If we determine that you need an in-person visit, the visit will occur in your vehicle in the parking lot of our clinic so as to prevent potential spread and exposure to others. Seriously. In the parking lot. Though it’s not how we usually do things, it’s the most effective way to prevent the spread in the clinic.
If you have severe symptoms, we will likely refer you directly to a hospital. From what we know thus far about COVID-19, symptoms severe enough to require hospitalization occur approximately 9-12 days after symptoms first appear.
We are working with our lab vendor to confirm the exact specifics (like pricing and where/when the testing will be available), but we have received word that COVID-19 testing should become commercially available soon.
Until we have clear direction that there are enough testing kits for widespread testing, we will not be recommending testing for just anyone with symptoms of respiratory infection; we will be making this decision on a case-by-case basis in conjunction with public health officials. (The current estimate as of March 8th is that nationwide we have 800,000 tests; that’s enough to test 0.2% of the US population — though this number is increasing daily.)
I cannot be more explicit than this: if we come into contact with someone who is positive for COVID-19, Dr. Sanders and all Voyage DPC staff members who have contact with that individual will have to quarantine for 14 days. As we’re small, this may lead to a situation where we will have to close for all in-person interactions, prescription pickups, etc. for up to (and potentially longer than) a 14-day period. If this were to occur, we would attempt to still offer telephone triage and telemedicine visits. There isn’t any safe way around this.

Again, we’re putting these guidelines in place to prevent the spread of this illness to the most vulnerable around us. We so appreciate your understanding, patience, and effort to keep everyone in the VDPC family healthy as we all see our routines upended a bit by this virus.

Don’t hesitate to ask questions or reach out.

John Sanders, DO

_________________________________________

The novel Coronavirus started in China in late 2019 (the working theory is that it jumped from bats to humans at a wet market in Wuhan, China) and was given the name COVID-19 by the WHO shortly thereafter. The virus eventually spread regionally and in February 2020 we saw cases extend to every continent (except for Antarctica).

Updated March 10, 2020.

Here’s what we know thus far:

• Every single one of us has had a coronavirus infection in the past — it’s one of the viruses (along with rhinovirus, adenovirus, etc.) that causes the common cold. This novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is just a variation (or mutation).
• This new coronavirus can cause anything from nothing to a mild cold to a potentially lethal viral pneumonia.
• Those who seem to be most affected by COVID-19 thus far are those who are more at risk to begin with: those who are older, those with multiple chronic health conditions, etc.

The evidence out of the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China revealed:

• Median age = 59 years of age
• Estimated basic reproduction number (the number of people an infected person infects) is approximately 2.2
• The average length of time from the onset of symptoms to hospitalization was 9.5 to 12.1 days
• There have been new coronaviruses in the past — most notably the SARS (2002, 2003) and MERS (2012 – Present) epidemics; however, the mortality rate of COVID-19 (2.0% or below) is notably lower than SARS (9-10%) and MERS (36%).
• This virus spreads from person to person, though we aren’t exactly sure how. Our best hypothesis is that it is spread via bodily fluids and droplets from speaking, breathing, coughing, sneezing, etc (and potentially through the GI tract).
• Children absolutely can get the Coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Two interesting points about pediatric patients: 1) there is early evidence that they carry a high “viral load” and — combined with the fact that they aren’t great at washing hands, not touching their face, etc. — because of this may be more likely to spread the illness and 2) children who do get COVID-19 seem to have a lower mortality rate than those who are older who contract the disease.

Here’s what we don’t know:

• We don’t know if this virus will peter out as the warmer months kick in; we also don’t know if this is a one-season thing or if it will come back strong again next cold & flu season.
• We don’t know when or if we’ll have a successful vaccine to prevent against this new virus.

How to protect yourself & others:

• Just like any other respiratory virus: stay home if you’re sick!
• Just like preventing any other respiratory virus: take good care of yourself! Exercise regularly, eat nutritious, balanced meals, practice stress mitigation techniques, and get a solid 7-9 hours of sleep a night, etc.
• Just like preventing any other respiratory virus: wash your hands! A lot!  Then Moisturize!
• Just like preventing any other respiratory virus: don’t touch your eyes, mouth, nose, etc., and get into the habit of washing your hands before eating.
• If you can, avoid contact with those who are sick or are caring for the sick.
• If you are not actively sick (or caring for someone who is), ear-loop/surgical masks are not likely helpful. Healthcare workers will wear masks (and often higher-rated ones than the ear-loop masks), as they have a much higher likelihood of caring for someone with the disease and are prioritizing mitigating the spread to others.
• Those who are exposed to someone with COVID-19 or those who are being tested for COVID-19 will likely be asked to self-quarantine. If your job permits, start asking your employer about work-from-home opportunities; if your job doesn’t permit work-from-home, ask your employer what their plan is to keep you safe!
• Because of the real possibility of a quarantine, stock a couple week’s worth of non-perishable foods items in a pantry. Also make sure you have the basics — like medications, OTCs like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, guaifenesin (mucinex), and pseudoephedrine, and (a rational amount of) toilet paper, facial tissues, etc.

Hope this help.  Let’s all stay safe!

The post COVID-19 Update first appeared on Voyage Clinics.

Transcriptions
Dr. Sanders: Hi, Dr. Sanders of Voyage Direct Primary Care. Today I wanted to talk about colds. It’s cold season right now, it’s in the middle of February, and we’ve got a lot of people out there with runny noses and congestion and sore throats and all that stuff and I want to talk about today what common recommendation that I have to folks that get colds, and then how to kind of avoid other things and whatnot.

So, number one: cold. You have the typical head congestion, lots of mucus, lots of mucus. Things you can do with that mucus, I like to do 1200 mg of mucinex, plain mucinex, just gyphenicen. There’s a lot of combo meds over there, and you don’t often need all the different various combinations. Those just add lots of side effects to your stuff and make you feel groggy and sometimes really dizzy and funky, so just plain mucinex, 1200 mg twice a day. Mucinex breaks up the mucus, makes it more like water, so doesn’t pull in your sinuses or in your ears or in your lungs, and predispose you to “opportunistic infections,” we;ll talk about that in a minute. 

The other one is sudafed if your blood pressure will tolerate that, another reasonable thing to do. Again, plain sudafed, it will dry up the mucus in your nasal terminix so you don’t create as much mucus and I just like those two medicines, honestly. There’s dexomethorphan, Sudafed DM, again that’s a cough thing, I like people to cough. Certainly if there’s a cough that’s keeping you up at night and all that then maybe you can add some of those things, but honestly there’s things I can add to your regimen that will be better than that stuff anyway. 

So, opportunistic infection. The average cold lasts three to seven days, usually. So that’s very common and you’ll eventually kick it, lots of water, lots of rest, lots of fluids and sudafed and mucinex, and most people just kind of, the virus will run its course and your immune system will kill it. However, sometimes that mucus pools, and it will pool in your sinuses, and it will pool in your ears, it might even pool in your lungs and will create what’s called and opportunistic infection. That’s when I want to hear from you. 

So if you’re past that seven day mark, and you’re having ear pain or you’re having sinus pressure, again past the seven day mark, so I’m ten days in and I’ve got this sinus pressure. Now you have a sinus infection. Well what about in the first three days and I get sinus pressure? Well that’s all viral, lots of mucus and it’s still pooling in your sinuses and causing pressure, but the chance of that being bacteria are much less. If you’re past that seven day mark and it’s starting to hurt, then yeah you probably got an opportunistic bacterial infection. Also you can have pneumonias in that same time frame. Kids get otitis, maybe like an ear infection, very very commonly as an opportunistic infection as well.

So be on the lookout for those as well, and I think that’s it. Dr. Sanders with Voyage Direct Primary Care, trying to teach the masses and talk about colds today. Thanks, bye.

The post The Common Cold: Symptoms and Remedies first appeared on Voyage Clinics.

Why health insurance doesn’t help you
Have you ever wondered why, out of all the different areas in the service industry, health insurance is both the most expensive and has the worst customer service?

The answer is fairly obvious. Health insurance companies provide you with lousy customer service because you are not their real customer. In fact, you’re a liability. Your medical bills eat into their profits, increase their risk, and take money out of the pocket of their true customer.

So who is the insurance company’s true customer? Currently, and historically, it’s the investor—followed by your employer, although the last several years have seen employers asking their employees to pitch in more and more as insurance premiums escalate. And even if you pay for the premiums entirely on your own, you’re still last in terms of leverage and coverage.

Investors are the real customers
Health insurance isn’t really a service at all; at least, not for you. Investors fund insurance companies with the hope that money collected from premiums will exceed money paid in medical claims. The difference between revenues and expenses is the investor’s net profit margin.

So when an insurance company denies your medical claim, it’s because they’re trying to serve their real customer (the investor) by lowering expenses (claims paid) to keep more revenue (premiums). If they paid your claims quickly and completely when you submitted them, they would have less net profits to give to their investors, their true and only customer.

Employers are in a bind
The health insurance company’s relationship with investors also explains why premiums continue to increase (increased premiums equal greater revenues). Even though employers pay for much of the cost of health insurance premiums, they’re usually unwilling customers with little to no leverage for price negotiation.

So when premium costs rise, employers have no choice but to share the cost with their employees, even while they continue to bear a large financial burden for an insurance product that is shrinking in every way except price.

Health insurance ≠ health care
In sum, insurance companies have 1) a captive payer base among employers with more than 50 employees, 2) no regulatory or monetary incentive to minimize revenue generation by lowering premiums or paying out more claims, and 3) no cap on the amount of profit they can pay to their true customer, the investor.

For example, the following are the 2019 returns-on-investment for three health insurance companies among the top 10 in the S&P 500 for the health care industry—Humana: 33.2%, Aetna: 43.4%, Cigna: 57.4%.

Is it any wonder you dread calling your insurance company to get a claim paid or reimbursed? So what can you do, knowing you are not and never will be the insurance company’s true customer? And how do you get good customer service and medical care without spending a fortune?

Once you realize that the insurance company is not designed to serve your interests, you should look for a model that is. This is the space in which direct primary care is innovating.

Direct primary care = real health care
Direct primary care (DPC) is broad-scope, insurance-free medical care. When you join a DPC, you pay an affordable monthly fee for unlimited, 24/7 access to your doctor by phone, text and email, same-day office and virtual visits, simple surgical procedures, at-cost pricing on blood tests, and discount cash prices on x-rays, MRIs, and CT scans.

With DPC, your doctor partners with you for most of your healthcare needs (at no extra charge), drastically decreasing your chances of hospitalization or specialty care and saving you money. You can also choose cheaper medical insurance plans or health shares that complement DPC services and save more money. And because you’re the true customer, you get the best customer service imaginable.

It’s clear that health insurance is not truly a service industry—not for policy holders, at any rate. This explains why health insurance does not equal health care. At Voyage Direct Primary Care, you’ll get top-shelf customer service and superior health care at lower cost.

The post Why health insurance ≠ health care first appeared on Voyage Clinics.