Going Above and Beyond for Our Patients

I love being a doctor and I love being a Direct Primary Care doctor. Because of the Direct Primary Care model, I have the opportunity to go above and beyond for my patients. For example, one of our members sent me a text message asking if I could bring by their medications the next day. I asked if I could drop them off that evening instead.

Text conversation with my of our Plum Health DPC members about the medication drop off.

I wanted to get them over as soon as possible because earlier that week, my patient had let me know that they were running low on their medications and on a tight schedule before an upcoming trip. That lead me to make an evening drop off of the medications on my way home from the office.

Dr. Paul Thomas of Plum Health DPC drops off medications for one of the Plum Health DPC members. When members of our practice need something, we try to get it done for them right away.

This is just one example of the many ways that we try to make health care more affordable, accessible, convenient, and personalized.

Thanks for reading and have a great day,

-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC

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Direct Primary Care Doctors Have More Time

Have you ever had this experience: a doctor tells you that you have condition "X" with treatment "Y", they then proceed to leave the room. A few moments later, the medical assistant hands you a pamphlet explaining condition "X" and treatment "Y", saying "thank you so much and have a great day"?

Questions start to pop in your head - do they know that I've already tried medication "Z"? What are the common side effects of treatment "Y"? Perhaps you've then asked the medical assistant, who then tries to pull the doctor out of the next patient's room. 

This can be extremely frustrating, and for good reason. When you see the doctor, you want to have a plan. Further, you want to understand this plan, the side effects of treatment, the potential costs involved, and other options if this option fails. 

Direct Primary Care doctors have more time to spend with their patients. We use this time to explain treatment plans, from why we chose a specific medication to what you should expect and when it's time to make that referral. 

As an aside, I was discussing this with some of my Direct Primary Care doctor colleagues: should we be sending information to our patients via digestible video segments? 

My answer is as follows: 

Should Direct Primary Care Doctors make videos for their patients? In short, maybe. If you are consistently repeating information for your patients, it might be a good idea for you to make a short "explainer" video. For example, the difference between strep throat and a viral sore throat or a preferred diet method, or what to do in the case of a tick bite. 

If you are seeing common ailments, it may make sense to make videos explaining the symptoms, but you became a Direct Primary Care Doctor for a reason! You wanted to have more time to discuss issues with your patients, more time to explain why you are using that medication or why you are pursuing that course of action.

It would make more sense to make videos for a larger health system. If the videos are really high quality, the doctors who have less time to explain themselves can use them to give patients the information that they would want to convey themselves, but don't have enough time to convey.

Thanks so much for reading, and have a great day,

Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health Direct Primary Care

Travel Medicine in Detroit

It's that time of year where people start traveling! If you have travel plans for this summer or fall, let us help you at Plum Health DPC. We have helped several of our members get their vaccines at-cost, we deliver the vaccines in our office, and we save our traveling patients time and money. 

We give our vaccines at-cost to save you money on your trip, from Hepatitis A, to Typhoid, to TdaP, and Malaria prophylaxis, we've got you covered for your upcoming travel. Here are our prices:

• Hepatitis A vaccine $68.40
• Typhoid Vaccine: $72
• Tetanus Diphtheria and acellular pertussis (TDaP): $47.47
• Malarone for malaria prophylaxis: $3.16/pill, or roughly $50 for an 8 day trip

There aren't many travel medicine options in the City of Detroit, and we are happy to be filling a gap in coverage and a gap in care for the folks that are taking trips outside of the country. You may not need all of the above listed vaccines, but we will work together to figure out which are necessary for your trip. The CDC.gov website has a great tool for learning which vaccines you need. 

Thanks for your time, and happy travels,

- Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC

Wholesale Medications in Detroit

At Plum Health DPC, we get wholesale medications for our members in Detroit, Wayne County, and Southeast Michigan. Just this week, I've helped more than a few of my patients or members with wholesale medications.

For example, I had a patient with  lower back pain due to paraspinal muscle tenderness. A common treatment for this is with Cyclobenzaprine or Flexeril. This medication can retail for $5 - $15 at retail pharmacies. At Plum Health, we wholesale Flexeril for 2.8 cents/pill. When the patient got the bill for $0.28, he thought that it was an error, but that's the actual cost of the medication.

Next, I have a patient with chronic allergic rhinitis. He told me that he got Flonase or Fluticasone at Costco at a bargain price of $48 for 3 bottles. At Plum Health, we wholesale Flonase for $7.26. He was pleasantly surprised by the cost savings!

Finally, I had a gentleman with Diabetes and High Cholesterol. He had been paying roughly $50/month for his medications at the retail pharmacy. At Plum Health, we were able to wholesale the Lisinopril, Glipizide, and Simvastatin for under $5, essentially saving him $45/month! 

These are just a few examples of how we save people money on their medications and on their healthcare. If you have any questions about how we can help you, don't hesitate to call 313.444.5630 for a free consultation.

Thanks for reading and thanks for watching,

- Dr. Paul with Plum Health