Everything you want to know

Nick Davis, MD, and Associates is a membership model, family medicine practice. As a physician, I enjoy taking care of families – from children to seniors. I am passionate about whole person health – meaning I work with my patients to develop a meaningful relationship so I can understand all that might impact a person’s overall well-being. As a membership model practice, I am able to spend more time with patients (than in a traditional primary care setting), allowing us to work together to focus on evidence-based medicine, overall wellness and prevention – and not just taking care of you when you are sick. I tell patients, it’s like “having a doctor in the family.” I’m accessible and available to you to answer your health concerns and questions and work with you to live your healthiest life.

Ms.Medicine is a national network of primary care providers practicing evidence-based medicine. The network was formed to address many complex needs (especially for women) that are often not addressed in traditional primary care settings due to lack of time and training.  Please know that Nick Davis, MD, and Associates will accept men, women and children (call if under age 6) and provide exceptional primary care for the whole family. As a member of the Ms.Medicine network, I will also undertake advance training in women’s health-specific concerns, such as menopause/peri-menopause, sexual health, bone health and more. My affiliation with the Ms.Medicine network gives me access to some of the top women’s health internists, as well as an excellent membership model to apply to my own practice.

By starting my own membership practice, I can have a much greater impact on my patients’ lives than I could in a traditional primary care practice. Membership medicine means that patients pay a membership fee to join the practice, and their membership includes all office visits, plus ability to reach me 24/7 via phone, text or email. By using the membership model, we are no longer beholden to insurance barriers that dictate your care and require physicians to see an unreasonable number of patients in a day. This model lets doctors and patients spend more time together to focus on prevention and overall wellness – not just treatment when you are sick. That’s the way I think medicine should be.

Our Membership Medicine model means your primary care visits with me are covered through your annual fee. We work in partnership directly with you, and you use your insurance for needs outside of your primary care, such as for visits with specialists or hospitalization, if required. You also may be able to submit your membership fees to your HSA (all plans vary so check with your administrator.) In some cases, we can provide an itemized receipt for you to submit to your insurance for out-of-network benefits. Some patients pair their Nick Davis, MD, and Associates membership with a high deductible/lower premium health insurance plan to help lower their overall out-of-pocket costs and see continued health savings.

• Men and women over the age of 26 – $2,750 annually

• Partners (same household partners) – save $250 each ($5,000 per couple annually)

• Children and young adult (ages 6 – 26; with a parent member) – $500

• Children and young adult (ages 6 –26; independent) – $1000

• Child 6 years old or younger – please call

Your membership includes all visits with me, plus all the benefits of membership medicine: 24/7 access (including my cell phone for after hours and weekends, as well as my personal email address); longer appointment times (60+ minutes for annual wellness exams; 30 minutes for follow-up or urgent visits); same-day or next-business day appointments and little-to-no wait time in the office. Plus, since we have more time together, we’ll have the chance to work on a personalized wellness plan – so you can focus on preventing illness and staying healthy. See more information about our model here.

Health insurance is important, and I absolutely recommend that patients have health insurance to help cover medical expenses, especially for specialty care and hospitalization. But the truth is, the out-of-pocket costs for patients are increasing year over year. Many patients – especially those with high deductible plans—never reach their deductible in a given year and essentially pay completely out-of-pocket for their care. Additionally, these patients are still being cared for in an outdated and underequipped model of traditional primary care. Today’s traditional, insurance-based, medical model works against patients. Doctors are expected to see 26 – 28 patients in a day, resulting in minimal time with each patient – the average visit? Just 10 – 15 minutes with their doctor. That’s barely enough time to address immediate health needs let alone focus on prevention and overall wellness. In fact, doctors are actually financially penalized when they do spend time providing preventative health care because more time with individual patients means seeing fewer patients per day.

Your membership fee includes the cost of all your visits, and it takes out the middleman (health insurance). That means I am reachable 24/7 (through cell phone, email or text), same-day (or next business day) urgent appointments, little to no time in the waiting room, and more time together at every appointment (30 minutes to an hour). Plus, more time together means we can focus on areas that tend to be neglected in traditional primary care, like preventative measures, sexual health, cancer risk and more.

Patients commit to an initial 6-month membership contract, and after that, you may choose to pay monthly, semi-annually or annually.

I understand. I’d encourage you to consider the amount of money you’ll spend out-of-pocket in an average year for your healthcare needs. Also consider if you’re getting the kind of access, timeliness and care you want from your provider. Do you have chronic illness, a family history of illness or concerns about your health that you have not discussed with your primary care provider? Do you have multiple specialists involved in your healthcare that requires enhanced coordination? Do you feel like you’re getting expert advice about preventative measures you should take to reduce your risk of illness? Does your doctor address issues such as sexual health, menopause, bone health, and cancer risk with you? Sometimes, the money you spend to prevent illness results in money saved should you become sick down the road and require extensive or long-term treatment. In fact, academic studies have shown that patients who belonged to a concierge practice had fewer emergency department visits and fewer in-patient admissions than those who did not. Good insurance coverage doesn’t always translate to excellent care.

For updates about my practice opening, how to become a member and schedule an appointment, stay tuned here at my website or my social media channels: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you haven’t done so already, you can sign up here to receive email updates. Also, you can learn more about Ms.Medicine at its website and social media channels: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.