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Frequently Asked Questions:
What is a “concierge" type
medical practice?
Is Orlando Executive Health like health insurance?
What type of patient is Orlando Executive Health designed for?
I’m relatively healthy. Why should I have a
membership in Orlando Executive Health?
I’m too busy to see my doctor. And besides,
I travel a lot. Why should I invest in an OEH membership?
Why do you charge a membership fee?
Do you have family membership rates?
Do you offer corporate memberships?
What can I expect at my first appointment?
How soon can I see a doctor if I am sick?
What if I’m not sure I want to join to
the OEH VIP program and I’m sick NOW?
If I become a member patient, am I locked into a membership for a year
or more?
How does the membership fee save me time?
How does the membership fee benefit my health?
Is Orlando Executive Health only for the rich?
Do you take my insurance?
Do you accept Medicare?
Why isn’t OEH a network provider?
Q: What
is a “concierge" type
medical practice?
A: A medical practice that provides premium healthcare services
for an additional fee. Some of these services include 24/7 physician
access, same or next day appointments, personalized wellness plans,
and online services for medical information.
Q: Is Orlando
Executive Health like health insurance?
A: No. We are a provider of medical services. Health insurance
is mostly focused on paying for medical expenses when you are sick
or
injured. We provide those covered medical services and more. We also
focus on keeping you from getting sick and on managing your diseases.
As a member patient you will get an annual physical, flu shots, a
wellness plan of action, and more.
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Q: What type of
patient is Orlando Executive Health designed for?
A: Our patients are people who have health concerns, want to avoid
health problems in the future, want more time with their physicians,
need chronic health management or want more convenience in obtaining
medical care. Some of our members are busy executives who travel
extensively: celebrities, sports or entertainment industry personalities,
or busy entrepreneurs and professionals. But many of our members
are “ordinary people” who recognize the value of the
kind of care, caring and service Orlando Executive Health provides
and have invested in their health by purchasing a membership.
Q: I’m relatively
healthy. Why should I have a membership in Orlando Executive Health?
A: Being healthy and staying healthy over the long-term are not
the same. Our physicians will be proactive in helping you maintain
a
healthy life style, maintain your weight, quit smoking, have annual
physicals and more. Our advanced Electronic Medical Records system
will allow you, your OEH physician or other medical providers anywhere
in the world to access your electronic medical records 24/7 via
a secure connection over the internet should the need arise.
For some, the convenience of easy appointments, not having to wait
when you arrive to see your physician, and house calls or calls to
your office when medically necessary provide them with peace of mind.
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Q: I’m too
busy to see my doctor. And besides, I travel a lot. Why should I
invest in an OEH membership?
A: You may be too busy to see your doctor but that doesn’t
mean you shouldn’t and ignore your health. OEH makes it easier
for you to get appointments, spend more time with your doctor and
not have to wait to see your doctor. When needed, we can even provide
care in your home or office.
If you travel, we provide travel medical guidance and inoculations.
Our advanced Electronic Medical Records system means that no matter
where you go, your personal medical information is as close to you
or a local medical provider as a Web browser. We also provide phone
and secure e-mail consulting when you are either too busy to come
in to ask a question or are traveling.
Q: Why do you charge
a membership fee?
A: In order to provide this level of care and personal attention
to our patients, we must reduce the number of patients we see. We
also provide a wide variety of services, many at no additional cost,
some of which you can’t get from a typical medical practice.
Therefore, to provide this level of care and convenience to our
patients we must charge an annual fee.
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Q: Do you have family
membership rates?
A: Yes. The fees are reduced for the second and subsequent members
from the same family. Families include parents, children and grandparents.
Q: Do you offer
corporate memberships?
A: Yes. Click here for more information.
Q: What can I expect
at my first appointment?
A: Before your first appointment, you register with us. This
can be done on our secure website at any time before your
first appointment
or in person at our office if you prefer.
In addition to the usual information such as
name and address, you will be asked a number of questions about
your personal and family
medical history, as well as about any current symptoms you
are having. We will also ask you about a variety of health-related
issues that
many people may have to help us focus on what is important
to you. Based on the information you provide, a personalized evaluation
plan
will be put together for you. This may include laboratory testing
specific for your health issues or special health screenings
to gather additional information. If you are having particular
symptoms, we
will focus on those first.
At the time of your appointment, your personal physician will complete
your detailed health and medical history, thoroughly examine you,
and review his preliminary findings with you. Together, you will
develop and implement a personalized plan for managing and maintaining
your health, as well as treating any problems that have been identified.
Usually initial evaluations require an hour or more; subsequent visits
are usually 30 minutes.
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Q: How soon can
I see a doctor if I am sick?
A: We reserve several appointments each day for acute illnesses and
minor injuries. This is so that OEH VIPs can be seen when they’re
sick and avoid the ER whenever possible.
Q: What if
I’m not sure I want to join to the OEH VIP program
and I’m sick NOW?
A: For a limited time only, we are offering the OEH VIP-level
of care and service on an “a la carte” basis.
This is particularly attractive to people who are new to
the area or are acutely ill,
and want to try out Orlando Executive Health. Keep in mind,
our philosophy is to provide one uniformly high level of
care and service.
OEH acute-care patients can expect to spend approximately an hour
at their first appointment since it takes as much, if not more, time,
information and concentration to care for an acutely ill patient
as it does for someone who wants to stay well. Patients may find
that the cost savings for that first acute care visit alone are worth
the annual membership. And that annual membership means that their
doctor will be available for them the next time they’re sick,
too.
Q: If become a
member patient, am I locked into a membership for a year or more?
A: No, all of our VIP members are free to cancel their agreement
at any time. We want you to be happy with your care and our services.
There really isn’t any need for “fear of commitment” with
OEH!
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Q: How does the
membership fee save me time?
A: By limiting the total number of patients cared for in the practice,
OEH is able to meet your healthcare needs through innovative ways
that make the best use of your time.
OEH members experience a more personal relationship with their doctors.
They can call or e-mail their personal physician about their questions
and expect an answer back at a time of their choosing. In a traditional
practice you would probably have to call during office hours, wait
on hold, leave a message, and hope for a call back — sometime. All
too often the answer would be “Doctor says you need to make
an appointment about that…” And again, all too often,
the first available appointment is days or weeks away. Then when
you arrive for your appointment, you may sit 1-2 hours or more beyond
your appointed time, waiting to see your doctor to ask the same question
an OEH physician had answered on the same day it was asked.
With patient-driven appointments, OEH VIPs get in to see their personal
physician on the same or next day and their appointment will usually
be on-time. With prompt attention to health problems caught early,
little problems don’t become big ones. For example, say you
develop what you think is the flu. If you’re an OEH VIP, you
would most likely be seen that same day. Immediately upon arrival
at OEH, you would be whisked into a private consultation room. Your
evaluation is done right then and there, with any necessary x-rays
and most types of laboratory work carried out on site. In fact, you
could even start your medication while you are in the office. We
save you time and eliminate trips to the imaging center, laboratory,
back to the doctor’s office, and then on to the pharmacy. Some
lab tests can be completed while you are at your appointment so you
can start your treatment sooner.
While most people are still waiting for a call
back from their doctor’s
office or are waiting in the ER, an OEH VIP is already
back home, recuperating from their illness, and getting ready to
go back to
work the next day. With quick diagnosis and treatment,
OEH can help you prevent a small problem from becoming a time-consuming,
inconvenient
health issue.
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Q: How does the
membership fee benefit my health?
A: We focus on practical prevention—health and wellness, as
well as early identification and treatment of chronic illnesses.
In many traditional practices, there simply isn’t much time
for prevention, or educating patients on ways to help maintain their
own health. According to a recent New York Times article, there is
growing evidence that patients with memberships in practices such
as OEH receive preventive exams like Pap smears and mammograms more
consistently than patients in traditional practices. They may also
require fewer hospital admissions, due to their doctor’s ability
to more closely attend to their health. This not only improves health
and quality of life, it reduces the chances of complications (such
as hospital-acquired infections, medication errors, falls, etc.)
inherent in any hospital stay. And time NOT spent in the hospital
or doctor’s waiting room can be used productively, doing the
things YOU want to do.
When you do become sick, we make sure to deliver prompt treatment.
With fewer patients than ordinary practices, we can devote as much
time as needed to your health. You will be able to schedule an appointment,
usually for that very day, and will be seen as soon as you enter
the office. You won’t find yourself sharing germs with 40 other
sick people in a crowded ER or office waiting room. Most tests can
be done in our offices. We do everything we can to take care of you.
Furthermore, prompt attention to a busy professional’s
illness, with early access to treatment, may keep that person out
of the hospital
and return him or her to productivity that much
sooner. This not only benefits health — it maintains peak
productivity. Consider this: the average length of a hospital stay
for pneumonia is five
to six days (at roughly $7,500 a day, and a 20%
co-pay, this adds up.), with an additional two weeks of time off
for convalescence.
Early access to care, with prompt treatment, may
completely prevent the hospital admission, and its associated costs
and risks, to get a
person back to work in three days instead of three
weeks. How much is that worth to most of us?
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Q: Is Orlando Executive
Health only for the rich?
A: No, Orlando Executive Health is for anyone who can be better serviced
by our model of providing healthcare. Many people spend more on
their cable TV services than on OEH membership costs. For roughly
the cost of a daily latte, OEH VIPs can get off the managed care
treadmill, receive the kind of personalized attention to their healthcare
that they deserve, and get on with their lives.
We accept 20% of our patients on a reduced or waived membership fee
basis based on demonstrated financial need. We also provide reduced
membership fees for individuals and their families who are on active
duty in the armed forces, law enforcement officers, emergency first-responders
and full-time teachers. Orlando Executive Health physicians also
volunteer their time to providing free medical care at the West Orange
Free Clinic.
Q: Do you take
my insurance?
A: We are not “in-network providers” in
any health insurance programs other than Medicare.
We will however, save you time by forwarding
your claim
to your insurance company so that
they can provide you the benefits you are entitled
to under your plan.
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Q: Do you accept
Medicare?
A: Yes. At this time, Orlando Executive Health
accepts Medicare. However, please be aware
that we can offer this ONLY to membership
patients. Due to increasingly burdensome regulatory
requirements and declining payment rates for
physician services, we will be re-evaluating
our participation status with Medicare annually.
Be assured that
we will make every effort to continue to care
for our Medicare-eligible patients in the event
that continued Medicare participation becomes
unsustainable.
Q: Why isn’t
OEH a network provider?
A: Most insurance plans promise their participating
physicians large patient volumes in return
for deeply-discounted fees (below realistic,
sustainable market rates) and agreeing to abide
by the insurance
company’s claims payment rules. As a
result, many practices find themselves having
to see more and more patients in an hour in
order to cover the practice’s costs.
In order to stay afloat financially, those
doctors then have to employ “physician
extenders” such
as nurse practitioners to see more of their
patients for them, fill their appointments
weeks and months in advance and cut back on
services
(such as in-office lab specimen handling, x-rays,
and testing) for which the insurance company
has decided not to pay. The patient is
then responsible for going to outside x-ray
and lab specialists for these medically-necessary
services. This is both time consuming for
the patient and often delays treatment.
Orlando Executive Health is different. We are
not a “high volume” practice.
We focus on the quality of
patient care, not quantity. We want
to take care of YOU. In order to focus on providing
the best possible
care and service to our patients, we have opted
not to contract with the insurance companies.
Instead, we contract with YOU. That way,
our focus is on taking care of YOU, not being
tied down by the financial incentives of the
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