FAQ
Common Questions
You have questions. We’ve got answers!
Membership Medicine and You
You will experience the difference immediately when you visit us at NuMed Direct Primary Care. Our reception area is relaxing and comfortable, and there is little, if any, waiting time to see us. We will take the time to address your medical concerns and answer all your questions, and your office visits will never feel rushed. Plus, you’ll be able to avoid many visits altogether by sending your questions directly to us via email and text – something you won’t get from a traditional practice.
Because our practice is limited to just a few hundred, not thousands, of patients, we get to know our patients so we can take a more proactive role in your health and wellness and be there when you need us.
Our goal is to provide you with an experience that will not just meet, but exceed, your expectations for a medical practice.
Membership medicine or Direct Primary Care (DPC) or Concierge Medicine is an exciting and rapidly growing model for providing health care without the interference of private health insurance companies denying or limiting care. Instead of relying on these companies to pay us for the services we provide, our patients pay us directly through a convenient membership plan.
This allows us to keep our practice small and provide you with highly accessible, personalized, and preventive care when you need it. Our focus on ensuring a strong and satisfying provider-patient relationship is the key to helping you stay healthy.
In fact, it's the way we envision the future of medicine!
We are still happy to see you in our practice for hormone replacement and/or ketamine therapy. If you ever decide to become a member, fantastic! We’ll be here to help.
Your membership covers all the excellent primary care services we offer in our office such as annual comprehensive wellness exams, sports physicals, school physicals, chronic care office visits, follow-up visits, basic office procedures, and treatment of acute illness or minor injuries, all with minimal wait times in the office.
Our members will also have access to discounted labs, imaging, prescriptions, supplements, and hormone and ketamine therapy.
For your convenience, we can provide a great amount of care by phone, text, email, and virtual visits when appropriate. We are available to discuss urgent concerns on evenings and weekends when needed. We have created a practice where you can reach us when you need us, without having to jump through many hoops!
See the many other benefits you will receive.
Of course. We believe patients would see their provider more if it were more personalized, easier to communicate, and less hassle.
Everyone benefits from a service tailored directly to them. That’s why we offer truly customized healthcare. We’re here for you if you’re sick or hurt, but we also help you proactively maintain good overall health. We want to identify and prevent disease and other risk factors, concentrating our efforts on your lifetime health and wellness. Together, we will create a personalized plan to achieve and maintain your optimal health. The longer you’re our patient, the more we learn about your health and lifestyle, and the better we can help you maintain that health.
People of all ages benefit from the value-added services we offer in our practice.
It works especially well for:
- Patients desiring easy and direct communication with their provider.
- Patients who want a provider to address the underlying cause of illness, not just treat the symptoms.
- Those who want to take part in improving their health and staying well.
- Patients who want a provider with traditional training but an open mind to non-traditional approaches (such as health coaching, meditation, acupuncture, etc.).
- Those with high insurance premiums, high-deductible health plans, or no insurance.
- Self-insured businesses seeking to provide their employees with affordable health care and improved wellbeing, while simultaneously reducing everyone's healthcare spending.
- Patients who are too busy to spend extended time waiting in a provider’s office to be seen.
- Those who wish to have their medical care remain private.
Appointments, Referrals, and Care
Of course! Provider access is one of the greatest benefits of our membership model. Because illness and injury do not respect regular office hours, you may call at any time for urgent matters. If you have a life-threatening emergency, you should call 911 or go to the ER immediately.
Often, we can diagnose and treat your urgent care needs without a visit to the ER. In fact, membership medicine has been shown to result in many fewer ER and urgent care visits because we can discuss your medical needs when you need to. If appropriate, rest assured we can see you the same or the next day!
This can be a stressful and often confusing experience for patients and their families. You will be cared for by the emergency room physician and/or hospitalist team. We will communicate with them, review your plan of care, answer questions, and make recommendations as needed. As your health care advocate, we will communicate directly with you and your loved ones, and help you navigate the health care system.
For starters, having such unprecedented direct access to your primary care provider allows us to handle most of your healthcare needs and will prevent specialty referrals in many cases. If you do need to see a specialist, we will help you find the right doctor and coordinate your care. When making referrals, we can consult with your specialist prior to your appointment, as needed.
After your specialist visit, we will follow up to discuss any of your questions or concerns and arrange additional testing and management if needed.
Of course – this sort of care is “baked in” to the membership model. Because you’ll have our direct phone number and portal access, you can reach out to us whenever you need, wherever you are. Many illnesses can be diagnosed and treated with a simple conversation. We’ll also locate your nearest pharmacy and order the medications most appropriate for your circumstances. If you have a condition that requires in-person evaluation and treatment, we will direct you to appropriate nearby care, and coordinate follow-up when you return home.
Our college program provides reassurance that reduces one of the stressors that come with college life. Your student can easily contact us by cell, text, email, or video, providing them with medical support when they need it. Your student will have their own trusted provider who knows them well and can ensure comprehensive care while they’re away from home. We can handle most medical needs from minor concerns to coordination and communication with local healthcare providers. We offer direct, personalized care and may be able to help your student avoid a visit to the clinic altogether. With our college program, both you and your college-bound student can breathe easier.
As a member of NuMed Direct Primary Care, you are never alone. Even when out of town, we will still be available by phone for your urgent needs. You will be notified by email before any vacations. If we are not available, we will have another trusted provider available to assist you with any urgent matters or to be seen in the office.
We maintain high standards of patient privacy. We will never provide your health information to any third party unless you specifically ask that we do so.
How Insurance Works in the Practice
We have chosen not to. Our practice is unencumbered by the constraints and limited reimbursement from insurance plans so that we may better serve and care for our patients. You will receive completely unbiased medical evaluation, recommendations, and treatment. You only pay the membership fee. There will be no charge for office visits or co-pays/deductibles. No hassles and no hidden charges.
The membership fee allows us to work for you, our valued patient, not the insurance company!
**Please note that in the state of Colorado, our membership plans are not available to those with Medicaid.
Yes. My medical practice is not an insurance provider, and it is very important to maintain a medical insurance policy* (and/or Medicare). Personalized medical practices do not take the place of general health insurance coverage.
Medical insurance helps to protect you from expensive, unusual, and unpredictable events such as surgery, emergency care, and hospitalization. Insurance may also be used to cover those medical services not included in our membership plans such as prescription drugs, certain advanced labs, diagnostic imaging (X-rays, MRIs), and services provided by medical specialists.
* We recommend our patients continue a major medical plan, and ideally with a high-deductible and health savings account. We’re happy to refer you to insurance representatives who can help customize an insurance plan to your specific needs.
Yes, we take care of any patient regardless of your insurance situation. However, we recommend that everyone have insurance coverage, which is still important in the event of a major health issue.
Absolutely. Our practice is well suited to handle the more complex medical issues often associated with older patients. We can spend the time necessary to manage — and possibly reverse — chronic disease, minimize the use of medications and work together to optimize your health and wellness.
Note: As we have opted-out of Medicare, you need only sign a waiver (every 2 years) declaring that neither you nor your clinician will directly bill Medicare for our services. Even though Medicare will not reimburse us for any services you receive in our practice, your Medicare benefits will otherwise remain unchanged and can continue to be used for all other medical care received outside of our practice. Medicare coverage will continue according to your specific plan, without change for medications, blood work, imaging tests, specialty referrals and care, or hospitalization.
How to Join
Membership fees can be paid annually, quarterly, or monthly. We have discounts for spouses and families. Please visit our Fees page for details.
The best part is, there are never any co-pays, or deductibles to meet.
Yes, it can for many of our patients. We expect many patients will have fewer out-of-pocket medical costs.
Studies show that membership medicine can lead to:
- Less dependency on medications
- Fewer specialty referrals
- Fewer emergency and hospital visits
- Savings on labs and imaging
- Less need for expensive test ordering
You won’t have to pay a co-pay for office visits or routine physicals. Also, we’ve negotiated amazing discounts for prescription medications, blood tests, X-rays, and MRI/CT scans on your behalf. If we had contracts with insurance companies, we would be legally obligated to charge higher prices.
Since you are getting such comprehensive care from us, you can cut way back on your insurance premiums by choosing a high-deductible, low-premium insurance plan so you’re covered in the case of a major health issue. But leave the rest of your health care to us.
You may want to check with your tax advisor or human resources department regarding the use of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), and Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs) as possible payment sources for your membership. If you are unable to use these funds to pay for the membership fee directly, there is a good chance you can still use your HSA/FSA/HRA as reimbursement for certain services provided through our office.
Unfortunately, no. Your retainer is not yet defined as a “medical expense” in most states and as such is not deductible. Please confer with your tax consultant to clarify tax consequences in your particular circumstances.
At NuMed, we place a high value on trust in delivering the best possible medical care. Unlike other practices that may require lengthy commitments, you may cancel your membership any time after the first three months, with thirty days’ notice. We believe in providing our members with the freedom to make choices that best suit their needs while maintaining transparency and respect for their preferences.
Please note: If you cancel your membership and decide to rejoin the practice at a later date, you may be placed on a waiting list pending membership availability. You would also be subject to any price increases that have occurred since you originally joined the practice.
Certainly, we are happy to engage in a discussion to ensure that our practice is a mutually beneficial fit. You are welcome to use our Contact Form to send any inquiries and arrange a meeting at your convenience.
Yes! Family members or friends may want to provide a loved one with the gift of membership. It’s a great way to provide support and peace of mind and ensure personalized attention for their well-being.
You can sign up online now or contact us.
Please remember that space is limited, and once all available slots are filled, we will add your name to our waiting list.
Working with Employers
Yes, we do! We can provide a higher level of personal care, and the time to focus on prevention and wellness. With a smaller panel of patients and more time with patients, chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure can be better managed.
Your employees can be seen right away to address minor injuries and illnesses. Virtual visits by text, email or video can also take the place of a time-consuming office visit, which means less time away from work.
As opposed to traditional healthcare, greater emphasis on wellness results in healthier and happier employees, and significantly reduced healthcare costs for their employers because of:
- Reduced absenteeism
- Less time away from work
- Greater productivity & performance at work
- Reduced workplace injuries
- Fewer expensive ER and hospital visits
- Fewer specialty physician visits
- Better health coverage at a lower cost
We would be pleased to explore solutions for your business or establish connections with your employer. Contact us to learn more!