NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Some primary care physicians are worked to the bone.
As their patient, that can mean you don't get a lot of time with them or can't get an appointment in the first place.
I know this issue touches thousands of you, so I checked out a new practice in Nashville where the doctor is a call, text, or email away.
"I think that's what's frustrating as a doctor is I want to talk to you for an hour, an hour and a half, and that's what I do here because I'm outside the system," said Dr. Rahul Iyengar.
When Dr. Rahul Iyengar graduated medical school, he was shocked to find primary care doctors seeing 30 to 40 mostly sick patients a day.
"A lot of doctors are on the hamster wheel of like I do need to make some money. It is expensive — I mean a decade of training plus. So you're on that hamster wheel day to day. In the system, doctors don't get to make their schedules. You're an employee, and insurance is really what dictates your scheduling," said Dr. Iyengar.
So, at Members Health Co., he's taken insurance out of the equation.
In July, he opened the direct primary care practice on Merritt Ave. His members pay a set monthly fee for what he calls comprehensive preventative care and direct access to care.
There are no co-pays or surprise bills. Right now, the practice is limited to 300 patients.
"I wanted an old-school approach where I actually know my patients," said Dr. Rahul Iyengar. "If I took a job as a primary care doctor, I'd see 40+ people a day and have a patient volume of 4,000 to 5,000 patients."
A standard membership costs $189 a month for an adult under 50. The cost is slightly higher for an older person. There's also a premium membership for $379 a month, which comes with more wellness benefits.
I wanted to compare the membership prices to payments people with insurance pay.
I checked the Health Insurance Marketplace for rates for a single, healthy 35-year-old man in Nashville making $65,000 who is eligible for health coverage through his job, Medicare, or Medicaid. I found that high-deductible plans started at $408 a month and low deductible plans started at $518 a month.
"Insurance is great. It has a role, but it's not designed to keep you healthy. It's designed for when something breaks. So I compare it to car insurance, where even if you have the best car insurance, you still end up paying for gas, oil changes, car washes, tires, and all the maintenance. That's what I do for health," Dr. Iyengar said.
According to the physician, his members also get more than what most plans cover. Memberships include extensive preventative blood work, muscle and fat assessments, massage therapy, and wellness services.
If imaging is needed, members pay a fraction of insurance-based prices, which also come with several hundred dollar co-pays.
"The cash price if you want to get an MRI is $500. I can get that in for you today if you want. With insurance, I've never had an MRI approved in less than a month. Even then, the co-payment is $600," he said.
The doctor recommends catastrophic health insurance for unexpected ER visits, as you never know what could happen. Catastrophic health insurance plans typically have lower premiums than other types of health insurance. They are designed to protect against very high medical costs resulting from serious injuries or illnesses.
While Members Health Co. is not for everybody, it is certainly something to consider.
A second location is opening in April in The Nations.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at hannah.mcdonald@newschannel5.com.
Fundraising efforts are underway in Brownsville and Nutbush, TN to build a statue for a major superstar who was raised there, Anna Mae Bullock. You probably know her by her stage name, Tina Turner. I was a huge fan of Tina and glad to see efforts are underway to showcase more of her ties to West Tennessee.
-Lelan Statom
