Discover Benefits of Direct Care at Progressive Endocrinology
Direct Care, whether it occurs in the primary care setting or specialty practice, bypasses the middle man (insurance).
Instead, a fee for the physician’s time and resources is charged directly, either as a “fee-for-service” or incorporated in a monthly membership.
Those who haven’t benefitted from this practice model might wonder if direct care's advantages are worth the expense and commitment.
Let’s highlight a few reasons why direct care, and in particular, Progressive Endocrinology aims to provide better care, satisfaction and outcomes.
Unrushed appointments, flexible booking, minimal wait times
An endocrinologist at a typical practice fits up to 16 patients per day. Typical appointment slots are 30 minutes for a new patient and 15-20 minutes for a follow-up.
This leaves the doctor rushing from room to room with delays caused at the front desk or nursing station eating into the reserved appointment time.
At a direct-care practice, you are part of a limited panel.
Fewer appointments per day result in unrushed visits. Dr. Jafri’s initial appointment is up to 120 minutes long, giving you ample time to discuss your concerns and for information gathering. Flexible appointments include weekend or after-hour visits where possible, ideal for busy professionals. You can reschedule easily with notice if you need to. You can expect minimal to no wait times before or after your appointment, whether it’s in person or telemedicine.
And yes, telemedicine options are available across most US states!
You place your trust in a qualified professional
Your health and well-being are most important. Your concerns are valuable, specially as a parent of a child with a chronic health issue.
This has inspired Dr. Jafri to pursue a long road of training even after medical school-3 years of training in Pediatrics to specialize in children, adolescents and young adults, and a further 3 years of endocrinology training to gain expertise in the hormonal issues that can affect this age group. This experience is critical to understanding how young bodies develop and to craft the most suitable and safe treatment plans.
Dr. Jafri’s experience with an increasing population dealing with overweight and obesity led to her pursuing certification in Obesity Medicine, so that she could incorporate the latest advances in weight management in her clinical practice. She prescribes weight loss medications with careful monitoring and guidance, which is incorporated within a holistic diet and lifestyle plan.
Options for diagnosis or treatment are not limited by insurance approvals
Direct Care comes with perks; discounted labs and imaging if you do not want to use insurance.
Dr. Jafri will also typically lay out all medically appropriate treatment options when discussing a care plan, rather than feeling inhibited by the possibility of insurance denial for some options.
She believes that families should be fully aware of their options and make the most informed decision possible.
Many practices are slow to adopt the latest advances and treatment options. Dr. Jafri keeps herself up to date with the latest options available (and in development), adapting her practice to accommodate various evidence-based approaches.
This helps families feel included and avoids gaps in care where the care team cannot guide certain treatment approaches.
Direct Access
Direct Care truly means Direct Access.
No need to explain your medical needs to a call center agent who has never met you or your child. No need to leave messages with support staff which are sometimes never returned.
When you become part of Progressive Endocrinology, you are given multiple ways to reach out directly to Dr. Jafri and you hear back directly from her.
This communication fosters trust and peace of mind, ensuring no gaps in care remain.
This direct communication translates to discussions between Dr. Jafri and other members of your care team, including your primary care provider, other specialists and school/work staff as needed.
No hidden costs or surprise bills with price transparency
With traditional medical visits, you often don’t know for sure how much you may have to pay out of pocket until you get your final bill.
You are expected to pay what insurance won’t cover-and that amount can vary depending on services rendered.
The whole process is complicated, prone to billing and coding errors and leads to time wasted on the phone with billing and insurance staff.
With Direct Care, your charges are clear from the beginning with no surprise additional payments.
This ensures that you are fully aware of your estimated monthly or annual health costs and can budget accordingly.
You can even find out about out-of-network benefits from your insurance carrier to see if there is a possibility of being re-imbursed or using your FSA/HSA funds towards your fee.
Continuity
It can be quite frustrating when your endocrinologist is suddenly out of network of your insurance plan.
Typically you find this out a few days before your next scheduled follow up, leaving you scrambling to find a new doctor.
For a complex specialty such as endocrine, where continuity is so valuable, this process is not only frustrating but can lead to poor health outcomes when the therapeutic relationship is broken.
Direct Care avoids this issue by not contracting with insurance carriers.
The extra continuity that you get at Progressive Endocrinology comes from Dr. Jafri being licensed in most US states, which allows her to continue to provide care if you move to an eligible state or your child goes off to college!