Dr. Horvitz -- Your Medical Home

Open Letter to my patients

February 20, 2008

We near the end of February, nearly two months into the transition of my practice. Many of my patients, peers, friends and family have asked how the transition is going. So far, so good. The goals I have set for my practice are being met.

Please allow me to list a few of these:

1. Same day appointments- If you are not feeling well and need an appointment, the last thing you need to hear from your doctor's office is that they can schedule you in three days. That just does not work! We have always offered same or next day appointments, and now if you call our office before noon on a workday, you will be offered a same day appointment. My father was also a family physician in a solo practice. He would always tell me, "Make sure you get patients into your office when they are sick, because if you wait a few days they may not be sick anymore." I have followed my father's advice.

2. Longer appointment times- When my office participated with health insurance companies, the large overhead expense forced us to try to see more patients per day. This would often cut into the length of time available per patient. Average appointment time prior to my transition was 12-15 minutes. Now we are scheduling for at least 20-minute appointment times, and longer for Wellness exams and physicals. My goal is that each patient gets the time they need for a full and comprehensive evaluation.

3. Less waiting time- With longer appointment times, I have finally been able to run on schedule. No one is perfect, but I have been doing a much better job of seeing patients at their scheduled appointment times. Another side benefit is less crowded waiting rooms and less time in the waiting room. In fact I am considering canceling some of my magazine subscriptions as no one is finding time to read them.

4. Creating a medical home for my patients- When contracted with health insurance companies my office staff and I would usually spend 4-6 hours per day on bureaucratic paperwork, referrals, precertifications and other health insurance nonsense that should have no place in our healthcare system. Well, no longer!! We now have time to serve as your sounding board to medical advice and treatment rendered by other caregivers and specialists. My office staff also has the time to help with the facilitation and coordination of your healthcare. This includes scheduling diagnostic tests and also referring and scheduling appointments with specialists.

I appreciate the trust and confidence that my patients have shown in me. I take my job and my profession very seriously and I strive to treat every patient as I would want to be treated myself, and as I would treat my own family. I will always do my best to make every office visit or phone conversation worthy of your time.

If you have any suggestions or comments on how I can make my practice work better for you, please call or email. I will be happy to hear from you!

Steven Horvitz, D.O.
Founder Institute for Medical Wellness

Please read An Open Letter from America's Physicians. I was honored to be one of seven physicians from around the country to help draft this letter. It's purpose is to unite physicians and patient's to help bring needed change in our healthcare system. If you have any comments about the letter, please send me an email.

A recent oped in the Wall Street Journal entitled

"The Health Insurance Mafia"

A must read is found in a recent commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association titled,
"Who Pays for Health Care? The Myth of "Shared Responsibilty"

An interesting article on change in healthcare can be found by clicking here. It is written by a senator from Oklahoma who has the dual perspective of also being a physician.

Here is a link to a news story in Hawaii about a doctor who also stopped dealing with insurance companies and is able to provide better and more accessible medical care.

Horizon - Blue Cross-Blue Shield members: Our office has terminated our contracts with these insurers as of January 24, 2008. Our office will be considered as an out-of-network provider starting January 25, 2008. For more information on how we can continue to partner in your healthcare please refer to the Payment Options section of our website. I value each and every one of you as my patients and hope to continue to offer you and your family the best medical care possible.

Amerihealth-Keystone-Independence Blue Cross members: Our office has terminated our contracts with these insurers as of January 31, 2008. Our office will be considered as an out-of-network-provider starting February 1, 2008. For more information on how we can continue to partner in your healthcare, please refer to the Payment Options section of our website. I value each and every one of you as my patients and hope to continue to offer you and your family the best medical care possible.

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