Marcus Welby Medicine?????
 

Is anyone else amused by this new discription of primary care in TV? Ummmm ......Dr Welby was a fictional character who didn't worry about getting paid for his services. I doubt that is what they mean. :a20:

I think they're aiming for having primary care doctors that actually know their patients by having the time with each one to actually converse and learn about the patient's whole health and lifestyle picture.

A worthy goal, but from what I've seen I think feeding the computer or iPad the information "it" demands, and clicking the right check-boxes to have canned, scripted text fill in that has excess info in it that doesn't even apply to this particular person, for the electronic medical record (EMR), is going to suck up most of the clinicians' time and attention.

I've seen it in visits and hospital stays up north and here, and the nurses and drs. I know have to wrestle The Thing at the expense of interacting with and caring for the patient. But that's what the feds and laws are mandating. It's driving seasoned, skilled clinicians to seek other work right when they're needed the most in clinical practice.

Your explanation was spot on as to my experience at the Colony Plaza Center. Very discouraging. Then when I called to arrange a meeting with the Chief Medical Office at Colony Plaza (Dr. Hildner who said in the article he wanted to hear what we liked and didnn't like) I was advised I couldn't schedule a meeting, only an appointment. I didn't want to see him for medical care, but to give him feedback on my experience. They are talking the talk, but not walking the walk from my experience.

Up north and here also, paper-less is how the medical field is functioning. I for one think the "Marcus Welby" concept is a good one. You won't be filling out those small books of information everytime you see a new physician...they can go into the computer to get it all. From what I understand your info will also transcend to TVHospital as well, in the event you are admitted.

The care I've gotten here in FL (so far--with the exception of one un-named physician) has been excellent. I have several auto-immune diseases so need to be monitored on a regular basis. My experience with Belleview Family Practice/The Villages has been excellent.

I also deal with a variety of health issues, at least one potentially life-threatening, and I would have to agree about having received excellent AND compassionate care (and also about one unnamed physician who goofed big-time...)!

Yes, I agree that the "Marcus Welby" thing sounds like a marketing gimmick....

My most fervent hope is that people will suspend their skepticism and crushing disappointment that things are never perfect.

My suggestion is that the Developer's voluntary sponsorship of a primary health care system available to TV'rs only a "10 minute golf cart ride away", deserves a chance to succeed.

Let's give it a chance.

The other 99% are doing just that.

I:agree:
We previously lived in Georgia and had Kaiser Insurance. It is a big organization, sorta one stop does all: X-rays, MRI, blood, RXs, specialist, Etc. the doctors really rarely looked at you and sat at a computer asking questions and ticking off boxes. At first we hated it but after awhile it was a great system that we loved. No constant filling out forms at different doctors. Test results were available within a few hours on our home computer. RXs could be ordered online and could be mailed to our home. No matter which doctor we saw, they had ALL of our health information. We could ALWAYS see a doctor the same day and and if you emailed a question to your doctor it would be answered in a few hours. This is the modern day Marcus Welby. We were VERY happy with the Kaiser Health Care System. It seems to me that this is the type of Health network they are trying to build.

This is EXACTLY right. I LOVED the electronic component as you say here---could e-mail my provider with questions, could request RX's, could also see test results and also info from prior dr. visits. It was a step backward (or two) when we arrived here 4 years ago to have to fill out what seemed like volumes of paperwork each time we went to a new location. I see nothing but positive re: this new system and we're happy to be a part of it!

Marcus Welby label does leave one with the impression that is is a marketing gimmick. The Health Care Industry in general is moving toward a paperless system. I have to commend them but many corporations they have done the same thing but really never got rid of the paper.
The cocnern for this electronic health history on patient's is that it will be easy to secure leaving the patient""s privacy at risk.

I made a conscious choice to use my cardiologist as my primary care doc primarily because he he will spend as much time as a patient needs ...Now that is what I dwfinw as Marcus Welby

I heard Morse's speech at the Savannah Center and I'm not quite sure what all this means. I have a very good gp and I would hate to leave him for one of these centers. I believe that most people who like their gp will want to stick with him or her. I don't think there will be a big rush to change doctors.

John

I'm not sure I agree with this observation - at least not in theory. Nothing drives me more nuts than when I see my doctor and he asks ME when the last time I had a colonoscopy or whether I had such and such shot or what drugs I am on. It is unconscionable that he doesn't have that information at the tip of his fingers in digital form. In fact, I would expect his iPad or whatever, to start flashing in big red characters that I am due for a certain test or inoculation as soon as he pulls up my records. It should also flash a warning that the drug he is about to prescribe is dangerous in combination with one that another specialist already has me on.

The notion that doctors have to rifle through reams of paper to find any information is mind numbing in today's hi tech world. In a 21st century world of medical technology, we are literally killing ourselves with 19th century record keeping.

I give 2nd chances to hairdressers and restaurants and the like - not my primary doctor. Actually I wanted to give Dr. Hildner the information about my experience in the hopes of improving the system. Unfortunately he is about as unaccessible as Mr. Morse.

I arrived in June of 2012 and waited to sign up with a primary because I was so excited about The Village Health Care and what is was promising. Maybe that is why I was sooooo disappointed. Expected them to deliver what they promised and didn't even come close.

I am not unrealistic in my hopes. I want a well trained physician.I don't care if he is mean as a snake.

Marketing ploys are NOT bad. They just are.

I'm all for digitized records if they are designed to work the way the people who actually USE them think and work....in putting patient care first and foremost. But sadly, programmers and IT people often want nothing to do with the dr. or nurse on the front lines and the critical tasks they need to accomplish quickly and efficiently, under pressure.

Instead of rifling thru reams of paper, they now rifle thru 15 menu and submenu screens that choke, stall and take too long to load in light of the person in the bed needing something done promptly and correctly.....and in light of the captive souls in the waiting area who've waited 12 hours to be seen in the ER.

This is a case of "be careful what you wish for".

I just watched the televised version of the Mr, Morse's speech. Keep in mind that the new health system is apparently a for-profit business venture of the Developer, not a "voluntary sponsorship". However, I have no problem with that. The present health-care system in this country is broken. It would appear that the Developer's approach is a possible solution, or at least a reasonable approach to a possible solution.

I disagree. All they have to do is enter what they're looking for into the search box and click.

From what I have heard, you have to go to whatever clinic is assigned to your particular village. That is very discriminatory. You should be able to choose what doctor you want to go see. If you are not happy with the Dr.s at the clinic you are assigned, you can't go to another clinic to find one that you will be happy with.

In response to NJBlue about the Dr. asking what meds you are taking. It's quite possible that the Dr. is trying to see if you really know what your meds are. There are many people that don't know what their meds are. They just know that they take 2 little white ones, a big red one and occationally a orange one. These are just examples. I used to be on a Rescue Squad and know for a fact that many people don't know what their meds are.

This is a false rumor. During his presentation Mark Morse said we will be able to choose by location or by doctor.

I hope you are right.

But will you be able to use doctors at all locations? For instance, if you love the internist at one and the cardiologist at another, can you see both?

Well, time will tell.

My opinion is this... The context of Morse's comment was about the primary care facilities that are being built. I believe he was referring to selecting your primary care physician (PCP, a.k.a. Marcus Welby). You can pick the one you want.

If your PCP wants you to see a specialist, such as a cardiologist, you are able to use whomever you wish. My understanding is that specialists will not be located in the primary care facilities. As is obvious in this area, specialists have their own small group in an office - cardiologists, orthopedic specialists, etc.

Apparently (I say "apparently" because, thanks to superficial reporting by The Daily Sun, other than the notion that doctors will be like Marcus Welby, few details are available), we are talking about a Medicare advantage system. That is, it will be an HMO, owned and operated by the Developer on a for-profit basis. Participating doctors, according to Morse's speech, will be paid a flat fee per patient, thus removing the economic incentive to run a lot of unnecessary tests. On the other hand, there will be a disincentive to running tests in borderline situations if the doctor thinks he can dodge a malpractice suit if things go wrong.

I don't know how all this will work out, but I prefer traditional Medicare, where I can choose my own doctors-- not just doctors who participate in the advantage plan and are disincentivated from running tests since the doctors are paid on a per-patient basis. On the other hand, I have many friends who are happy with a Medicare advantage plan, and from an economic-policy standpoint, the advantage plans seem to be more efficient and cost effective.

In any event, this new business venture by the Developer will bring more doctors (we will see about their quality) and medical facilities to The Villages, which are needed for our growing population. Participation is voluntary. Nobody has to sign up for it if it doesn't seem appealing, and, apparently, from what we have been told so far, it should be a win-win situation for the Developer and Villagers.

This plan appears to be a PPO (Preferred Provider Plan) with a "neighborhood" marketing twist. I assume that the insurance risk and benefits coverage is actually covered by a national health insurer hidden in the background. With any health plan you need deep pockets ready to step in in case the actuarial assumptions come up short. I am sure the Developer is not going to risk his personal fortune on "insuring" the ongoing health of a bunch of aging retirees.
As for switching doctors: if you don't like yours or the system, you can always drop the plan and enroll in another "outside" of TV, just like now as in any other city.
I, for one, hope this plan works, that it is priced fairly, that good doctors are recruited and that they don't keep pushing the patient loads until the system becomes overloaded and we are back to where we are today.

I believe it is simply a multi-location clinic, staffed with doctors and staff who focus on primary care. They will prefer (require?) that your insurance be the Medicare Advantage plan offered by United Healthcare, which is called MedicareComplete Choice Plan 2. This insurance plan is a PPO, not an HMO. Therefore, yuou can choose your own doctors.

I don't think the national health insurer is hidden in the background. Morse specifically mentioned the United Healthcare Medicare Advantage plan.

I am no expert in this field by any stretch of the imagination. But in my opinion both of the above posts seem to confuse and incorrectly tie together two completely separate businesses: A) the business of owning a medical practice (aka clinic) which provides primary care services to patients, and B) the business of selling insurance which pays for medical services.

The developer has announced that he is going to offer "A" and he is willing to take the financial risk. After all, we are not obligated to use the doctors in these new clinics.

The developer is not going to get into offering "B." That will be done by existing insurance companies.

There is an article about the subject on page A8 of today's (Sunday) Daily Sun. It is not particularly informative about how the system will work, but we are again assured that it will be just like Marcus Welby.

If you are interested in ownership of the new health system, go to: Detail by Entity Name
Then, look up the members (owners) of the Villages Health Holding Company at Detail by Entity Name

As I have said in an earlier post, I think that the new health facilities are probably a good thing for Villagers and, if the Developer can earn another fortune from setting them up and running them, good for him. He has done a terrific job with his other endeavors here. I just wish that the Daily Sun would give us the facts of the matter (pros and cons) and not run Developer "Marcus Welby" press releases as news.

My PA went with Family Drs. of Bellview. They are part of the new Health Care program & I love it there. They are in the Sharon Morse building.

Sorry if I was not clear in my statement, but I did not state that THE national health insurer was going to be involved. I stated that A national health insurer will be involved, which apparently is United Healthcare, as announced.
Overall your comments sum up the situation well; the developer is establishing a Villages-wide healthcare group practice with certain ways of doing business. The costs to Villagers will be whatever rates the insurance carrier charges in addition to the government portion of Medicare premiums.

gomoho, why don't you go into your portal and send Dr. Hildner an email?

Thank you for that recommendation - didn't realize it was an option.

To expand on this a little, "will be" are the key words mentioned above. Mark Morse did explain why not everyone could enroll when Colony opened.

In a nut shell it's because they could not hire all doctors and open all centers at the same time. So because of such a large population here in TV, they needed to limit Colony to just 7 of the closest villages as well as making exceptions for those whose doctors were moving into the system, thereby allowing their patients to have continuity with them.

IMHO this all sounds more than reasonable. It also sounds like from what MM said, that they will be removing this restriction in time - once they feel that open enrollment has become feasible or manageable.

I have had very positive experiences at Colony With Dr. Hawley! I am happy so far. I have seen her three times.

What I dislike about this is the "Marcus Welby " label. Seems like a deceptive marketing trick.
We"ll see how this all shakes out.

many of our new Villagers my not even be able to relate to the term "dr. welby". Even I barely remember that series on television when I was a kid, and I am not that young.

Marcus Welby aired from the late 60's to mid 70's.

Not all of us want to give up our current Health Insurance. We will stick with FEHP Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Probably will have to go to Orlando or Tampa for Doctors.

Certainly don't want any insurance AARP backs.

If The Villages Healthcare is anything like our Sterling Clinic in Sterling,Illinois, I am FOR it!

We could go to the clinic to our gp, orthopedist, gynecologist, cardiologist, ...you name it. Also a full laboratory in house, X rays, radiologists.
One stop shop. We loved it.

Have you checked?? I've heard they take several insurances...I really can't see them being limited!

That's exactly right. I like my GP too and plan to stay with him. There is no rush to change doctors, that's why they only have 1,400 patients signed up so far. These are all the people who were on a waiting list, waiting for the clinic to open. From here on in, it's going to be more difficult. Especially due to the fact that other doctors are beginning to fight back.

In today's Daily Sun there were a couple of adds that seemed to be responding to the Marcus Welby claim. One ad by Premier Medical Associates said, "the staff makes house calls...." (They have 5 Marcus Welbys.)

Then there was an ad by Dr. Paiano: It said, "This is a physicians office where the patient comes first.....Dr. Paiano spends a lot of time with each patient....With every new patient, he spends ample time to discuss your medical issues."

The fight for patients is on!

The following link list the Insurance they accept.

Accepted Insurance by The Villages Health