In light of yesterday’s short story post, and also my post on EMR and EHR about concierge medicine, I thought it timely for me to document might entrance into what many are calling the next generation of healthcare. They talk about it as primary care that puts people first.
In my case, it’s my recent membership in Turntable Health, an operating partner of Iora Health. When I had to switch insurance plans this year, I decided to try out this new approach to primary care. The insurance plan I chose included a membership to Turntable Health. For those not familiar with Turntable Health, it was started by the infamous ZDoggMD and is backed by Tony Hsieh’s (CEO of Zappos) Downtown Project in Las Vegas.
To be honest, I’m not sure exactly what I’ve gotten myself into, but that was kind of the point. I can’t remember the last time I went to a primary care doctor. In fact, if someone asked me who my primary care doctor was I wouldn’t have an answer or I might mention one that my wife visited. I’m a relatively healthy person (luckily I have some good orthopedic friends for my sports injuries) and so I’ve never felt the desire to go in and see my doctor. I feel healthy, so why should I go and pay a doctor to tell me I’m healthy? I think this view is shared by many.
Will Turntable Health be able to change my view on this? Will they be able to take a true Wellness approach to things that will change how I view primary care? I’ve written for years about Treating a “Healthy” Patient, and so I’m interested to see if Turntable Health is making that a reality.
One thing is for sure. They’re taking a different approach than most doctors. I scheduled my first appointment for later today (Side Note: Not sure what it says that it took me 1-2 months to schedule my first appointment.). They slotted me in for an hour long appointment (a requirement for the first appointment) so that they can really get to know me and my wellness needs. Plus, they said I’d get a chance to get to meet my care team. A care team? What’s that? I’ll let you know after my appointment, but looking at their team I’d say it includes physicians together with health and wellness coaches.
The idea of a team of people thinking about my and my family’s wellness is intriguing. Although, I’ll admit that this wasn’t the biggest reason I chose to sign up with Turntable Health. It was part of the reason, but I was also excited by the idea of unlimited primary care. With unlimited primary care, it opens …read more
