Why Become a Benefactor?
A Broken Doctor-Patient Relationship
Many patients today feel like their doctor is too busy for them. "Service" is a tired cliché. Choices are sharply limited by insurance, costly premiums and co-pays. Rather than focusing on your medical concerns, doctors today spend too much time on authorizations and payment. Consider the statistics:
- In the United States, the average primary care office visit lasts only five to seven minutes. Doctors simply lack the time needed to fully diagnose problems and to develop a "big picture" understanding of a patient’s health.
- The typical family practice physician has approximately 2,600 patients. Such a large patient load makes it virtually impossible for doctors to develop a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of patients, their concerns and their medical histories.
Healthy Bodies, Peaceful Minds
Our Lady of Hope Clinic’s concierge style of primary care provides patients with an opportunity to escape from the typical managed care clinic model. In exchange for a modest annual (or prorated monthly) contribution, our benefactors receive the following benefits:
- Unlimited care. Our benefactors are free to schedule office visits as often as necessary. They can put their health first without having to worry about racking up frequent co-pays or insurance claims. From newborns to geriatrics, our physicians treat the entire range of primary care patients.
- A doctor who knows your name and your health concerns. Instead of carrying a patient roll of 2,600 patients, our providers will accept no more than 300 benefactors each. This restores the doctor-patient relationship so that patients can be certain their personal physician knows and understands their health concerns.
- Extended appointment times. At Our Lady of Hope Clinic, we devote a full half hour or more to each patient visit. This makes it possible for us to improve the quality of care by developing a comprehensive understanding of each patient that walks through our doors.
- Same-day scheduling. It can be frustrating to wait days or weeks to see your doctor. Because we limit our patient load, our benefactors get same-day access to their physician. Appointments are made either online or by phone and are coordinated to fit the benefactor’s schedule.
- Easy in, easy out. We all know how it feels to watch time pass in the waiting room or to sit alone in an exam room waiting for the doctor. At Our Lady of Hope Clinic, a 2:00 appointment means a 2:00 appointment. It’s never been quicker or easier to see a doctor on a busy workday or school day.
- 24/7 Access to your personal physician. Illness and injury don’t always happen during office hours. Our benefactors receive the unique opportunity to reach their personal physician—not the on-call nurse or doctor—by phone or email 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Continuity of coverage in the hospital. If you are hospitalized, your personal physician will be able to visit you as your primary care provider at St. Mary’s and Meriter Hospitals.
Building a Healthier Community
Our benefactors take comfort in the knowledge that they are contributing to the well-being of their neighbors in need. The annual benefactor contribution makes it possible for us to give more than half of our clinic visits away to the uninsured individuals free of charge. For more information on our services to the uninsured community, click here.
A Financially Savvy Decision
Enrolling as a benefactor isn't just a wise health care choice. Nor is it simply a generous charitable decision. It can also be financially savvy for health care consumers.
Individuals who purchase their health insurance directly (professionals, small business owners, self-employed individuals, farmers, etc.) can often break even or actually save money by switching to a high deductible or catastrophic coverage plan and then enrolling as benefactors for primary care. To learn of the most financially prudent way to become a benefactor, contact Peg Shannon. Peg has helped many benefactors save money by becoming benefactors. Click here for examples of how other benefactors have saved money.
Furthermore, it might be possible to write off the benefactor contribution as a tax deduction, either as a business expense, medical expense or a charitable contribution. Consult your tax preparer for more information.
Benefactor Medical Service Contracts for this year are:
| Benefactor | $1,200 |
| Benefactor Couple | $2,300 |
| Each Benefactor < 35 years old | subtract $300 |
| Each Benefactor > 60 years old | add $300 |
| Child age < 19 years Full-time student <23 years old | $500 |
Click here for a printable benefactor application.
For additional information on how you can become a benefactor, contact Steve Karlen.
