Turning the Page with Dr. Turner
Letter to My Patient Family
Hello practice family!
I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to inform you about exciting but significant change that is occurring with my practice. First, a little background: As many of you are probably aware, a concerning trend in the medical field has been the ever-increasing involvement of health insurance in dictating patient care by slowly taking over general medicine by limiting reimbursement rates to independent physicians while simultaneously buying up and starting their own medical practices. This is forcing the ever-decreasing number of private practice physicians to cram more and more patients onto their schedule just to financially break even and the results of this from the patient perspective are late appointments, rushed visits, and an ever-decreasing level of patient care. I have long said that whenever the day came that I could not spend the requisite time with my patients needed to provide them with the loving and personalized care that they deserve, I would have to reevaluate my medical practice model and change what I need to change to keep my patients, their goals, and their health the focus of what I do. Unfortunately, the financial burdens placed by insurance and a refusal by me to decrease the level of care that I personally provide my patients has led to a point where a change in practice model is a necessity in order to keep the practice open amid ongoing financial constraints while continuing to practice independently and support my family.
That is why, I am writing you to announce my practice’s departure from Tallahassee Primary Care Associates in order to start my own truly independent medical practice: Big Bend Family Medicine. As part of this change, I am transitioning my practice to a Direct Patient Care model which will allow for a much greater focus on each individual patient and their needs. Simply put, Direct Patient Care is a subscription model of medicine, no different than any other subscription service like a gym or Netflix. Essentially, patients pay a modest monthly fee which in turn covers all their visits (routine and acute) and allows them to receive a much higher level of personalized care and convenience. Insurance is not billed by the physician and there is never a copay! Transitioning the practice to this model will provide several significant benefits to my patients, including: on-time unrushed appointments, in-office lab draws, the ability to call or text me directly when you have medical questions or concerns, visits from me when you’ve been admitted to the hospital, and the option for good, old-fashioned house call visits to your home or work.
I am praying deeply that you will strongly consider joining me and that you will let your family and friends know about my new practice. It’s my hope that it will be better than it’s ever been before and that I can bring back an old-fashioned, caring type of medical care which has been absent from healthcare for a long, long time. I encourage you to take a look at my new website, www.bigbendmedicine.com to learn more about what the practice has to offer and to answer any questions that you may have. If you are interested in reserving a place with me in the new practice, please let me know as soon as you are comfortable by contacting my office by phone or by emailing me at bigbendmedicine@gmail.com and I can make sure that you are included!
My love and many thanks,
John Turner, MD