Dr. Mike Wulfers spoke at the regular meeting of the Cape County Tea Party on Tuesday night to talk about a unique method of health care -- the concierge doctor.

Wulfers said he's part of a "growing movement" in the country that strives to provide more personalized primary care. The concierge practice, or direct primary care as Wulfers called it, provides medical services to a limited number of patients who pay a monthly fee. These practices do not accept commercial insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.

The idea is to provide more efficient care at a lower cost, he explained. His practice in Cape Girardeau is called Independent MD, and Wulfers said it lives up to the name.

"We work for the patient -- that's where the 'direct primary care' comes from. We don't work for the government, we don't work for the insurance company and we don't work for the hospitals," he said. " ... We truly are independent."

He said the health insurance system is flawed, and by "cutting out the middle man," it drives down costs for the physician and the patient.

Wulfers compared the idea of concierge practice to paying for a gym membership.

"If you come five times in one week, it's the same charge. If you come once in six months, it's the same charge," he said.

One of the benefits Wulfers touted at the meeting was his constant availability to patients. Same-day appointments are easier to arrange compared to most primary practices and he said he's available to his patients even if they can't come into the office.

He recently had a patient call him from Michigan with a complaint about his eye. He texted Wulfers a photo of his eye, and the physician was able to diagnose the issue as a sty and call a prescription in to a pharmacy, which then had the order transferred to a pharmacy near the patient.

Wulfers said he's "very conservative" when he makes a diagnoses without the patient in the room, and said some cases still would require the patient visiting his office or possibly an emergency room.

"Not every case is going to work out that way, but some things can," said Wulfers.

A concierge practice also is more personal, he said, which means more time can be spent with each patient diagnosing problems. Wulfers said doctors on average spend less than 10 minutes face-to-face with their patients.

For a small issue, like a cold, he said the lack of time represents less of an issue. But when a patient comes in with a complicated issue like chest pains, it can cause a variety of issues.

"They're either going to miss something or over-test," he said. "Most of the time, they're going to over-test just to be sure they didn't miss something."

Jan Farrar, a member of the Cape County Tea Party and a registered nurse, said she joined Wulfers' practice and hoped to see the idea gain more traction in the area.

"I've talked to several physician friends about it," she said. "It's taking health care back to how it should be, how it used to be."

Those interested in learning more about Independent MD may visit independentmd.net.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

711 N. Clark St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.