Manchester Medical Center Primary Care
Everything you need to know about our Membership Based Primary Care Program is right here!
Manchester Medical Center Primary Care Program
We at Manchester Medical Center (MMC) are frequently asked if and when we will have Primary Care Providers (PCPs). We are excited to announce that the time has finally come!
The goal of offering accessible, high quality walk-in Urgent Care and Primary Care Medicine to our community has always been part of the MMC mission. Manchester Medical Center has grown slowly and steadily since opening its doors July 4, 2019, and has proven to fulfill a much needed healthcare access void in Southern Vermont. Navigating the obstacles of our current healthcare system in order to deliver this care has not been easy. Offering Primary Care Medicine is also not an easy task, but one we are willing to take on because it is simply the right thing to do.
With the steady decline of health insurance reimbursement coupled with the increased costs of labor and supplies due to inflation, to name a few of the challenges, primary care providers are pressured to see an unrealistic number of patients per day in order to recoup enough revenue to maintain a viable medical practice. This increase in patient volume, however, results in decreased patient satisfaction, long wait times for patients to be seen, high burnout rates of healthcare providers, and an overall increased cost for patients as they are forced to seek non-emergent care in urgent care centers and emergency departments. MMC strives to do better for our community. For more information on this healthcare crisis, please see the articles referenced below.
In order to combat these aforementioned obstacles that have led to the drought of primary care medicine, we have developed a necessary alternative solution that will allow us to offer this much needed medical service to our community. This alternative program will require the support from our patients which is unfortunately being withheld from insurance companies.
The Manchester Medical Center Primary Care (MMC Primary Care) Program is a subscription based program that will provide patients with increased access to their primary care provider (Physician/ Family NursePractitioner/PA). In a membership/subscription based medical practice, the patient will pay a yearly membership fee that will allow the practice to limit the number of patients scheduled per day, maximizing patients' accessibility to their PCP, ultimately providing the patient with the most personal and comprehensive care possible.
The Membership fee is $40/month ($480/Year) per patient and it will be charged annually or quarterly. We will cap a family of 3 or more at $120/month. Please see the Membership Agreement for payment information and details.
If you have questions, please email primarycare@mmcvt.com with your name, best phone number and best time of day to reach you. We will have staff return your calls within 3-5 business days to further discuss your questions or concerns.
Below are the forms that will need to be filled out and returned to MMC. Once received, someone from our staff will call to schedule in the order they are received.
We ask that a brief health history form be filled out and reviewed by our providers before establishing to ensure that you are partnered a with the PCP that best fits your needs.
Benefits of MMC Primary Care membership service:
Most importantly, it brings Primary Care Medicine to our community!
Flexibility to accommodate established patients for same day or next day sick visits, in most instances, with your established PCP.
Waiting room time will be dramatically reduced.
More face to face time spent with your provider. Your visits will be unhurried, relaxed, and more thorough.
Improved patient education, wellness, and satisfaction.
Telehealth visits available.
Coordination of referrals to specialists & imaging in a timely manner.
Minimal wait times for returned phone calls & portal messages from your provider or their MA/nurse.
Onsite x-ray and lab for routine blood draws
More information on the state of our country’s healthcare crisis:
The current state of healthcare is complicated and multifactorial. We at MMC are doing what we can to combat this concerning trend. Attached, you will find a few of many articles that further explain this concerning trajectory in healthcare, and lay out precisely why we are all struggling to find adequate care. I would encourage you to take a few moments to read the attached articles, as there needs to be increased awareness, transparency and better understanding as to why implementing this type of membership fee is necessary.
The death of Private Practice
https://brooklynworks.brooklaw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1238&context=bjcfcl
The Coming Collapse of the U.S.Health Care System
https://time.com/6246045/collapse-us-health-care-system/
CMS proposed pay cuts
Public Unawareness of physician reimbursement
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5969300/pdf/CCD-91-1062.pdf
Please reference the Access Agreement or contact our office for further details.