This is a common misconception, that buying into a “Concierge Care” plan is solely reserved for the rich, and for middle-class people it is an unrealizable benefit. This is completely untrue in today’s medical insurance market.

Let us explain how you can rethink your traditional path to a doctor.

Most people work at a job where benefits of some sort are provided. But over years, shouldering the cost of the health premium has fallen more on the employee, as actual benefits and payouts have decreased. Many are stripped of healthcare so the company can survive to keep them employed. Then there are the enormous numbers of self-employed and small business people who have to pay exorbitant costs in individual plans that offer little. Those who face unemployment get the joy of COBRA where the costs of their premiums are so high, many cannot continue to pay for health insurance.

Just having an insurance card or even a doctor doesn’t mean you have good access to health care. We already know the average family spends $17,000 annually paying for health insurance premiums. By electing to sign up for a high deductible PPO Health Plan (premium costs plummet) that keeps catastrophic/hospitalization coverage in place for anyone in the family, and portioning out $1,500- $2,100 annually for your own private doctor through the SignatureMD network of physicians, you are guaranteed a complete executive exam (a value of $1,100 in itself) and numerous wellness and baseline tests without waiting or worrying you have to pay out of pocket for these preventative checkups.

By taking yourself out of the HMP/PPO traditional route where doctors are burdened by too many patients and little time to really pay attention, you are eliminating the stress of paying a premium you dare not use for fear of a rate hike, or additional doctor bills.

The best part about partnering with a primary care physician in the SignatureMD network is the enhanced access factor: You can reach your doctor directly at anytime and be seen on your schedule. SignatureMD concierge care doctors work with your insurance plan, delivering same-day appointments, give their patients cell phone numbers, and promise to arrange consults quickly with good specialists to arrange MRIs (even on the weekends).

SignatureMD doctors have streamlined their practices to be able to accommodate their partner patients on their schedule. No patient is left behind when a private doctor’s practice converts to concierge medicine.  For those patients who decide not to take the concierge medicine option, basic medical services are attended to by a team of nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other medical professionals, who are all supervised by the senior SignatureMD physician.

The time, stress and money saved adds up to peace of mind and more efficient usage of your allotted medical budget.  With a realignment of the money you already spend on healthcare, concierge care fees you invest in are not only tax deductible, but are an affordable safeguard to ensure your family is never left hanging in the wind waiting on tests or answers to any issues you are facing.

Ultimately, the truth of the matter is that people don’t like waiting for medical care and stress levels from being ignored or shunted in an overloaded queue of patients add up to even more distress for a patient and their anxious loved ones.

Concierge care gives you a greater focus on prevention and care coordination, a life changing improvement for those with chronic medical problems like rheumatoid arthritis, depression, MS, diabetes and heart failure, for whom close personalized management can reduce their hospitalization rates.

Food Network television personality Paula Deen has hidden her diabetic condition for several years, and now profits from a drug company endorsement deal and years of selling grossly unhealthy food recipe books and television content. Additionally, new studies reveal that for weight-loss surgery options, gastric bypass comes with more complications shortly after surgery than gastric banding, but makes up for it with fewer long-term side effects and repeat operations.

Another television chef/travel writer personality, New York based Anthony Bourdain of Travel Channel, is critical of Deen for her concurrent announcement she had diabetes and had inked an endorsement deal of a diabetes drug.

Read: Our top 5 tips to avoid diabetes…

“Thinking of getting into the leg-breaking business, so I can profitably sell crutches later,” Bourdain said last week. He has also previously called Deen the “worst, most dangerous person to America” for her down home caloric caution to the wind.

Undoubtedly, the love of the grease, fried and steeped in savory sauce has led Americans down a path of the highest obesity rates in recorded history. Your SignatureMD concierge care physician can help you keep to a weight maintenance plan that can whittle off pounds, but for those who have serious obesity issues, you may be referred to a Bariatric surgeon specialist by your primary care doctor.

In a new research study published last week, people who got bypass surgery lost weight faster, and more kept it off, in the study of more than 400 obese Swiss patients.

“What we would like with any of the (weight-loss) procedures ideally would be to have the least long-term complications, certainly the least long-term complications requiring (repeat) surgery,” said Dr. Michel Suter, a surgeon from the Hopital du Chablais, Aigle, a researcher in the study.

“There are drawbacks with bypass, there are side effects, and we have to take them into account,”  Chablais told Reuters Health. But “overall, if I had to choose between the procedures, I certainly recommend the bypass.”

The study employed the records of 442 obese patients who underwent weight-loss surgery at their hospitals between 1998 and 2005.

According to Reuters Health, half of the patients had gastric band procedures, which involve placing a band around the top of the stomach to limit its size to a small pouch. The others were treated with gastric bypass, when the stomach is stapled off and then rerouted to bypass a segment of the small intestine. The two groups were similar in terms of their age and initial weight.

The follow up occurred for twice a year for the next six years, post-surgery.

Complications, according to the research, were more common after gastric bypass than after banding: 17 percent of bypass patients had any surgery-related problems, compared to five percent in the banding group.

“The operation itself is a little more complicated and a little more risky,” Suter told Reuters Health.

After years of following the results of these two procedures, the bypass group lost weight faster, put less of it back on and suffered fewer long-term complications, including having to undergo any repeat procedures.

Board-certified Bariatric specialist Dr. Carson Liu, of Santa Monica, CA, a specialist in bariatric surgery, spoke to website Monsters and Critics about his obese patients who tell him that the hardest thing they ever did was to pick up the phone to explore weight loss surgery.

“There is a pervasive perception that obese people are simply lazy and all they need to do is stop eating so much and start exercising to lose weight. Further, when they choose to have lap band surgery they are simply taking a short cut or easy way out,” he says.

In reality, Dr. Liu , an expert in obesity, its causes and solutions explains that once you become morbidly obese, it is almost impossible to diet and maintain the weight loss over a period of time.

According to Liu, lap band bariatric surgery is a rigorous process of re-learning (or learning for the first time) how to eat..chewing and swallowing food slowly…taking longer to finish a meal or they regurgitate; how much to eat, what to eat, how to prepare nutritious meals, and of course, the magic of incorporating some form of exercise into daily life.

The lap band is a difficult decision, but a rewarding one done with the right surgeon. “There is hard work involved,” says Dr. Liu. “But the trials and tribulations that the patients go through to reach their goal is a journey that I take with all of my patients.”

The study revealed that the long-term complications of gastric banding were from erosion, food intolerance or stretching of the esophagus.

Bypass patients most often had internal hernias, a type of bowel blockage that can be life-threatening if not treated.

As with any surgery, the technique and surgeon’s experience can affect outcome. This is why it is imperative to trust your primary SignatureMD doctor’s recommendation for a specialist if surgery is the most expeditious route for the patient to regain a healthy weight.

Weight-loss surgery procedures have their overwhelming benefits in treating the disease of obesity. But now data is determining that Gastric Bypass is a more definitive and successful procedure to elect.

Sources:

1. bit.ly/yw13CX Archives of Surgery, online January 16, 2012.
2. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/lifestyle/consumerhealth/features/article_1683797.php/Bariatric-surgery-reality-check-Dr-Carson-Liu-explains-post-operation-changes

Wellness prevention begins with keeping up and aware of known carcinogens and diet strategy to avoid the lifestyle diseases like Diabetes Type-2, and ward off the immune system diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. But cancer can strike anyone, so it is important to help your body by staying on top of baseline tests at milestone birthdays and keeping a close dialogue with a SignatureMD doctor, a partnership that will give you tremendous power to manage your health and know where you stand for all the critical numbers (Cholesterol, Blood Sugars, Mammograms, Colonoscopy, weight management).

So... Apparently a bacon wrapped turkey isn't such a great idea...

The recent new study by the World Cancer Research Fund found eating processed meats like cold cuts, pepperoni, bacon and sausage could increase your risk for deadly pancreatic cancer.

The study finds that for every piece of sausage or two strips of bacon a person eats every day, there’s a 19 percent rise in risk for pancreatic cancer.

“There is strong evidence that being overweight or obese increases the risk of pancreatic cancer and this study may be an early indication of another factor behind the disease,” Dr Rachel Thompson, deputy head of science at The World Cancer Research Fund, told BBC News.

“Pancreatic cancer has poor survival rates,” study author associate professor Susanna Larsson, a researcher at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, said in a written statement. “If diet does affect pancreatic cancer, then this could influence public health campaigns to help reduce the number of cases of this disease developing in the first place.”

Cancer researchers reviewed 11 studies and case reports on more than 6,000 pancreatic cancer patients, looking for a link between eating red and processed meats and cancer.

The raised risk was tied to every 50 grams of processed meat a person eats per day.

What this means in real life is if you consume three sausages or six strips of bacon – your pancreatic cancer risk shoots up 57 percent, the study suggests.

The study found inconclusive evidence regarding the long suspected diet villain red meat, which has been linked to stomach, colon and esophageal cancers.

Men who ate 120 grams of red meat per day saw their pancreatic cancer risk increase 29 percent, compared with men who don’t eat red meat.

This effect was not seen in women, however, possibly because men in the study ate more red meat than women, the researchers said.

The study is published in the Jan. 12 issue of the British Journal of Cancer.

The researchers also said smoking is a bigger risk factor, which increases pancreatic cancer risk by 74 percent.

Sources:
1. http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/news/archive/pressrelease/2012-01-12-processed-meat-increase-pancreatic-risk

2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16526695

Well-done procedures can elevate the spirit, enhance the job hunt or even give confidence to find a mate.

But all too often, the competitive injectible market has opened up a slew of non board-certified practioners wielding syringes filled with everything from watered-down Botox to Industrial Grade Silicone. The news has been filled with these horror stories.

Concierge care, also known as personalized care,  extends beyond a normal visit. Your SignatureMD doctors are connected to the best specialists in every medical field, and can help you find the right plastic surgeon for the job. Your eyes should not be touched by a doctor known for his body work, and vice versa.

Michaela Romanini might have benefited from some advice about plastic surgery from a quality physician...

Another consideration before scheduling elective surgery is making sure your complimentary executive exam is completed annually by your concierge doctor, so any unforeseen complications are avoided. This is especially important if your cosmetic procedure will involve general anesthesia.

The recent French breast implant scandal also reveals that even if the doctor is qualified, the manufacturer of the device needs research too.

France company PIP’s rupturing implants have put a spotlight on faulty implants.

PIP even rebranded their defective implants as Rofil-M and sold in eastern Europe; and, according to a Paris newspaper, even into men for buttock and chest implants.

Your doctor can help you wade through glossy brochures and plastic surgery marketing “speak” to decipher what the operation expectations and bottom line will be for you as a patient.

Your physician can help you understand preoperatively what you can do to minimize the chances of complications from surgery.

There are things that you can do to minimize complications and to speed up the recovery process.

If you are a smoker, every SignatureMD doctor will make sure to insist you quit using tobacco. Repeated clinical studies prove tobacco usage significantly impairs wound healing and can lead to healing complications. Stopping all tobacco use at least 4-6 weeks before surgery will lessen the chances of wound healing complication and infection. Although quitting tobacco is not easy, it is incredibly import to optimize the safety of surgery.

Your diet will be examined too, as a protein-rich diet improves the ability of the body to heal large surgical incisions. Also supplementing with a multivitamin can assist healing.

Your SignatureMD doctor will make sure you are in a good overall state of health. Diabetics have to make sure their blood sugar is controlled. Those with heart disease must have blood pressure and cholesterol levels optimized preoperatively.

Having a major medical complication after elective surgery can not only be harmful to your health, but it could also lead to significant complications with healing after surgery.

Your doctor can help you organize a support structure that allows you to recover after surgery.

Many patients overdo it after surgery. Straining and excessive movement creates swelling and that leads to complications. Your primary care physician can help you coordinate a team to care for you and check in with you as you recover.

Another aspect of seeking counseling before any elective plastic surgeries is to let your physician really ascertain if the expectations you may have exceed what is physically possible by scalpel or syringe.

With matters of Plastic Surgery, a professional and qualified sounding board is just what the doctor ordered.

Source:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/women_shealth/9001018/Leading-cosmetic-surgery-group-refusing-to-fund-new-breast-implants.html

Many doctors are going bankrupt, with this also a completely avoidable scenario. Doctors do not need to go broke, and patients do not need to give up on the idea of quality medical care.

There are solutions, and SignatureMD is at the forefront of the new wave of concierge care medicine.

The emphasis now is on wellness and prevention, as affordable SignatureMD plans are available to average consumers who might not imagine that high quality physician care is within their means.

How so? By electing to have SignatureMD tailor their practice and streamline patients, the office becomes profitable, waste is routed out and patients who invest in their doctor’s practice are able to finally receive the kind of care everyone wants.

The days of the five minute office visit after waiting for hours to see a doctor, that took perhaps weeks or even a month or more to arrange can be eliminated. Unfettered 24/7 round-the-clock access, executive wellness exams and a doctor who has the time to really listen is what patients are seeking today.

Physicians can save their practices by adopting a tiered SignatureMD concierge medicine plan. These new model boutique practices – though still a small segment – are the fastest growing trend in medicine, especially with the Medicare crisis, doctor shortages and aging population.

A survey of 501 doctors released Dec. 13, 2011, by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions found that 64% believe the concierge medicine practice, also called a retainer or boutique practice, that does not take insurance had the greatest chance of financial success in the age of health system reform.

That ranked second behind having an administrative role in a large health care delivery system, which 70% said would lead to physicians doing well economically. Only 39% said this of a small single specialty group that contracts with multiple plans and hospitals.

However, various estimates show that fewer than 1,000 physicians have a full concierge practice, meaning they take annual fees from patients for care and do not accept insurance.

SignatureMD can set up a unique model to allow a patient to retain their insurance, and also receive preferred care.

Half of all U.S. doctors operate a private practice. So if a cash crunch forces the death of an independent practice, a community suffers too.

CNNMoney interviewed Dr. William Pentz, 47, a cardiologist with a Philadelphia private practice, and his partners had to tap into their personal assets to make payroll for employees last year. “And we still barely made payroll last paycheck,” he said. “Many of us are also skimping on our own pay.”

Pentz said recent steep 35% to 40% cuts in Medicare reimbursements for key cardiovascular services, such as stress tests and echocardiograms, have taken a substantial toll on revenue. “Our total revenue was down about 9% last year compared to 2010,” he said.

“These cuts have destabilized private cardiology practices,” he said. “A third of our patients are on Medicare. So these Medicare cuts are by far the biggest factor. Private insurers follow Medicare rates. So those reimbursements are going down as well.”

SignatureMD patients who invest in their doctor’s practice to receive quality care get 24-hour direct phone and email access to their physician, who can continue taking insurance and caring for most patients in the usual way.

Sources:
http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/05/smallbusiness/doctors_broke/

“Physician perspectives about health care reform and the future of the medical profession”, Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, Dec. 13, 2011 (www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-UnitedStates/Local Assets/Documents/us_lshc_PhysicianPerspectives_121211.pdf)

SignatureMD and concierge medicine is grounded in wellness care, prevention and counseling patients from having to opt for these drastic choices for weight loss.

In the event that a patient has struggled and lost in the weight management game, SignatureMD doctors can evaluate the best course of several surgical actions for weight loss and long term management for the patient.

This week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a warning letter to the Southern California marketing company 1-800-GET-THIN for using misleading advertising to promote Lap-Band weight-loss surgery.

The agency says the company’s numerous billboards fail to convey the serious risks carried by weight-loss surgery. The agency’s move comes in response to complaints from Los Angeles County’s public health agency and even from Allergan, which manufactures the Lap-Band device used in the gastric banding surgery, saying the risks of the surgery are not properly communicated.

Five patients in southern California have died since 2009 after undergoing weight loss surgery at centers affiliated with 1-800-GET-THIN, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Lap-Band surgery (or laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding surgery) involves placing an inflatable band around the upper stomach in order to limit the amount of food the stomach can hold. It is a popular alternative to gastric bypass surgery, which involves stapling off a section of the stomach and rerouting food to bypass the small intestine. Recent studies have shown that Lap-Band patients suffer a high rate of complications, however, both major and minor: in March, a study found that 40% of patients experienced serious complications following surgery and an additional 22% had minor complications; 60% needed subsequent surgery.

“It’s the Wild Wild West out there when it comes to bariatric surgery,” said Dr. Liu. “My only regret with today’s FDA announcement is why it took two years to issue the warning.”

In a report published on Monsters and Critics, Dr. Liu says patients of his who have gone to the 1-800- GET-THIN clinics describe harrowing experiences that led them to believe that the clinics are actually scamming the insurance companies.

One woman used up all her insurance on unnecessary tests and procedures. Others reported that the clinics falsify the patients’ height and weight to get insurance approval, perform unnecessary tests and even require patients to undergo unnecessary surgery prior to the Lap-Band procedure. One man said he was told he had to have his normal gallbladder removed prior to the Lap-Band procedure. Women were told they need to have their normal uterus removed prior to surgery.

“This type of behavior on behalf of medical professionals is outrageous and inexcusable. Ultimately, however, patients must empower themselves and realize that a Lap Band procedure is surgery with all the risk and consequences associated with any surgery,” said Dr. Liu.

Dr. Liu advises that patients considering Lap Band surgery to look for a center that is officially recognized as a Surgical Review Corp Center of Excellence run through the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

For more, you can see the FDA’s full warning letter here.  http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm283312.htm

Sources:

http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm283312.htm

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/lifestyle/consumerhealth/news/article_1680677.php/Bariatric-surgeon-praises-FDA-ruling-against-Get-Thin-Lap-band-ads

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms during a specific season.

This condition is now recognized as a common disorder, and affects as many as 6 of every 100 people in North America.

People affected by SAD generally experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. In many SAD scenarios this is during the winter months. Also, the number of cases increases depending on the region, such as regions with long lasting winters (4-6 months) and shorter days (daylight of 5 hours or less).

People who suffer from SAD may sleep too much, have little energy, and may also feel depressed. Though symptoms can be severe, they are usually not permanent.
There are many different treatments for seasonal affective disorder, including light therapy.

A study finds: People who drank tea for 10 or more years had the strongest bones.

Reliable research has come to some interesting conclusions when it comes to preventing cancer: Tea and Coffee are beverages that should be included in a daily diet.

SignatureMD physicians are always at the forefront of wellness and prevention information.

Overwhelming evidence now reveals that coffee is linked to reducing a common form of skin cancer, and tea is shown to lower risk of Alzheimer’s. Tea’s benefits have been adding up over the years with numerous research studies and solid empirical data that shows the plant’s potency for human health.

Now, if you worry that you may be drinking too much coffee, consider the latest finds.

According to a new study, coffee has been linked to a decreased risk of developing basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer.

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston have compiled data from two different studies: the Nurses’ Health Study, which followed nearly 73,000 people between 1984 and 2008; and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, which followed nearly 40,000 people between 1986 and 2008. The results of both studies percolate with doctors:

Women who drank more than three cups of caffeinated coffee per day had a 20 percent lower risk of developing the skin cancer than those who drank less than a cup per month. Men who drank the same amount had a 9 percent lower risk.

“Given the nearly one million new cases of BCC diagnosed each year in the United States, daily dietary factors with even small protective effects may have great public health impact,” said researcher Fengju Song, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of dermatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. “Our study indicates that coffee consumption may be an important option to help prevent BCC.”

Tea drinkers have a host of benefits to enjoy too, for those who cannot drink coffee or dislike the flavor.

SignatureMD compiled 10 reasons you should imbibe in these caffeinated and non caffeinated beverages daily:

1. Coffee and Tea both have antioxidants, the main line of defense to keep cells healthy and defended against the ravages of aging and the effects of pollution.
2. Tea has less caffeine than coffee. Coffee drinkers who completely go cold Turkey can experience headaches. Better to ween lower amounts of coffee and swap with teas to keep receiving benefits of both beverages.
3. Cardiovascular health: Tea may reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke by acting as an artery “cleaner” of sorts. Numerous studies have found tea is very good for helping lower cholesterol and warding off heart attacks.
4. Bone health: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds that tea (even without milk) protects your bones. Their study found that people who drank tea for 10 or more years had the strongest bones, even after adjusting for age, body weight, exercise, smoking and other risk factors. Thank tea’s beneficial phytochemicals.
5. Dental health: Tea made without sugar is what makes the enamel in teeth stronger by fighting plaque and bacteria. Tea contains fluoride and tannins that keep teeth from developing plaque.
6. Immune system health: Coffee and Tea bolster your immune defenses. Drinking both helps fight infections, and researchers found tea and coffee drinkers had higher immune system activity than non drinkers.
7. Cancer prevention: Coffee and Tea protect against cancer. Thank the polyphenols, the antioxidants found in tea, once again for their cancer-fighting effects. Coffee is now considered a diet strategy for skin cancer prevention.
8. Stay hydrated: Tea helps keep you hydrated. Caffeinated beverages do hydrate. Recent research has shown that the caffeine doesn’t matter — tea and other caffeinated beverages contribute to fluid needs.
9. Calorie counting: Coffee and Tea are virtually calorie-free. Try to drink as naked as possible, without sweetener or milk. Taking in just 250 fewer calories per day can result in losing one pound per week.
10. Metabolic jumpstart: Coffee and Tea increase your metabolism. Green tea has been shown to increase metabolic rate so that you can burn 70 to 80 additional calories by drinking just five cups of green tea per day.

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Family Doctors are at a crossroads over the coming January 2012 proposed Medicare Cuts.

Regardless of politics, the powerful lobby group representing seniors including AARP are fighting to keep draconian changes from happening, but the failure of the Super Committee to rein in the federal budget has put Medicare squarely in view as the number one target to slash.

Unless Congress acts before Jan. 1, doctors face a minimum 27 percent cut in their fees for treating Medicare patients, according to the Associated Press.

This will affect health care for millions of elderly and disabled beneficiaries.

SignatureMD has created a helpful website explaining these cuts in detail at: http://www.signaturemd.com/the50cut/

It is unconscionable that primary care doctors are expected to accept a 27 percent pay cut and continue to function with crushing patient loads. Many experts feel that the healthcare system is in the beginning stages of implosion.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., tells the AP that the Medicare fix is too important not to get done before the end of the year. His House counterpart, Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., agrees.

How they achieve this is what is worrisome to doctors whose practices have no room for any further cuts. A nonpartisan panel advising lawmakers is recommending that doctors accept a permanent fix with a 10-year fee freeze for primary care physicians and cuts followed by a freeze for specialists.

A survey by the American Medical Association of more than 9,000 physicians in May 2010 found that 17% already were restricting the number of Medicare patients in their practice. Among the top reasons: 85% said Medicare payment rates were too low, and 78% said the ongoing threat of future payment cuts makes Medicare an unreliable payer.

Typically a well-managed internal medicine physician typically has a 60% office overhead; a 27% Medicare cut would result in a 68.5% reduction in take net income.

If the office is less efficient, e.g. with a 75% overhead, the 27% proposed in cuts will bankrupt the practice.

Doctors are already disenchanted with Medicare, regardless if the cuts go through. SignatureMD has partnered with many primary care doctors in key cities who are coming into tiered “concierge medicine,” limiting the size of their practice and ensuring that their patients receive the best care and latest in diagnostic tests and wellness coaching.

Today’s Concierge medicine is trimmer, focused and affordable for average families. Since 2005 there has been a fivefold increase in doctors switching to concierge medicine. The average SignatureMD patient pays about the same for their “VIP concierge” medical care as they do for a cable TV package. In fact, an average family of four can save money out-of-pocket by joining a concierge practice and adjusting their current health insurance to a higher deductible.

The numbers tell it all: Primary physicians are retiring in record numbers, med students are side-stepping primary care because it pays a fraction of specialty practices,
72 million baby boomers are straining the system; 30+ million uninsured patients are entering the system under Obama care; severe Medicare cuts are at the doorstep, and insurance premiums are still skyrocketing annually.

SignatureMD’s unique “market segmentation” approach to personalized medicine provides cash-strapped primary physicians (GPs, internists, pediatricians) with a flexible business model. Doctors can remain in private practice; even prosper, without eliminating their current patient load while at the same time providing extraordinary services to those who opt in.

Source:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MEDICARE_DOCTORS_PAY?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT