Frequently Asked Questions
1. What kind of medical practice is this?
This is a general internal medicine primary care practice that has been influenced by two care models. It is a hybrid of a “concierge” model practice, which limits the size of its practice, allowing patients to purchase amenities to traditional primary care, including more attention and personalized services, and a “Patient-Centered Medical Home” model practice. The Patient-Centered Medical Home serves a patient’s primary care needs by excelling in the integration and coordination of medical care within the healthcare system. The National Committee for Quality Assurance has defined a set of criteria that practices must meet to achieve medical home status. Both models have gained recognition in recent years and there are pilot practices of the “Patient-Centered Medical Home” model being tested in certain states with health insurers, including Medicare. My goal is to create a hybrid care model, which I call a “Patient-Sponsored Medical Home Model” practice that delivers high quality, well coordinated and personalized primary care.
To ensure the success of this primary care model, once a membership of 500 is reached, the practice will close to additional patients. A waiting list will be established to add in new patients as space becomes available.
I became interested in exploring new models of primary care delivery while doing work to improve the care of patients with chronic illness as Director of Clinical Outcomes Improvement in General Medicine at The Emory Clinic. I believe that this practice will allow me to focus on patient care to the best of my ability without the constraints placed on the traditional internal medicine practice.
2. What type of patients does this practice take care of?
I anticipate that my practice will draw a wide range of patients, similar to most primary care practices. While the practice will be well-suited to care for complex patients with ongoing health conditions, it also will be ideally poised to care for those who are healthy but seek more efficiency or who simply who would value the enhanced communication and personal attention that we provide.
3. Will a patient, former or new, have the option of membership?
Yes. My practice will be open to new and former patients.
4. What extra services should a patient expect to get for the annual fee?
The annual fee does not cover medical services that are provided by health insurance plans. Rather, the annual fee allows a full time physician within our practice to limit care to 500 patients, instead of the usual 3,000 seen by most primary care physicians. As a result, we will have the ability to provide each patient with more individual attention and time. We feel strongly that by limiting our practice size we can do a better job researching your questions, coordinating your care, and communicating with you.
Our practice will include an annual comprehensive health assessment with an extended preventive laboratory evaluation. The components of this service that are covered by health insurance will be billed to your plan. Our annual health assessment will some more "cutting edge" preventive laboratory screening tests (link to Medical Services) that are not typically covered by health insurance. Our physical exam is similar in scale to an “Executive Physical” exam. However, in contrast to an “Executive Physical” exam, our fee does not purchase a one time exam, many features of which health insurance covers, it changes the longitudinal doctor-patient relationship by drastically reducing the doctor to patient ratio.
With your fee you will also receive extended office visits, allowing us more time to manage your health proactively.
Understanding that questions arise after office hours, and that illness is not confined to weekdays between 9 and 5, I will provide my patients with access to me by cell phone and by secure email. This type of direct communication with one’s physician is not standard practice.
3. What forms of payment will you accept?
For traditional medical services and office visits, we accept Medicare and most managed care insurance plans, with the exception of certain HMOs.
4. Will you accept insurance as full payment, less co-pay from insurance?
Yes. In order to remain in compliance with insurance company policies, the office visit co-pay or co-insurance will be the only additional patient payment. We will accept the contractual rates with the health insurance plans that our practice participates with. Tests, radiology and subspecialty consultation will continue to be billed to insurance in the usual fashion. I will refer to preferred providers for these services to minimize cost.
5. Are you attempting to create a limited patient load and provide more than usual service?
Yes, while medical insurance will still cover medical care, the amenities of direct access, communication, enhanced care coordination, and time spent with patients will differentiate this practice from other primary care practices. This will be achieved by limiting the patient panel size.
6. How many of your former patients do you anticipate will join your practice?
I have elected to cap my membership at five hundred patients. Of these, I anticipate that three hundred of my former patients will transfer their care to this model. This will provide me with the opportunity to care for two hundred new patients.
6. Are you not actually increasing your work load by adding the additional membership benefits?
The additional work per patient will be off-set by the much smaller patient panel.
7. Are you attempting to set up a practice to see fewer patients in the same time frame to achieve a particular gross annual income?
No. While I believe that I will be able to achieve income levels that are commensurate with my training and experience, this practice serves a vehicle for me to focus my interests on providing exceptional care to my patients.
8. What options are there for first time patients to try out PPC Atlanta ?
We offer several options for first time patients. PPC Atlanta will see patients for an initial problem-focused office visit or urgent visit and bill to insurance in the usual fashion without payment of a membership fee. If you pay cash, our office fee schedule is reasonable. In addition, we are available for an initial Meet and Greet visit free of charge. In this visit you can meet Dr. Mavromatis and have the opportunity to learn more about our philosophy as it relates to your individual health needs. Our quarterly payment plan also enables first time patients to test out the practice for several months prior to making a longer-term commitment. Should you decide to transfer your care elsewhere we will work with you to facilitate the transfer of records and provide you with names of primary care practices accepting new patients.
9. How does your practice model relate to national healthcare reform ?
I see problems in healthcare both from the perspective of primary care physician, and patient-consumer. I have tried to balance these two perspectives while thinking through this practice model. Studies have shown that high quality primary care delivery can effectively reduce overall healthcare cost, yet in our current system primary care physicians are not adequately supported to achieve this. I am hopeful that healthcare reform will eventually succeed in creating more equity for basic healthcare, while still maintaining the ability of consumers of healthcare, patients, to have choice so that innovation and quality are rewarded.
Healthcare is certain to change within the next ten years. I have decided to take a proactive role in pushing that change in a direction that I believe will benefit patients who value high quality medical care. Within my first year of practice I plan to identify a small board of patients to help shape this practice and participate in planning in years to come. I recognize that my practice will need flexibility to adapt to changes in healthcare and insurance policy in years to come. This will be a forward thinking practice in terms of technology and use of medical information, however it will continue to emphasis traditional aspects of the doctor-patient relationship, including the value of direct and personal communication.
I have been active as an advocate for the American College of Physicians in Georgia and with the Society for General Internal Medicine, lobbying for a variety of issues, including health insurance reform. My work leading healthcare improvement at Emory led me to believe that primary care delivery in this country can be improved, and that by empowering the primary care physician, overall healthcare cost may be reduced. My belief is that by changing the primary care market, physicians and consumers will exert pressure on insurers to include new options for patients, including models, such as mine, that support a more personal doctor-patient relationship.
