Helpful Links
For our patients’ benefit, we have listed by category some helpful links for health education, education about the world of health care, as well as others that are interesting, funny, or could save you time and money:
Discounted Medications, Supplies, and Cash Friendly Doctors and Surgery
Diathrive: (A company dedicated to providing patients with very affordable diabetic testing supplies by mail order.)
www.goodrx.com (A website to compare prices of brand name and generic medications at major drugstore chains. Get their coupon and show it the pharmacist of your choice, either printed or on your smartphone.)
Blink Health (A website to get cash discounts at local and national pharmacies. You search for your generic medication on their site, pay for it online, print your receipt, then take it to the participating pharmacy to pick it up.)
NeedyMeds (A website that serves as a hub for pharmaceutical companies’ patient assistance programs to get free or discounted brand name and generic prescriptions, as well as a source for information on free support programs for patients with a specific diagnosis)
Surgery Center of Oklahoma (They post the cash price for surgeries they do there. While you may not choose to make a trip to Oklahoma to have surgery, this is a great website to visit to research how much surgeries really should cost without the price inflation caused by dealing with “non-profit” hospitals and insurance conglomerates. I have visited SCO and met its founders, Dr. Keith Smith and Dr. Steve Lantier. [See Picture Above] They are true heroes!)
MediBid (An online service that pairs prospective patients with doctors and facilities with competitive, transparent pricing.)
Surgeo (A website that offers patients comprehensive cash pricing for common surgeries with an ever-growing network of surgeons across the country.)
Healthcare Bluebook (A website for researching cash prices on many common medical services and procedures.)
The Self-Pay Patient (A great website and blog to use as a resource for patients who want to pay cash for medical services, surgeries, medications, etc. It even has information about medical tourism.)
The Wedge of Health Freedom (A website sponsored by The Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom. It is a resource for patients looking for doctors who do not submit bills or information to insurance companies or the government. It promotes price transparency and patient privacy.)
Faith Based Health Ministries: (Technically more like a co-op than health insurance, but members are protected from financial ruin from major medical illness. Also, they are not fined under the Obamacare penalties).
All of the sharing ministries are a little different. You should look at each of them to see which one might work best for you in terms of philosophy, logistics, and which might be the most consistent with your personal beliefs and lifestyle.
Christian Healthcare Ministries
Sedera Health (Sedera is not faith based, but functions very much like the faith based ministries, so it is included here. This company works with small businesses and individuals who are already members of a DPC practice.)
Direct Primary Care (DPC) Resources:
DPC Frontier’s Practice Mapper (This link goes directly to the DPC Frontier website’s page to find a DPC practice anywhere in the country. It is developed by Dr. Phil Eskew. He is both a DPC doctor as well as a lawyer who is a leader in the DPC movement. Other pages on the site are extremely useful for doctors who are interested in converting to Direct Primary Care.)
DPC Alliance A national grassroots alliance of Direct Primary Care physicians started in 2018 whose mission is to increase awareness about DPC and what it can do to help patients as well as be a part of the solution to the "health care crisis" in the United States. (Dr. Ciampi is one of the founding members and is on the Board of Advisors.)
New England DPC Alliance An organization founded by local Direct Primary Care physicians to support each other and spread the word. (Dr. Ciampi is one of the founding members.)
Organizations Supporting True Health Care Reform (Free Market Principles, Transparency, and Choice):
Free Market Medical Association An organization dedicated to the principle that if allowed to function like any other industry in the free market, health care costs would go down while quality and satisfaction would increase dramatically. Membership is open to both sellers (physicians, suppliers, and health care facilities) as well as buyers (employers, patients) provided that they agree to the founding principles of the organization.
Association of American Physicians and Surgeons Since 1943, AAPS has been dedicated to the highest ethical standards of the Oath of Hippocrates and to preserving the sanctity of the patient-physician relationship and the practice of private medicine. It has been a champion of causes such as curtailing the intrusion of government and insurance companies into the doctor:patient relationship, opposing increased bureaucracy, and defending physicians who speak out against the status quo. It is the largest and most vocal physicians' group that opposed the so called, "Affordable Care Act."
Citizens Council for Health Care Freedom An organization dedicated to improving patient privacy rights as well as improving patient choice in making their own health care decisions. These are the people who developed the Wedge of Health Freedom (see above).
Docs 4 Patient Care A foundation founded by physicians to advocate and educate on behalf of both patients and physicians. It is another supporter of health care freedom and reform. D4PC organizes and subsidizes the best annual conference on Direct Primary Care in the country.
Heartland Institute A think tank whose mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. They help to support legislation on a local, state, and national level to give patients freedom in health care.
Association of Independent Doctors This organization is comprised of doctors who are committed to remaining independent in their practices rather than being employed by hospital systems. Their belief is that independent doctors provide less expensive, more personal, and often higher quality care to their patients.
