What is direct patient care and why did Dr. Mays choose this model?

Dr. Mays founded the Mays Dermatology progressive model to inspire a strong physician-patient relationship. Mays Dermatology provides patients with direct accessible yet upscale full spectrum medical, cosmetic, surgical and hair loss Dermatology services. Every visit and procedure is always by a Board Certified Dermatologist ( as opposed to mid-level providers commonly seeing patients for Dermatologic issues). Dr. Mays believes in the difference in expertise and education of a Board-Certified Dermatologist when it comes to diagnosis and treatment of any condition of skin, hair and nails. She aims to improve access to true expert physicians by offering same-day fit ins, no wait, streamlined scheduling, and lengthy personalized visits.

The problem :

In today’s world, practice that “takes insurance” simply means they bill your insurance and abide by their stifling regulations and rules. Most patients spend an average of 300-400 on a simple Dermatology visit and procedure based on their high deductible plans. In addition, these practices are overwhelmed with insurance regulations often providing short visits with mid-level providers. Therefore quality suffers, and the cost remains the same or much often higher. Insurance also limits “allowed” procedures performed the same day requiring numerous unnecessary followups for the patient as well as extremely high “allowed” fees for simple visits/procedures. Furthermore, third party clouds medica care by limiting access to certain medications, denying certain procedures, requiring unnecessary prior authorizations and so much more.With direct care, the bureaucracy, costs, and limitations placed by third party insurers is eliminated, creating transparency of cost and improved quality of care with the expert specialized physician.

The solution:

A direct care model is simple. By eliminating the third-party middleman, the physician is allowed to provide true quality care to patients directly and spend the duration of their visit focused on their care, as opposed to unnecessary insurance paperwork. Direct practices operate much the same way as your favorite restaurant: you step in, order, and get your favorite food. No hidden fees, no surprise bills or denials and no variable costs due to high deductibles. Direct care models ultimately result in decreased overall costs to the patient by eliminating third-parties benefiting from the medical care.

No Membership Fee: There is no membership fee. However, we do offer a separate concierge model with direct 24-7 access to the Dermatologist for those interested in more intimate care.

At Mays Dermatology, Dr. Mays aims to restore the traditional practice of medicine when medical decisions were made between doctor and patients- not dictated by third parties. This type of practice model allows exclusive expert care by a Double Board Certified Dermatologist uniquely directed to each patient, lengthy visits with your physician, same day access and fit-ins, non-delegation of procedures, less time waiting for your appointment, less useless paperwork, and no limit to the quality of Dermatologic care.

How does a direct care model work?

Every visit is with the Board Certified Dermatologist, and your visit times are protected. Payment is due in full for your visit at time of your appointment. Additional procedure(s) performed during your visit will incur separate fees and due in full at time of service. Pricing will be discussed with you if you need additional procedures. Upon request a superbill/itemized receipt can be provided for submission to your insurance company . *Cosmetic Appointment fee is credited towards any cosmetic procedure performed/ booked same day

For a list of visit pricing Click HERE
For a list of available cosmetic procedures Click HERE

Benefits Of Direct Care Model

Higher Quality Care

It can be difficult to obtain an appointment with a Board Certified Dermatologist due to the high demand of the specialty and low number of Dermatologists nationally. The insurance system has tried to solve this problem by short-cutting to mid-level providers (nurse practitioner and physician assistant). Oftentimes, patients are given long wait times to see the doctor, unable to see the Board Certified Dermatologist, or simply unaware of the education and qualifications of their provider. We believe every patient deserves access to the expertise and extensive training of a Board Certified Dermatologist for any dermatologic concern. By providing a direct model, Mays Dermatology is able to ensure every evaluation and procedure is only performed by the Board Certified Dermatologist. Spot the ABD sign for Board Certification!

Transparency

Most insurance plans now have outrageous deductibles and out-of pocket maximums for patients (especially in specialty fields like Dermatology), resulting in non-transparency and much higher cost with more limitations of care. For example, despite ever-increasing premiums, most patients still have very high deductibles when they present for a simple medical Dermatology visit even for an “in network” visit. In addition, almost always, the patient ends up having to pay for additional procedures performed during their visit (biopsy, freeze, etc.) and often has no idea how much their visit or procedures will be. After the patient is seen, a claim is filed, for which patients may end up having to cover more of that visit or procedure if their insurance “denies” or delays. With a direct-care model, all pricing is transparent, and patients are allowed easier access to their physician for the type of visit they choose, whatever day or time they choose, and how often they choose. Most patients will end up spending less for their entire visit + procedures than they would with a high deductible plan in a traditional insurance model. Patients also save a significant amount of time not chasing statements, confusing EOBs, and calls with insurance companies. In addition, patients have the option to submit fees directly to their insurance for reimbursement (if applicable) if they choose to do so.

No limit on procedures:

In an insurance model, third party insurers limit what they cover during a routine visit. Oftentimes, physicians are unable to perform multiple procedures on the same day of the visit, address multiple concerns, or perform certain type of procedures during certain visits. With a direct care model, you and your physician have the freedom to choose when your procedure is performed, and there are no limits to procedures during your visit. This allows for less unnecessary follow-ups and so much flexibility for patients.

No limit on duration of visit

In order to increase denials, insurance models require physicians to fill out numerous inundating senseless paperwork not related nor beneficial to the patient’s care. This in turn forces physicians to have to see triple or quadruple the number of patients to sustain their practice. In a direct care model, that time is dedicated entirely to the patient and not to useless insurance requirements. Therefore, your physician can spend time with you, address all your concerns, and care for much less patients during the day. Because appointments have true dedicated times, this means non-rushed visits, and dedicated time to address all your concerns. This also means, there is no delegating to staff, rather your physician performs most of your education and counseling related to your care.