Plum Health Blog
Dr. Paul Thomas on the Soul of Enterprise
Dr. Paul Thomas on the Soul of Enterprise
In February 2022, Dr. Paul Thomas was featured in an episode of The Soul of Enterprise with Ron Baker and Ed Kless. In the episode we discuss all things Direct Primary Care! and they plug my book, Startup DPC:
Dr. Paul WROTE THE BOOK on Direct Primary Care. It’s called Startup DPC. Ron recommends this book because you can learn a lot from Dr. Paul’s experience. Here’s the Amazon link.
Dr. Paul Thomas is a family medicine physician who started Plum Health DPC in 2016, right out of residency. He is a board-certified Family Medicine Physician.
Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a model of primary care that is growing in popularity as an alternative to the traditional fee-for-service model. In a DPC practice, patients pay a monthly or annual membership fee for access to comprehensive primary care services. This fee typically covers all office visits and DPC practices offer at-cost medications, lab work, and imaging services to lower the cost of care for patients.
One of the benefits of DPC is that it allows for more time for the physician to spend with each patient. This is because DPC practices typically have fewer patients than traditional practices, which allows for more personalized care. Additionally, DPC patients often have direct access to their physician through phone or email, which can lead to quicker resolution of health concerns.
Another benefit of DPC is that it can help to lower healthcare costs for patients. By eliminating the need for insurance and reducing the number of unnecessary tests and procedures, DPC can save patients money in the long run.
Dr. Paul Thomas has been offering DPC services for the last 6 years and has seen positive results in the health of his patients. He believes that the DPC model allows for better continuity of care and a stronger physician-patient relationship, which leads to better health outcomes.
A big thanks to Ed Kless and Ron Baker for highlighting the work of Dr. Thomas and Plum Health DPC on The Soul of Enterprise!
-Paul Thomas MD with Startup DPC
Daily Detroit Podcast hits 1,000 Episodes
Daily Detroit Podcast hits 1,000 Episodes
This week, the Daily Detroit Podcast hits 1,000 episodes! That’s a lot of content! The team of Jer Staes, Randy Walker, and Shianne Nocerini are diligent and talented, and they put together insightful, informative, and entertaining shows each week day.
Over the years, I’ve been a guest a handful of times to discuss medical care issues, mostly relating to coronavirus and the COVID 19 pandemic.
Episode from April 5th 2021 on the big coronavirus spike in the spring
Episode from April 15th 2018 about our Plum Health DPC practice
I’m happy to contribute and very proud of what this podcast has accomplished!
Managing Diabetes in Detroit
Managing Diabetes in Detroit
This week, I had a wonderful interview with Dr. Cleamon Moorer. We talked about how folks can manage their diabetes in Detroit. Diabetes care can be difficult and expensive, especially if you’re uninsured. If you’re uninsured and trying to access diabetes care, patients can face the following costs:
$150 for a primary care visit
$150 to check hemoglobin a1c
$150 to check blood sugar via a comprehensive metabolic panel
$300 for insulin at the pharmacy
$10 for Metformin (Glucophage) at the pharmacy
At our Plum Health office, we dramatically lower the cost of these vital services to help our diabetic patients manage their blood sugar.
$49 to $69 monthly for as many primary care visits as it takes to manage your diabetes
$6 to check hemoglobin a1c
$6 to check blood sugar via a comprehensive metabolic panel
$0 for insulin at our Plum Health clinic as we get several free samples from industry
$0.30 to $0.60 for Metformin (Glucophage) at our Plum Health clinic
What makes this pricing difference even more important is that folks with diabetes need to check their hemoglobin a1c every 3 to 6 months to ensure that they are managing their diabetes effectively.
Interview with Dr. Cleamon Moorer
As it is diabetes awareness month, Dr. Cleamon Moorer came by our Plum Health DPC clinic to talk about our direct primary care model, health care access, and diabetes care resources in Detroit. Here’s our interview:
In Season 1, Episode 17 of The Home Health Care Today Show, Dr. Paul Thomas, MD., of Plum Health, DPC visits the show to discuss National Diabetes Month, the value of Direct Primary Care, and Plum Health DPC's affordable subscription-based model to effectively close the gap to access quality healthcare for adults and children in Detroit. The show's goal is to inform, inspire, influence, and educate Metropolitan Detroiters on the importance of Diabetes awareness, treatments, and best practices for living healthier lives. Hosted by Dr. Cleamon Moorer Sponsored by: American Advantage Home Care, Inc.
Dr. Paul Thomas Talks Direct Primary Care on the Powers Report Podcast
This week, Dr. Paul Thomas was featured on the Powers Report Podcast. In the podcast Dr. Thomas and Janis Powers talk about the pros and cons of Direct Primary Care.
Janis Powers talks in depth with one of direct primary care’s (DPC) most committed practitioners, Dr. Paul Thomas of Plum Health DPC. In this episode, Dr. Thomas gives some great examples of the benefits of DPC, describing his in-depth relationships with patients. Powers also probes some of the challenges of scaling DPC, given the exclusivity of both insurance and provider networks in America.
In our opinion, Direct Primary Care solves so many challenges in the primary care system. Direct primary care addresses long wait times to see the doctor and the inflated cost of care.
Direct primary care is different than concierge medicine. Direct primary care is a monthly membership for health care and it usually costs about $50 to $89 monthly. With DPC, patients are not required to carry insurance, although most members have some form of insurance coverage. Concierge Medicine is billed annually and usually costs $2,400 per year. Concierge doctors require a premium health insurance coverage to expedite referrals and minimize prior authorization requests. In the past, our blog has covered this in depth, here.
In the podcast, we discuss how we’re able to save our patients 50% to 90% on medications, lab work, and imaging services. We buy medications at wholesale and pass on the cost savings to our patients, we draw blood at cost and pass on the savings to our patients, and we have found local imaging centers with very affordable cash-pay rates for services. This cost savings can make a big impact on folks with a limited income and limited access to high quality health care resources. We were recently featured on Channel 7 Action News about how we save money on prescription meds.
Thanks for reading and listening, and have a great day,
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Throwback to March 2018: Paul Thomas MD on IT in the D
Unfortunately, David Phillips, long-time Detroit podcaster, has passed away. To honor his memory, and to highlight his humor and magnetism, here’s our interview with Bob Waltenspiel, David Phillips, Jer Staes, and Randy Walker. As a warning, there is some adult humor and language in this episode, so if you want to jump to a cleaner portion of the interview, skip to time 31:00:
Episode 237 – Dr Paul and Plum Health, Detroit Policy Conference, Daily Detroit
We all know the insurance industry is incredibly broken, dealing with doctor's offices can be a major PITA, and prices just keep skyrocketing...well, what if there was an alternative. There is, and it's right here in metro Detroit - meet Dr Paul and his Plum Health company that deals directly with you, not insurance companies, and we seriously couldn't find a flaw in his claims or business model so give it a look after listening in. We also chatted with Jer from Daily Detroit about the recent Detroit Policy Conference that took place downtown, and of course our usual smattering of events, updates, and stories that caught our eyes... Plum Health is at: https://www.plumhealthdpc.com/ Daily Detroit is at: https://www.facebook.com/TheDailyDetroit/ IT in the D On the web: http://www.ITinTheD.com On Meetup: http://www.meetup.com/ITintheD/ On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/IT-in-D-91763 On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ITintheD On Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ITintheD Podcast Detroit is at: On the web: http://www.podcastdetroit.com/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PodcastDetroit On Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastDetroit On Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/podcastdetroit
Thanks for reading and listening,
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Dr. Paul Thomas Interviewed on the Talk2MeDoc Podcast
Dr. Paul Thomas Interviewed on the Talk2MeDoc Podcast
This month, I had a great interview with Andrew Tisser of the Talk2MeDoc podcast. We discussed the direct primary care model and why it’s beneficial for patients and why it’s beneficial for doctors. We talk about primary care, access to care, health disparities, physician burnout, and so much more. Here’s what they had to say:
Join Andrew Tisser with Dr. Paul Thomas as they talk about an exciting new model of primary care. In this episode, you’ll learn:
What is Direct Primary Care?
Benefits of DPC to patients and physicians alike
How to negotiate wholesale prices on labs and imaging
Much more!
Here’s that full episode and below I take a deeper dive into some of these topics.
The Private Medical Practice is Not Dead
During medical school, medical students are told that the only way to have a career in medicine is via an employed model. That simply isn’t true. The private medical practice is not dead. In fact, once you get outside of the health insurance model, the private medical practice is thriving.
When I first started our direct primary care practice back in November of 2016, there were only about 400 practices across the country. Now, there’s over 1,300 direct primary care practices, and the movement continues to grow.
Why? Because patients are looking for kind, caring, and thoughtful physicians who have enough time to fully address all of their concerns. And guess what? The Direct Primary Care model allows doctors to have the time and space to take care of their patients in a comprehensive manner with enough time to fully listen.
Doctor, Heal Thy Self
For too long, primary care physicians have been battling burnout and moral injury by practicing in the fee-for-service model. This has lead to many doctors experiencing burnout and compassion fatigue. As many of 54% of physicians are affected by burnout.
In this podcast episode I make the analogy of half of your lights in your house burning out. If this were to happen, you wouldn’t change each individual lightbulb. Instead, you’d call the big energy company and inquire about the electrical grid in your city, or you’d call up an electrician and have them evaluate the electrical panel in your home.
Yet, when 54% of doctors face burnout, the hospital systems and insurance companies tell them to engage in meditation exercises, retreats, or self-care activities. Sometimes they just tell the doctors to “be more resilient.”
This approach is a slap in the face for hard working and compassionate doctors across our country.
What needs to happen is a comprehensive, systems-based reform of our health insurance and medical care payment systems that uplift the doctor patient relationship rather than forcing doctors into a one-size-fits-all model of high-volume, low-quality patient visits.
About Paul Thomas, MD:
Dr. Paul Thomas is a board-certified family medicine physician practicing in Corktown Detroit. His practice is Plum Health DPC, a Direct Primary Care service that is the first of its kind in Detroit and Wayne County. His mission is to deliver affordable, accessible health care services in Detroit and beyond. He has been featured on WDIV-TV Channel 4, WXYZ Channel 7, Crain's Detroit Business and CBS Radio. He has been a speaker at TEDxDetroit. He is a graduate of Wayne State University School of Medicine and now a Clinical Assistant Professor. Finally, he is an author of two books Direct Primary Care: The Cure for Our Broken Healthcare System and Startup DPC: How to Start and Grow Your Direct Primary Care Practice
You can find Dr. Thomas.
Website: https://www.plumhealthdpc.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PlumHealthDPC/
Dr. Paul Thomas Interviewed on Leading the Rounds Podcast
Recently, I was interviewed on Leading the Rounds Podcast. In this episode, two medical students from Wayne State University School of Medicine, Peter Dimitrion and Caleb Sokolowski, interviewed me to talk about direct primary care and leadership in medicine.
We discuss the difference between fee for service medicine and direct primary care. In the fee-for-service model, patients need to have an insurance plan to access health care. This leaves the roughly 27 million Americans who do not have health insurance vulnerable and without access to health care. I started my direct primary care practice because I believe that healthcare should be affordable and accessible for everyone.
During my residency when I was employed by a large hospital system, I hated to see the front desk staff turn away uninsured patients. I knew that there had to be a better, more compassionate way to deliver health care. When I discovered direct primary care, I knew it was the best option for me to start my own practice and deliver health care services on my own terms, for the good of my patients and for the good of my community.
We discuss the difference between direct primary care and concierge medicine. In short, concierge medicine costs $2,400 annually and requires a health insurance plan to participate. In direct primary care, patients pay about $65 monthly and they do not have to have an additional insurance coverage, although it’s highly recommended. I talk about this topic in depth in this blog post and YouTube video.
We also talk about why patients would want to choose direct primary care and why doctors are choosing to practice in the direct primary care model. Patients choose direct primary care practices like Plum Health in Detroit because they can have a genuine relationship with their physician - our patients know that they can call, text, or email their doctor any time they need to. This accessibility gives our patients peace of mind. Patients choose direct primary care because they know the cost of their care, and there are no surprise bills - patients often save 50 to 90% on their medications, lab work, and imaging services.
Doctors are choosing direct primary care because they can spend more time with their patients and less time with their computers.
“I went into medicine to spend time with my patients, not to spend time with my computer.” - Dr. Paul Thomas of Plum Health DPC on Leading the Rounds Podcast
Doctors can also liberate themselves from insurance company mandates, and practice medicine on their own terms, maximizing the benefits for their patients. Hear about all this and more in the episode, here:
From Wayne State University School of Medicine:
Wayne State University School of Medicine students Peter Dimitrion and Caleb Sokolowski have jumped into the popular world of podcasting as the creators and hosts of “Leading the Rounds: A Medical Leadership Podcast.”
“We began this podcast because we are both passionate about leadership development, which is its own field and needs to be studied like pathology, biology and more,” said Dimitrion, a second-year M.D./Ph.D. student. “There are few resources for medical trainees that are accessible and affordable. Leadership development is overlooked in contemporary medical education, yet medical students and physicians find themselves in leadership roles from the beginning of their training. Other industries, such as the military and business, have formal leadership development courses, but physicians receive no formal leadership training as a part of their medical curriculum. We want to meet this need and improve our comprehension and understanding of leadership principles.”
His co-host is also in his second year of the M.D. program. Dimitrion and Sokolowski published seven episodes so far, with guests including Army Maj. Cal Walters and Paul Thomas, M.D., a Class of 2013 alumnus and founder of the direct primary care clinic Plum Health in Detroit.
The show will focus on three facets they believe are critical to their development as future medical leaders: leadership development, personal development and health systems literacy.
“Leading the Rounds” is available on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
“We also have a website, www.leadingtherounds.com, which we are constantly updating with links to our episodes and resources for anyone who is interested in following up on the ideas that we talk about in our podcast. People can also connect with us on Instagram @Leadingtherounds,” Dimitrion added.
Dr. Paul Thomas on My Dream Big Club Podcast
Last week, I had a great conversation with Seun Phillips of the My Dream Big Club Podcast.
Episode 6 Link:
Show notes:
Dr. Paul Thomas sits down to discuss:
-Health care issues head on by spreading his innovative Direct Primary Care model, which provides affordable and accessible health care services
-How insurance plans directly correlate to doctors starting their practices in affluent areas
-Done is BETTER than perfect. Spend your time being decisive in your decision making process to keep the momentum going. Make the decision and deal with the consequences later
-Visualizing your dreams and creating a system to help you focus on your goal, revisiting your system when you're down and continuously progressing forward
Dr. Paul Thomas on Leading Questions
This week, I was interviewed on Leading Questions with Calvin Moore, Kent Straith, and Steve Phelps. Also on the show was Dr. Abdul El-Sayed a political pundit on CNN and author of the new book Healing Politics. We discussed the coronavirus and the flaws in our current healthcare system and political system that have allowed this virus to spread more widely and infect and kill more people.
Here’s the general topics we discussed:
Question: Tell us a little about yourself as a medical professional. How long have you been doing it and do you have a specialized area of focus?
Answer: For me, I’m a family medicine doctor. I started our direct primary care service, Plum Health DPC, to make healthcare more affordable and accessible here in Detroit. My practice started in 2016, and we’ve grown into a larger location in Corktown, Detroit on Michigan avenue. I work with a second doctor and we care for a diverse group of patients in terms of age, race, gender, abilities, orientation, socioeconomic status, and other factors. We’re proud to serve at the community level and to advocate for better health for our patients.
Question: Healthcare is an issue that is on everyone’s mind. What are some the glaring issues surrounding healthcare as you understand it?
Answer: Currently, the for-profit practice of medicine and the insurance based system of care has devalued primary care services that would help us prevent the spread of viruses. in our current system, elective surgeries like knee replacement surgeries and other procedural work receives the largest reimbursement from private health insurance companies and Medicare. So, our corporate hospital systems have maximized their ability to perform these procedures at the expense of a robust and well-functioning primary care delivery system. This disorientation has caused us to be vulnerable to pandemics like this.
Question: In 2019, “telehealth” was considered part of the future of medical care; however, the current pandemic has accelerated the progress and use of telehealth services. Do you see a time in the near future where telehealth successfully replaces some or most in-person office visits for routine services?
Answer: in our practice at Plum Health DPC, our patients can call, text, or email us anytime. We can also use video chats and we can text photos to help us better understand the conditions affecting our patients. We’re able to do this because WE DO NOT BILL OR USE INSURANCE. You see, your doctor cannot and will not text you after hours or even as a replacement for a typical visit because your doctor can only get paid by the insurance company for face-to-face visits. In our model, because our patients pay us directly, we change the way we deliver primary care to maximize the efficacy of our time and resources, and to give our patients an amazing customer experience.
Question: In an effort to curb the rising costs of health care and limit instances where patients have to pay out-of-pocket for services denied by their insurance companies, more and more medical procedures require prior authorization. Do you believe any changes are necessary to the prior authorization process that will allow you to better serve your patients, while at the same time reduce the rising costs of providing health care?
Answer: again, because we don’t bill or use insurance at Plum Health DPC, we don’t often go through the prior authorization system. In our model, we are extremely effective at lowering the cost of care, so it’s often times cheaper to buy the medication or get the lab test by paying cash for the service than by using the insurance policy to pay for an over-inflated cost of a lab test or medication. For example, if you got a complete blood count at the local hospital, they might charge you $125. That same complete blood count only costs $4 in our office.
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day,
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Paul Thomas MD interviewed on the Soul of Enterprise Podcast
This week, I had a one-hour conversation with Ed Kless and Ron Baker. Here’s the full audio recording:
Ed and Ron both asked some amazing questions, here’s what we discussed on the show, via their website:
Join Ed and Ron for our second interview with Dr. Paul Thomas, Founder of Plum Health DPC (Direct Primary Care), to discuss COVID-19, and his experience dealing with this from the front lines. Also, his new revolutionary business model in medicine. Is this the cure for our broken healthcare system, and how’s it going so far?
A Quick Bit About Dr. Paul Thomas
Dr. Paul Thomas is a board-certified family medicine physician practicing in Corktown Detroit. His practice is Plum Health DPC, a Direct Primary Care service that is the first of its kind in Detroit and Wayne County. His mission is to deliver affordable, accessible health care services in Detroit and beyond. He has been featured on WDIV-TV Channel 4, WXYZ Channel 7, Crain's Detroit Business and CBS Radio. He has been a speaker at TEDxDetroit. He is a graduate of Wayne State University School of Medicine and now a Clinical Assistant Professor. Finally, he is an author of the book Direct Primary Care: The Cure for Our Broken Healthcare System.
Here are Ed’s questions from the interview:
How are you?
What about the people in your local community, how’s it going there?
About 40% of hospital beds in Michigan are filled with COVID patients, does that sound right?
Is there a difference between intubation and being on a ventilator, or are they the same thing?
And that’s different from being on oxygen?
There are potentially long-term risks with being intubated, even after you come off it, such as challenges with your lung capacity coming back?
What has been the effect, if any, on your business model? Has there been any significant challenges with Direct Primary Care (DPC) model?
Are they waiving any regulations to be able to provide telemedicine, for example?
Do you think COVID-19 might lead to a significant increase in DPC?
Will doctors get acclimated to provide telemedicine?
The numbers we’re all seeing at John Hopkins or Worldometer, the numbers are pretty scary, but they are also are staggeringly incomplete. I don’t think we can really believe the number of cases in China being limited to 81,000, for instance.
You talked a little bit about the tests with Ron, what are your thoughts about the at-home tests? Will we all be able to test ourselves at home and get some better numbers about what’s happening?
The FDA and CDC sort of messed up the process with the test when all this began. What are your thoughts on that?
This is less political than governmental. The nature of bureaucracy that may have been the downfall, regardless of the administration.
On your website blog, you did a great job debunking the Vitamin C myth that’s out there. What about hydroxychloroquine as a possible treatment?
What about the potential vaccine for this? If one was quickly developed would we be able to get it out quick enough, or would that run into bureaucratic hurdles?
Does that 15-18 months include the testing and verification, or just the development of a vaccine?
What about links you’ve seen to diabetes or pre-diabetic condition, or does it mostly just affect those who are older?
Age and diabetes are correlated aren’t they?
…and here are Ron’s questions:
In times like this, do you think this business model has deepened your relationship with patients?
Do you think the subscription model helps you weather a storm like this rather than a more transactional business model?
Can you explain the protocol for a COVID-19 test? Don’t they test for the flu first, and only as a last resort test you for COVID-19?
We don’t have a clear idea of the “denominator,” we don’t how many people are walking around with asymptomatic symptoms, right?
Settle a big dispute: Should we be wearing masks when we go out? [Yes!]
Does it have to be an N95 mask? [No]
You probably remember that in 2009-10 we had the Swine Flu, and between April 12, 2009 and to April 10, 2010, 12,469 people died in the USA alone, with 87% being under age 65. What makes COVID-19 deadlier than the swine flu?
Can this can back in different strains? Can you get again once you’ve had it and recovered?
Have you seen any granular demographic, age, comorbidities information on the reported deaths and/or cases?
With older patients, there’s a difference between dying from and dying with corona virus. How do they make that distinction when they gather the death statistics?
The University of Pittsburgh has developed a vaccine, they say they’ve seen development antibodies in mice. And I just finished a book by the oncologist Dr. Azra Raza, who wrote The First Cell. She says, at least for cancer, having anything to do with mice doesn’t really work when translating to humans. But is that not true with vaccines? The fact it works with mice, is that promising for humans?
We say it takes 12-18 months to develop a vaccine. Is there a way for the FDA to expedite this process. What is the risk of a vaccine developed quickly?
On your website blog video from March 26, 2020 you answer the question, “How can I become immune?” You listed two ways:
Get Infected then Recover (your body produces IGM/IGG) and you now have the antibody
Vaccination
You said to create herd immunity you need 50-60% of people, can that immunity happen plasma transfusions from people who had the virus and recovered?
What about this virus running it course and achieving of herd immunity? How long does that process take without a vaccine?
Unless it comes back in a different strain?
I’m looking at Worldometer, and Michigan has now surpassed California in cases. We were taking flights from China during December and January, at the rate of at least 7,000 per day. There’s only 246 deaths in CA—each a tragedy—can you account for that? Why wasn’t CA hit has hard as New York, New Jersey, or even Michigan?
Could it be herd immunity, why CA wasn’t hit as hard?
Where do you see this ending? How and when?
Delivering Excellent Customer Service in Primary Care
Delivering Excellent Customer Service in Primary Care
Recently, we were featured on Hunter Schultz’s podcast, Winning Healthcare Food Fights and we were able to talk about direct primary care and how we’re actively lowering the cost of healthcare while improving the customer experience in health care. You can listen to the podcast on a variety of platforms, from YouTube, to Apple Podcasts, to Anchor, and others. Here’s what Hunter Schultz had to say about the show:
American healthcare isn't known for great customer service. More like inconvenience. Dr. Paul Thomas thought differently and started Plum Health DPC in Detroit, MI. He learned a secret from other physicians. Changing the business model so his practice could focus on customer service and care. Along the way, he wrote one book and now helps other physicians looking for a better way to provide great patient care.
Dr. Thomas went the never crowded extra mile too. He opened Plum Health DPC in the Corktown area of Detroit, instead of Grosse Pointe. Every day, he and his team provide proof old-fashioned American ingenuity is alive and well. They are putting the Wow back into care by giving great customer service.
Visit Plum Health DPC, here.
His book, Direct Primary Care: The Cure for Our Broken Healthcare System, is available here.
For more resources and other information, please visit our website.
Paul Thomas, MD at the Plum Health DPC office in Corktown Detroit. The office is located at 1620 Michigan Ave, Suite 125, Detroit, MI 48216.
Many thanks to Hunter for putting together this interview, even more thanks to him for being an Alpha Reader for our first book, Direct Primary Care: The Cure for Our Broken Healthcare System. Here’s some of the topics we covered during the interview:
Exciting or positive things in the US Healthcare System, like the growing direct primary care movement and some free market elements in our current system that can help protect patients from overcharges in the current marketplace.
The types of tests or new tools for assessing health and wellness - things like 23andMe, Aperiomics, OneOme, Butterfly Ultrasound probe, texting, emails and more consistent communication with patients.
Integrating patients’ health goals into their care plan
Dr. Paul Thomas’ path to becoming a doctor - volunteering at Cass Clinic and working with compassionate doctors and medical students at Wayne State taking care of uninsured and underinsured patients in Detroit’s Cass Corridor
The simplicity of the Direct Primary Care model and aligning the incentives - when patients pay the monthly membership fee for a DPC practice, they are incentivized to use the system and to use the DPC service. Likewise, doctors are incentivized to take care of patients promptly and ensure optimal health and wellness. Doctors in the DPC model are also incentivized to not over-test and over-treat their patients. Rather, we focus on counseling our patients through their healthy behaviors to optimize wellness.
Price points at our model, seen here. Our price points are less than a cell phone bill for an individual and less than a cable bill for a family. We are cognizant of the median income in Detroit, our community, and that is $26,000 annually. We intentionally made our service affordable for anyone with an income in our community, and we deliver excellent primary care services to the folks that enroll in our clinic.
We discuss our recent Ribbon Cutting ceremony with Mayor Duggan and our recent move to 1620 Michigan Ave, Suite 125, Detroit MI 48216, which is 1.1 miles from our old office. We have a more conveniently location in Corktown, Detroit.
We recently hired a medical assistant, Chris, and we recently brought on a new doctor, Dr. Raquel Orlich who is quickly filling her practice with new patients. We typically have 25 to 30 new patients enroll in our practice each month.
We discuss having enough time to work with our patients. We typically have 30 minutes to 1 hour to spend with each of our patients. In the typical system, your doctor has 2,400 patients and they only get 10 to 15 minutes to take care of each patient. Having fewer patients allows us to have more time with our patients and to build trusting relationships with our patients.
We discuss the importance of having continuity of care, or a long-term relationship, with a primary care doctor. In our practice, we really focus on building the doctor-patient relationship and continuity of care.
Demonstrating how valuable it is to have a primary care doctor that knows you well.
Delivering an excellent customer experience in primary care at our Plum Health DPC office. This is achieved by meeting people at the door, having enough time for the appointment, addressing their concerns fully, giving the medications from our office and not sending them to a pharmacy, having the ability to draw blood in our office, and the ability to text and email our patients. Because we’re able to do these things well, our patients often have a “wow” experience. This becomes evident over time as more and more folks review our practice and our service (see Google reviews below).
Here’s more information about Winning Healthcare Food Fights in general:
Winning Healthcare Food Fights is a weekly online radio show covering important healthcare issues. Hear from physicians about getting better care, experts explaining how we arrived at our current mess, and how we clean it up!
Healthcare's solutions cannot possibly be described in 2 minute soundbites. It takes some time to sort through the mess to discover the attributes of great care and how we move forward.
The rewards are more confidence about the direction we must head, and what to do about it. Less fear, uncertainty and doubt.
Thanks so much for reading and watching, and have a wonderful day - Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
As of February 2020, Plum Health DPC has 63 five star reviews on Google. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm
Dr. Paul Thomas Featured on the Soul of Enterprise Podcast
This month, Dr. Paul Thomas was featured on the Soul of Enterprise Podcast and we had a great conversation around the Direct Primary Care Model and how it can benefit individuals, small businesses, communities, and the nation as a whole. It was great being interviewed by Ed and Ron - they brought a high level of professionalism and integrity to the conversation with some excellent questions around the practice and the DPC model. Enjoy!
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A SMART DOCTOR RECOGNIZES THAT THERE IS A BETTER WAY?
Is it possible for family physician to operate under a subscription-based business model, priced below what you pay for your mobile phone service? What about services not covered by the subscription? Could those be priced with full certainty and transparency?
For episode 269, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Paul Thomas, founder of Plum Health DPC. Dr. Paul Thomas is a board-certified family medicine physician practicing in Corktown, Detroit. His practice is Plum Health DPC, a Direct Primary Care service that is the first of its kind in Detroit and Wayne County. His mission is to deliver affordable, accessible health care services in Detroit and beyond. He has been featured on WDIV-TV Channel 4, WXYZ Channel 7, Crain's Detroit Business and CBS Radio. He has been a speaker at TEDxDetroit. He is a graduate of Wayne State University School of Medicine and now a Clinical Assistant Professor. Finally, he is an author of the book Direct Primary Care: The Cure for Our Broken Healthcare System.
Below are show notes and questions we asked our guest. Use these to help guide you along when listening to the podcast (embedded above).
Ed’s Questions
What is Direct Primary Care?
Based on an interview I saw you do, there’s no wait time for patients?
Why did you go this route—Direct Primary Care?
You were burned out in your residency. What was the moment that you said I can’t do what most people are signing up to do?
Most time patients do get with their doctors is spent with the doctor typing and facing a screen.
What are some of things that are covered in your clinic?
What you are capable of doing in your practice is probably 80-90% of what a healthy patient would need in a given year?
It would cost me personally about $840 in your practice. If you’re so cheap, why is healthcare so expensive?
It’s said America pays more than the average OECD country, but there’s no price transparency in the system, which inflates those prices, correct?
What are some of the barriers you see that are still in the way of physicians getting into DPC and patients being able to access DPC?
When you did start, did you consider other pricing models? Yours is based on age, but did you consider, for example, response times, or different services you would include and exclude?
Do you have any jumpers, and by that I mean people who pay for a month and then leave, then come back six months later?
You’re now also offering rates to small businesses in your area?
And the companies pay your membership as part of the employees benefit package?
You believe that patients should also have a catastrophic health insurance plan?
We don’t expect our auto insurance to pay for gasoline but we do expect our health insurance to pay for a blood test. It’s absurd?
I was struck that in your TedX talk you used the phrase “living my truth,” take us through that, what does that phrase mean to you?
Ron’s Questions
In your book, Direct Primary Care: The Cure for Our Broken Healthcare System, you cite a 2016 study performed by Medscape found 51% of physicians experience burnout. Burnout is defined as a loss of enthusiasm for work, feelings of cynicism, and a low sense of personal accomplishment. You felt this in your residency. How long did it take you to work up to 500 patients?
How did you market your practice, was it social media, word-of-mouth, press. I know you did a Tedx talk.
I know DPC is in the same family of Concierge Medicine, which has the reputation of being just for the elite, which isn’t true. But the DPC prices are usually less than a mobile phone bill.
On the cover of your book there’s a picture of you trying to catch sand through your hands. Can you explain that analogy?
You talk about technology and how there’s too much borrowing from Henry Ford’s assembly line, treating customers like commodities rather than human interaction. It’s not very efficient to sit and listen to your patient read you poetry. It is, however, highly effective. Would you agree with that?
You also talk how the average of GP doctors have 2,400 patients. Do you think this DPC model will alleviate this GP doctor shortage?
You talk about the growth of urgent care centers in the US is a symptom of a failed primary care system.
Do you feel that people who are not licensed could do some of the work now being done by physicians? What’s your view of occupational licensing and how it folds into this model/
You mentioned to Ed that insurance companies try to get as many dollars passing through the hands. They don’t seem to like the concierge or DPC models, not because they compete with actuarial based insurance but because they compete with pre-paid medical care. Did Michigan pass a law that made it clear that DPC is not an insurance product?
Just seems to be like insurance companies would like to block this model. Is that a fair statement?
There’s obviously some education going on with doctors with respect to DPC, but we also need to re-educate patients to see you even when they are healthy, not just when they are sick. Has that been an educational process to get patients to see you even when they don’t have an issue?
We talk a lot about the market share myth, that growth for the sake of the growth is the ideology of the cancer cell, not a sustainable, profitable business. You phrase it in your book as “Value over volume.” You must be asked a lot that healthcare is different than any other product or service we buy, how do you explain to people that it can be priced like other things we buy
Your model is restoring the sacred relationship between the patient and doctor. You’re bringing this back to the days of Marcus Welby.
I’ve read that most calls (82%) are received during normal business hours, that patients don’t abuse your time off. Has that been your experience unless there’s been an emergency?
Tell us about your new venture, www.startupdpc.com.
If you could wave a magic wand to reform healthcare, what would you do? [Price transparency and quality scores was Dr. Paul’s answer].
HOW TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST:
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tsoe-dr-paul-thomas-on-what-is-direct-primary-care/id668653849?i=1000459295760
Try saying, “Alexa, play the Sage Advice Podcast” on your Amazon Echo
Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/m/Dnjmmdjwf4wcptom74ttgymbqam
iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-sage-advice-podcast-27588757/episode/tsoe-dr-paul-thomas-on-53897728/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/376LlZkEKLMxe8UH9e8N4J
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/sagena-47293133/tsoe-dr-paul-thomas-on-what-is
PlayerFM: https://player.fm/series/sage-advice-podcast/tsoe-dr-paul-thomas-on-what-is-direct-primary-care
Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/sagena/TLS-TSOE-PaulThomas.mp3
Permalink: http://sageadvicepodcast.com/tsoe-paulthomas
Daily Detroit Covers the Plum Health Move to Corktown
Daily Detroit, shares what to know and where to go in Southeast Michigan in a 15-20 minute, local podcast. They recently covered our move from Southwest Detroit to our new location in Corktown Detroit. Here’s what we discuss:
The move into our new 1,700 Square Foot office in Corktown, at the Corner, which is the historic former site of Tiger Stadium. This is the corner of Michigan and Trumbull, and our address is 1600 Michigan Ave, Suite 125, Detroit MI 48216
We’re a Direct Primary Care practice in Detroit, and we provide Family Medicine services through a membership model for health care. Our members pay $10 each month for children, and our adult memberships start at $49 per month. With the membership, our patients can see us anytime they need to without a copay.
Dr. Raquel Orlich started with our practice in July 2019. She’s an Osteopathic Physician who studied at Michigan State University and was the Chief Resident in Family Medicine at Ascension Macomb.
Why did we move? We moved because we outgrew our original space in Southwest Detroit. We had also won some grant money through the Motor City Match program and the Detroit Demo Day that we needed to use towards our build out of a new office.
Why this specific location? We moved to the Corner because it’s very close to our original location. Our new spot in Corktown is only 1.1 miles away from our old spot in Southwest Detroit. Importantly, this allows us to continue serving all of our original members.
What have we learned since starting this business? If you’ve ever started a business, you know that it’s not the decisions, it’s the decisiveness. This was something that was difficult to learn as a Physician because Doctors are trained to over-analyze problems and leave no stone unturned. I still use that part of my brain when taking care of patients, but I have to turn that part of my brain off when I think about challenges in our business.
How can people get involved? You can enroll on our website, here. Or you can give us a call at 313.444.5630. Finally, you can stop by at our new office - 1620 Michigan Ave Ste 125, Detroit MI 48216.
Listen to the episode on Daily Detroit’s YouTube Channel (below). Our segment starts at the 4:28 mark.
If you like Plum Health, and if you like YouTube, you’ll love our Plum Health YouTube Channel!
Thanks for reading and watching and have a marvelous day - Dr. Paul Thomas and Dr. Raquel Orlich
Press Coverage for Direct Primary Care in Detroit and Michigan
This was a big week for press coverage for Direct Primary Care in Detroit and Michigan. The bottom line is this: people are hearing more and more about this Direct Primary Care movement and we’re getting more and better coverage as the DPC movement grows.
Plum Health DPC Interview on The Craig Fahle Show
First off, we had a fabulous interview with Craig Fahle of Deadline Detroit. Craig Fahle is the former host of the Craig Fahle Show on WDET and he currently hosts the Craig Fahle Show on Deadline Detroit:
A mix of interviews and commentary, The Craig Fahle Show is a daily 30 minute podcast telling the important political, business, and cultural stories that matter to Detroit and Michigan. Hosted by Craig Fahle, an award winning journalist and talk show host who for years hosted his eponymous talk show on WDET, Detroit's Public Radio station.
Craig Fahle’s coverage of our story at Plum Health DPC was insightful and robust. He brought a really well thought out, professional approach to this interview. You can listen to the full episode here:
Dr. Paul Thomas of Plum Health DPC interviewed by Craig Fahle of Deadline Detroit on the Craig Fahle Show. The conversation focused on the Direct Primary Care model and the impact that it is having in the Detroit market.
Paul Thomas, MD of Plum Health Mentioned During WDET’s Detroit Today
Second, during WDET’s Detroit Today radio program with Stephen Henderson, a caller rang in and asked if there was a health care model similar to the Green Bay Packers, where everyone buys in and benefits from the system. Start listening to the interview at the 34:30 mark to hear the question and answer. Additionally, I’ve taken the time to transcribe the conversation here:
Kevin in Grosse Pointe Park: “My idea may be a little simplistic, but I’d love to see something modeled off of the Green Bay Packers. As in, all of us pay our premiums to a hospital on a monthly basis, so the doctors, and the nurses, and the hospitals get our premiums. Let’s eliminate the insurance companies and the in-betweens. The doctors and nurses own the hospitals and we own shares in the hospitals and have an interest in this possibility.”
Stephen Henderson, Host of Detroit Today: “Hmm. Kevin it’s simplistic but it does get to a fundamental issue in the healthcare system. What role do the insurance companies play, and how much money do they add to the cost of things in the system and is there a way to eliminate them all-together. Abdul El-Sayed, we had a physician on the program a few months ago, Paul Thomas here in the City of Detroit, who is treating patients by eliminating insurance. He doesn’t take insurance, he has them pay into kind of a share system like Kevin is talking about. He deals with pharmaceutical companies directly to lower the cost of the meds and it seems like he’s got kind of a solution to some of the problems we see in the system now. The idea of dealing directly with physicians and hospital systems rather than insurance companies. Is that maybe a way forward?
Abdul El-Sayed, MD, MPH: “So, I love Paul’s model and I think it’s a great model for primary care. You pay him, he takes care of you, it’s simple, you eliminate the middle man. In fact though, Kevin’s idea, that’s how insurance companies started.”
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed goes on to talk about the founding of Blue Cross with Baylor’s Hospital System. When I heard this conversation, I was absolutely floored! It’s amazing that Stephen Henderson recalled our conversation and offered our model as a solution to our current health care problems.
Paul Thomas MD of Plum Health DPC was mentioned by Stephen Henderson of WDET and Abdul El-Sayed during a comprehensive conversation of healthcare costs during the Detroit Today radio program.
Direct Primary Care Physician on Michigan Radio
Finally, a friend and colleague of mine, Matthew Falkiewicz, MD Of Nova Direct Primary Care in Grand Rapids was interviewed on Michigan Radio with Cynthia Canty.
“Before insurance companies, and co-pays, and filing claims, the relationship between doctors and patients was simple. Those who needed medical care would visit their doctor’s office or request a house call. Once that care was provided, the doctor was paid directly.
“Some physicians are bringing that model into the 21st century by offering direct primary care to their patients on a subscription basis.
“Dr. Matt Falkiewicz is a physician with Nova Direct Primary Care in Grand Rapids. His practice offers a membership-based model where patients pay a monthly fee”
All told, three big mentions of Direct Primary Care in Detroit and Michigan over the last 1 week. This tells me that there’s a growing momentum for Direct Primary Care in our state. When I first started in 2016, I was an early adopter, perhaps the second doctor in the state of Michigan with a pure Direct Primary Care practice. Now, there’s over 10 doctors practicing in the DPC model in Michigan.
I believe in this model and these doctors - Direct Primary Care allows us to serve our patients on their own terms, and not at the dictates or mandates of an insurance company. The DPC model allows us to develop caring relationships with our patients and to deliver the best service possible to our patients.
I’m really excited for this growing movement - thanks for reading!
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC in Detroit, Michigan
Paul Thomas, MD of Plum Health DPC. Direct Primary Care allows doctors and patients to develop deeper, more trusting relationships that can result in better health for both patients and doctors.
Dr. Paul Thomas Featured on the Primary Care Cures Podcast
This week, Dr. Paul Thomas of Plum Health DPC was featured on the Primary Care Cures podcast, hosted by Ron Barshop. The podcast focuses on the people who are making a difference in Primary Care - those who are fighting against burnout, physician shortages, bad models, and forced buyouts.
Dr. Paul Thomas was featured on Episode 25 of the Primary Care Cures podcast with Ron Barshop
This episode had a fairly wide ranging discussion on Direct Primary Care, here are the show notes:
How I found out about the Direct Primary Care model at 2:50
Direct Primary Care Doctors and Burnout and Burnout in the Fee-For-Service system at 3:30
The different Direct Primary Care Conferences, including the AAFP DPC Summit and Nuts and Bolts in Florida at 5:00
The difference between Direct Primary Care and the Fee-For Service Model at 5:45
If all Primary Care Doctors went into Direct Primary Care, would there be a primary care shortage or would the primary care shortage worsen? at 6:10
Can we make Primary Care Medicine more appealing for medical students and residents? at 8:40
The percentage of medical students choosing Primary Care residencies and the Match at 9:40
The Income of a Direct Primary Care doctor at 10:15
Employees in the Direct Primary Care model - are they more satisfied because they have a lower volume? at 11:50
Starting a Direct Primary Care practice straight out of residency - is this unusual? at 12:50
Telehealth and digital communication and how that interfaces with the Direct Primary Care model, as well as texting your doctor at 14:34
Dr. Paul Thomas of Plum Health Featured on Sound Financial Bites
This week, we were featured on Sound Financial Bites. The topic was wide ranging, and it was great to be featured on this podcast. The producers of Sound Financial Bites, Paul Adams and Cory Shepherd, wrote a fantastic summary of our conversation, here:
EPISODE SUMMARY
This episode of the Sound Financial Bites Podcast tackles a topic that is central to our financial and physical wellbeing: healthcare. Paul Adams and Cory Shepherd welcome primary care physician Dr. Paul Thomas to discuss his practice, Plum Health, and the innovative strides he is making in the healthcare industry. Dr. Paul’s mission is to make healthcare accessible to those who cannot afford it and those who are fed up with the time, energy and money spent on traditional methods.
WHAT WAS COVERED
01:24 – Introducing today’s guest, Dr. Paul Thomas
02:38 – Dr. Paul defines the term direct primary care
03:18 – Concierge medicine
04:59 – How Dr. Paul’s business model makes money
06:39 – The huge markup on healthcare services
09:49 – The amount of patients a typical primary care physician has
11:26 – The pricing model that Dr. Paul utilizes
13:32 – Dr. Paul talks about the incredible growth of his practice, Plum Health
15:53 – Dr. Paul’s vision for the next five years of his practice
19:25 – Cosmetic surgery and Lasik
20:43 – Paul interrupts the podcast to provide the audience with a special offer
21:52 – The distinction between health insurance and healthcare
22:42 – Making healthcare accessible to those who cannot afford it
24:49 – The high-income earning patients that Dr. Paul also serves
26:28 – How Dr. Paul’s practice remains profitable
29:45 – The value of primary care
34:04 – The convenience factor
34:36 – Paul invites the audience to submit questions for Dr. Paul that he will answer in the next episode he joins
35:58 – Cory thanks Dr. Paul for joining Sound Financial Bites
TWEETABLES
“If you make greater than sixteen thousand dollars, you are disqualified from Medicaid services.”
LINKS
Sound Financial Group on Facebook - @SoundFinancialGroup
Sound Financial Group on LinkedIn
Dr. Paul Thomas Book - Direct Primary Care: The Cure for Our Broken Healthcare System
Thinking about Direct Primary Care, if you’re able to integrate our service with the right insurance product, there could be tremendous savings for you, your family, or your business. In short, part of my job is to protect you from insurance companies, big lab companies, and hospital systems that will overcharge you for your routine primary care services.
Thanks for reading and listening, and have a great day,
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Here’s the promo image from Sound Financial Bites for the podcast on Healthcare vs Health Insurance featuring Dr. Paul Thomas of Plum Health DPC.
Paul Thomas MD on the DocPreneur Podcast
This week, we were featured on the DocPreneur Podcast, which is created and distributed by Michael Tetreault, Editor-in-Chief of the Direct Primary Care Journal. After publishing the book, Direct Primary Care: The Cure for Our Broken Healthcare System, Michael reached out about having me on the podcast.
I’m sincerely happy to share my experiences in Direct Primary Care, to teach and inspire other doctors to take this journey to an authentic, fulfilling practice of medicine, to become the doctors they were meant to be. This is one of the biggest reasons why I continue to get the word out about Direct Primary Care - I believe in this model and its ability to transform our healthcare system in the United States.
I want to personally thank Michael Tetreault for being on the vanguard of Direct Primary Care by creating educational materials for DPC doctors. Enjoy the podcast, and let me know what you think!
Thank you for reading, watching, and listening,
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
To read our book on Amazon, click this link.
Plum Health featured on the Beyond Medicine Podcast
This week, I was able to speak with Dr. Rami Wehbi about Direct Primary Care on his podcast, the Beyond Medicine Podcast.
Dr. Wehbi brings a unique perspective to the conversation as he is a Family Medicine Resident, considering his options as he creates a career for himself in Medicine.
This a crucial time in the life of a young professional, especially the life of a family physician. For a family doc like Dr. Wehbi, he could pursue an additional year of training in something like Sports Medicine, he could become a teaching physician, he could sign a contract with a large hospital system to see patients at a high rate, he could start a Direct Primary Care practice, or he could take on other options.
For me, Dr. Wehbi is the future - his choice, and the choices of his colleagues like him, will shape the future of family medicine and the future of how our patients afford and access health care in their communities.
I am so grateful to Dr. Rami Wehbi for having this conversation with me and I know that he will be successful in whatever path he chooses. People like Dr. Wehbi thinking critically about health care, and how we deliver that care, will advance the discussion and bring us closer to a better system.
In this part of the show, we discuss why health insurance really hurts low income people. Health insurance sets the price point too high for accessing routine, every day care. Often times, uninsured folks who are unable to afford the high cost of private insurance often go without basic health care services. For these patients, they cannot participate in the system because they don't have enough money to buy into the system. Further, if they do buy private insurance, they might be afraid to use health care services in the fee-for-service system because of the unknown/unclear pricing in that system.
In this video, we discuss the difference between health care and health insurance. In our health care model, we focus on developing relationships with our patients so that we can get to the root of the problem, rather than just treating the symptoms. We have this ability because we have enough time with our patients.
Here's the full list of what we discuss in the Beyond Medicine Podcast episode:
- Background of Dr. Paul and why he decided to start a Direct Primary Care practice in Detroit, Michigan.
- Why Insurance is a failing system in the medical world.
- How Insurance is inflating the cost of medicine.
- Why doctors have been unable to maintain a healthy doctor patient relationship.
- The difference between Direct Primary Care and Concierge Medicine.
- What is included in a Direct Primary Care practice.
- How does Direct Primary Care work and how does it benefit patients.
- How to find a doctor that practice in a Direct Primary Care model.
- How DPC can work with your insurance plan. HMO vs PPO vs Medicaid
- How Direct Primary Care can save you money every month.
- Doing the math of savings and how you can change your insurance plan and join a direct primary care.
- Wholesaling medications for patients in Detroit and Southeast Michigan and how Dr. Paul is able to save patients the cost of membership with the savings on medications alone.
- How DPC can work in non- affluent neighborhoods and how to start one.
- Patient pool in DPC vs a insurance based model.
- How to make a DPC practice sustainable and profitable. My experience with being demoralized seeing the current state of healthcare.
- How do you order imaging, get consults from specialists.
- How does pricing work?
You can listen to or download the podcast, here. You can find out more about Dr. Wehbi, here.
Thanks for reading and watching, and have a wonderful day.
- Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Below are some extra videos produced by Dr. Rami Wehbi, enjoy!
In the above video, we discuss our values at Plum Health DPC, and we value the doctor-patient relationship. We value getting to know our patients, understanding who they are, and where they want to go in their health care journey. We also really value price transparency. We want all of our patients to know what the prices for health care are, so that they can make informed choices about consuming health care services.
Below, Dr. Rami Wehbi and I discuss why it's important to have longer, often 1 hour appointments with our patients. This really allows us to focus on the relationship, and developing strong relationships with our patients.
Plum Health Interviewed by Daily Detroit
This week, we were interviewed by Daily Detroit about our Demo Day Win! Here's the "News Byte"
In the above interview, Jeremiah mentions a previous interview, and that interview can be heard here:
If you're unfamiliar with our service, my name is Dr. Paul Thomas and I'm a Family Medicine Doctor in Detroit. Our office is in Southwest Detroit and we take care of people of all ages and stages - our youngest patient is 6 months old and our oldest is now 92 years young.
We offer the same services as any other primary care office, but we use a membership model - that means that our members pay $10/month for children and starting at $49/month for adults to use our service. This allows us to have more one-on-one time with our patients and deliver a higher level of service in our office.
One way that we go above and beyond is that every patient has my cell phone number - meaning that they can call or text me anytime they need me. We guarantee same-day or next-day appointments, and the majority of our in-office procedures are free of charge, like abscess drainage, toenail removal, ear lavage, etc...
If you're ready to start your journey to better health with Plum Health, then head over to our enrollment link, here.
Thanks for reading and listening!
- Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Plum Health on Bonfires of Social Enterprise
Last month, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Romy Kochan on her podcast, Bonfires of Social Enterprise. Bonfires of Social Enterprise is focused on highlighting social entrepreneurs and we were happy to be featured on this podcast!
I believe that Plum Health DPC is a social enterprise because we not only focus on growing the business in a traditional sense (revenue, profit & loss, etc...), but we also focus on making a positive impact in the community by providing a medical service that is much needed the SW Detroit community.
Romy was a great interviewer and made me think differently about my own practice, prompting me to say something I've never said before. She asked if I could dream big, and envision a future for what I'm doing, what could this look like?
I responded by saying, "I think this could look like a nation where we get rid of these old notions of what 'good health care' looks like, and starting to realize that it doesn't look like a piece of plastic in our wallet. It looks like a relationship with someone in our community that is a healer, that can listen, and has time to address your concerns".
The conversation had a broad scope from how we got started, to the impact we're having, to the reaction to our service from the community. Here's how Romy describes it:
We’re back with another episode here on social enterprise. We have a doctor on this show who has been making a big impact in Detroit. It is Dr. Paul Thomas of Plum Health Care DPC. He has a dream of changing the notion of health care from a plastic card in your wallet to true healing from a healing doctor! What a concept!
This was a wonderful interview and I am so grateful to Romy Kochan for having me on her podcast. Check out the full episode here, and have a healthy week!
- Dr. Paul with Plum Health DPC
PS: you can find this episode on the podcasting platform of your choice:
PRX.org (Public Radio Exchange)
PPS: Follow us on Instagram!
