Making Healthcare Hassle-Free

Plum Health is the first Direct Primary Care practice in Detroit, Southeast Michigan and Wayne County. It makes healthcare hassle-free. We diagnose, treat, refill prescriptions, refer you to curated specialists, and make all of the frustrations in healthcare disappear.

Because you have a doctor who is available and responsive, you never have to worry about being on your own or trying to figure out if something’s terribly wrong. People sometimes get scared and rush to the hospital, but a $6,000 ER visit can be financially devastating.

One avoided ER visit pays for 10 years of care at Plum Health DPC. Plus, you get peace-of-mind, knowing your doctor is always available. To schedule an appointment, check out our scheduling link. To find out more, or if you have questions, call 313.444.5630.

- Paul Thomas MD

Removing the barriers between you and your doctor. 

Motor City Match grant awarded to Plum Health DPC

This was a big week for Plum Health DPC - we received a grant from the Motor City Match Program! This brings us one step closer to delivering affordable, accessible healthcare services in Detroit.

Crain's Detroit Business wrote an article about the event, and here's what they said about Plum Health DPC: 

Plum Health Direct Primary Care, $50,000: This health care facility provides an alternative to the traditional fee-for-service model. Direct Primary Care emphasizes wellness, prevention, communication and personalized patient relationships. For a monthly fee, members receive primary health care services that are tailored to their needs. These might include annual checkups, urgent care services and direct and unrestricted access to their doctor through calling, texting, emailing or in-person visits. The business is planned for 607 Shelby St. in downtown Detroit.

Additionally, Local 4 News in Detroit (WDIV) wrote an article about and created a video of the Award ceremony. Here's what they said: "Six Detroit entrepreneurs are putting their small-business plans into action after the Motor City Match program awarded them thousands of dollars to get started. Mayor Mike Duggan made the announcement Friday morning."

An article from the Michigan Chronicle wrote about the award and quoted Mayor Duggan: 

“Quality restaurants, health and wellness providers, arts centers are exactly the types of establishments that people expect when they think of a strong community,” said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. “These Detroiters are proving that our neighborhoods are great places to start a business.”

This is another step in the journey toward bringing affordable, accessible healthcare services to Detroit and we will continue to work diligently to deliver these services. 

- Paul Thomas, MD

New Video for Plum Health DPC

We are excited to release our new video! At Plum Health DPC, we deliver affordable, accessible healthcare services to Detroit and beyond. You can sign up here.

A big thank you to Josh at Soul Media for writing, filming and editing the piece. 

- Paul Thomas, MD

RUNdetroit + Plum Health DPC

We are pleased to announce a partnership with RUNdetroit for an event tonight! We will be discussing Common Causes of Foot Pain. The event begins at 6 pm and runs until 8 pm, and it will be held at RUNdetroit, 441 West Canfield Suite #5, Detroit, MI. To RSVP, follow this link. 

Specifically, we will be comparing and contrasting Plantar Fasciitis, the Haglund Deformity or "Pump Bump", Morton's Neuroma, and Stress Fractures. 

There are many other causes of foot pain, including Arthritis, Gout, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Diabetic Ulcers, Osteomyelitis, Plantar Warts, Corns, Lumbar Radiculopathy, Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome, Sever Disease, Ingrown Toenails, among others. 

In light of the many things that can go wrong with our feet, there will be a question and answer session. This will be an opportunity to ask anything about foot pain!

Hope to see you there!

- Paul Thomas, MD

 

Plum Health DPC + Detroit SOUP

I am very excited that Plum Health DPC has been invited to pitch at Detroit SOUP on Sunday, September 25th at 5 pm at the Jam Handy, 2900 E Grand Blvd, Detroit, MI 48202.

The Detroit SOUP is a wonderful organization, and you can read more about what they do here. Succinctly, SOUP curates a monthly dinner where four ideas are shared and voted upon by the people who attend. Detroit SOUP states it this way:

"Detroit SOUP is a microgranting dinner celebrating and supporting creative projects in Detroit. For a donation $5 attendees receive soup, salad, bread and a vote and hear from four presentations ranging from art, urban agriculture, social justice, social entrepreneurs, education, technology and more. Each presenter has four minutes to share their idea and answer four questions from the audience. At the event, attendees eat, talk, share resources, enjoy art and vote on the project they think benefits the city the most. At the end of the night, we count the ballots and the winner goes home with all of the money raised to carry out their project. Winners come back to a future SOUP dinner to report their project’s progress."

Plum Health DPC will have a four minute time slot to present our idea for affordable, accessible healthcare services in the City of Detroit and beyond. If you want to see better healthcare options in the City and Metro region, if you care about creating a valuable and sustainable healthcare alternative, please come out and support us!

The Facebook event can be found here, September 25th Detroit SOUP.

Thank you!

- Paul Thomas, MD

Plum Health DPC, making healthcare personal again

Hello all, this is Dr. Paul Thomas and I'm making healthcare personal again.

I'm launching Plum Health DPC this Fall and I'm starting my Beta Testing in September/October with a small number of members. Rather than having 2,500 patients like a typical Doctor's office and billing insurance, I will limit my practice to 500 members and charge a $49 membership fee. I will not bill your insurance company, I am not insurance, this is not an insurance plan. 

With the membership, you can contact me at any time via phone, text or email. You can also be seen at any time that you like without a co-pay. Members also get wholesale medications, at-cost labs, and at-cost imaging with pass-through savings. I basically try to save my members a lot of money by getting them deals in the healthcare ecosystem. 

Importantly, I limit my practice to 500 members, so that I can spend 30 minutes - 1 hour during each visit with you. During this time, we can get to the root of your issue. Rather than being rushed, we can talk about strategies that can help you be healthier. And if you forget to ask me something during the visit, just send me a text and I will do my best to answer your question ASAP. 

The time that you get with me allows us to build a trusting and beneficial relationship, so that I can learn about your health goals, and help guide you to better health. That's why we call it Direct Primary Care - we serve you, the customer/member/patient directly with excellent primary care services. 

If you want to learn more, send me a message or sign up at our website, Plum Health DPC. If you want to be a part of the Beta Testing, now's a great time to sign up!

- Paul Thomas, MD

The Basics of Direct Primary Care

Direct Primary Care is a relatively new idea, so it is worth discussing the founding principles. 

Direct Primary Care (DPC) is an innovative alternative payment model for primary care being embraced by patients, physicians, employers, payers and policymakers across the United States. The foundation of DPC is an enduring and trusting relationship between a patient and their primary care doctor.
 
Empowering this relationship is the key to achieving superior health outcomes, lower costs and an enhanced patient experience. DPC fosters this relationship by providing excellent customer service.
 
In terms of customer service, the health care system in the United States has failed. There are so many frustrations from the perspective of a customer: long wait times to get an appointment, long wait times at the office, unresponsive doctors, as well as confusing and unclear pricing. 

Direct Primary Care addresses these shortcomings of the fee-for-service system head on. When you enroll in a DPC practice, you will have your doctor’s cell phone number, email address, and the assurance that you can have a same-day or next-day appointment, guaranteed. 

In addition, DPC enables unhurried interactions – you won’t feel like you’re being rushed out the door with your DPC doctor. These extended visits allow for discussions to assess lifestyle choices, behaviors, and treatment decisions that maximize long-term health and wellbeing. 

How is this possible? Direct Primary Care doctors typically limit their practice size to 500 members. This relatively small panel size allows doctors to be committed to their patients, to deliver excellent customer service. 

To become a member of Plum Health Direct Primary Care in Detroit, Michigan, check out our contact page, here. 

- Paul Thomas, MD

Plum Health Direct Primary Care for Employers

Direct Primary Care is an exciting alternative to the traditional fee-for-service model. This is true for individuals, but especially true for small, medium, and large businesses. 

To the employers and HR personnel of the world, Plum Health can provide comprehensive family medicine services to your employees for a low monthly cost. Imagine having a doctor that your employees can call, text, or email at anytime. Your employees can also visit our doctor anytime without a copay.

We believe that this increased responsiveness and availability can reduce down-stream costs. We also believe that your employees will be more proactive about their health when they don't have to pay a co-pay. For example, we treat simple bladder infections in the office before they become pyelonephritis in the ER, coughs and colds before they become pneumonia.

There are several benefits to enrolling in a Direct Primary Care plan. Here are three of the big ones for employers:

1.) Decreased Absenteeism

By offering efficient and convenient care, we can reduce employee absenteeism. Because there is very little wait time to see the Doctor, simple ailments are caught before they become bigger problems.

2.) Reduced Medical Expenses

Every time that we prevent a visit to the Urgent Care or the Emergency Department, we save you hundreds and thousands of dollars. To optimize your value, we recommend pairing our services with a high-deductible, low-premium insurance plan.

3.) Attracting and Retaining Talent

By offering a health care plan that is a meaningful benefit to your employees, you can leverage recruitment. We know the high quality care that we are capable of delivering, and your employees will appreciate these services. 

To find out more, call us at 313.444.5630.

- Paul Thomas, MD