Innovations continue

We wrote about some innovative health care practices in some of our 2009 Christian Health Care Newsletters, such as concierge medicine (higher-end retainer-fee based care) and the Hello Health model, now growing and spreading through the nation.

Dr. Jay Parkinson, one of the creators of Hello Health and now an international medical practices consultant, blogged recently about some groups that are continuing to try to break the medical practice mold.

One is Care Practice, an urgent and primary care practice in San Francisco, in competition with Current Health. CP, CH and another, similar practice called One Medical Group provide same-day appointments, post their fees upfront, allow for online scheduling, and encourage their clients to engage with them through social media.

Then there’s ZocDoc, an online doctor’s and dentist appointment scheduler for a number of practices. First, you choose the type of doctor you need an appointment with, then you type in your ZIP code (appointments through ZocDoc are currently only available in New York City, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Chicago and Dallas). After that, you choose your payment type (nope, health care sharing ministries aren’t on the drop-down menu; you’ll need to choose “I’m paying by myself”).

These types of practices are increasing, and hopefully will be coming to an area near you to make it easier for you to find the health care you want.