From the article:
It's more a scene from the days of frontier medicine than from the modern health care system. And that's because Rutten Wasson, 42, is a throwback to a time before HMOs, electronic health records and hospitals with fountains in their lobbies. She sees patients the same day they call if she's not booked up, spends at least a half-hour per visit — compared to the more typical 15 minutes -- and usually charges only $50 for a consultation. She takes cash or check, but no insurance -- and sometimes accepts gratuities of a dozen fresh eggs or a pie.(Read the full text of "Doctor as renegade—accepts cash, checks, eggs or pie, not insurance".)
"I have a few bottles of homemade wine in the fridge from patients," says Rutten Wasson. "In summer, I'll get pickles or tomatoes. I've received pork sausage, the kind that would convert a vegetarian."
Rutten Wasson is decidedly not a vegetarian. She and her husband raise sheep and chickens she butchers herself. "Occasionally, I have people pay me more than my fee because they think I've earned it. It's nice. I don't complain."
In an era of high overhead, ever more byzantine regulations and payment models, cuts to Medicaid and Medicare benefits, and large medical systems swallowing independent practices, Rutten Wasson relishes her straight-forward manner of practicing. Since many federal health care reforms -- such as those requiring electronic medical records -- are tied to Medicare, they tend not to apply to her.
Her practice serves as a critique of the modern health care system, the complexity of which has pushed some providers and clinics to find dramatic work-arounds, despite the fact that it can be tough to make a living outside the mainstream. A small but growing number of physicians practice "concierge medicine," charging patients annual retainers for basic medical care. A 2010 nationwide survey commissioned by a congressional agency pegged the number of concierge doctors at 756, up from 146 in 2005.
Walk-in clinics are another alternative. MinuteClinic, for example, started in Minnesota in 2000 and has spread to 26 states. At these clinics, nurse practitioners and physician assistants treat a menu of common illnesses and injuries and perform physicals for reasonable, stated fees, no appointment necessary. Exams typically run between $79 and $89...
The freedom from federal mandates will become increasingly valuable in the future to physicians like her.
