Group medical visits - this is a newly emerging concept that combines expert medical attention and guidance with the comfort and reassurance of group support with similarly affected peers. While group medical visits may not be right for each and every patient, there are classes of patients that can truly benefit from this cost effective and interactive means of receiving ongoing care. Group medical visits and group medical insurance are not one in the same, but can be used concurrently for increase in patient satisfaction and reduction in out of pocket medical costs.

 

Who can benefit from group medical visits?

The simplest answer is - both patients and physicians. Physicians who are struggling to manage a busy practice and spend adequate time with similarly diagnosed patients can gather several birds into one flock by inviting patients to meet for group medical visits. Patients who need routine care, stable yet chronically ill patients, time intensive patients, patients who must return for frequent follow up visits to monitor their condition, patients who have support needs beyond the basic medical checkup, and patients who are prone to worry a lot about their overall health and wellbeing can all benefit from group medical visits. Such visits work best in a well staffed medical office that sees a large number of patients who suffer from similar ailments.

How do group medical visits work?

These visits are scheduled by the physician and offered to a group of eligible patients. The visits are informational, optional, and offer the opportunity for patients to interact with others who share similar symptoms and prognoses. They are largely educational in nature and offer the opportunity for continuing patient education and reassurance to manage both one time and chronic conditions. Often the physician will invite other members of the professional care team to make presentations and offer information to the patient group. There is a period for questions and answers as well as time for facilitated patient interaction in a group setting. The strategic use of shared group medical visits can be a huge boost for physician productivity and a true source of reassurance for worried patients and their families.

Are group medical visits the same as group medical insurance? In a word - no. Group medical visits can keep out of pocket health care costs lower than they might otherwise be, but they are not the same as group medical insurance, which refers to a cooperative approach a small business owner may elect to take to provide coverage for employees. Group medical insurance refers to a collective policy whereby the employer and employee share fairly equally in premium costs in order to keep benefits at an acceptable level for all participants without bearing exorbitant costs. Typically, with a group medical insurance policy the employer will bear up to half of the monthly premiums for eligible employees and their families, with employees bearing the other half. Obtaining a group medical insurance quote is easy. For more information on small business medical insurance, request a quote from us at www.medicalinsurancequotes.com today.