Why do people use One Medical vs just having a doctor?
Been thinking about my current medical care and wondering the advantages
Been thinking about my current medical care and wondering the advantages
Their online platform is very UX-focused. The app is nice and easy to use, and makes things like firing off a quick message to your PCP for an Rx refill super super simple. My old primary care doc had nothing of the sort. It was the old 1990s way of doing things. Try to get scheduled... by phone... a month out... for a refill of a skin cream I've used for 20 years. I get that they want me in yearly, but that's inconvenient and annoying.
OneMedical's practice management/online tool for patients makes scheduling dirt simple. Their offices are REALLY nice. It's a little touch, but it's trying to raise the bar on that. And they offer their own teladoc services as well, which are then obviously integrated into their EHR for your PCP services, so everyone is on the same page.
OneMedical tries to combine PCP with some urgent care services, so they have a same day component, as well as some specialty services.
Just a lot of small but meaningful ways in which they're better than a traditional PCP office. They're also apparently offering practice management and holiday support for existing practitioners, which is interesting from the perspective of the S-1. If their EHR/PMS software is as nice as their app, I imagine that's a welcome change.
However, if you’re not keeping your own tabs on your, or someone you love’s, health, it’s easy to fall through the cracks. I wish they would improve on actual active management of subscribers‘ health. I’ve had or discussed many experiences where people expect follow ups that never come. Have an uncommon condition? Make sure you keep bugging someone to schedule the visits and lab work you need to maintain good health. With a $200/yr subscription on top of any insurance you pay I feel like these type of maintenance tasks should be handled for you. It feels more like each visit is an IT ticket/case which gets resolved shortly after your visit. It would be nice if it felt more like One Medical were managing a personalized care plan for your health profile.
I probably assumed OneMedical did more of this than it intends to based on previous experiences and the subscription fee. Like I’ve had good care, nice offices, etc. in the past why should it now cost $200/yr?
For my shoulder injury they sent me to their sports medicine doctor, who was not only rude and rushed, but told me I was fine just common tightness in shoulder. Was still in pain for a year until what I consider a real doctor correctly diagnosed it as a mild shoulder dislocation. Thanks One Medical SF.
If you have money to spend on healthcare, I would not bother with them.
I'm not sure why you think they are cheap. They charge insurance just as any other doctor. The annual fee is on top of that.
My assumption was -- the GP is thinking that "cheap" meant the $200 Annual Fee is how they get paid. No, the Annual Fee is just for the system they provide, the care is a typical insurance paid practice.
In the DC offices Ive been to, I do not feel the same. Instead I feel like I receive top quality care compared to other local doctors.
Overall, I generally use OMG when I need fast and convenient care, not necessarily quality.
Sidenote: I like how going to OMG is always in-network regardless if I'm home or traveling (for my insurance plan anyway).
To laser-focus on the peninsula/south-bay in the bay area; going to PAMF or Stanford Medical typically results in a 2-3 day wait to see a Dr.
If you're sick, you want to see a Dr asap. I have a doctor at PAMF, a doctor at Stanford Medical, and One Medical. If I am sick, I simply book an appointment at One Medical usually 30-min ahead of time, see them, get whatever treatment I need and go back home and be sick.
When something is truly wrong I start at One Medical for temporary help, and immediately book either at PAMF or Stanford depending on who is available sooner.
Most affiliated PCPs will do same or next days.
I would probably not use One Medical if I was still living in central FL, where I never encountered these problems.
I've had really bad experiences with anything labeling itself an "urgent care clinic," and pricing.
1. When I was a crazy-busy and overbooked professional, I could simply not afford lateness in my schedule. With OMG, I can leave my office at X:52, be at their office at X:59, be seen between X+1:00 and X+1:15 and be back at my desk by X+1:23, and be confident of making my next meeting.
When the chief variability is how long an elevator takes to arrive, you know this is a serious operation!
2. Because many doctors front desk booking services tend to become authoritarian and making booking way harder than required. I can do everything electronically w/ OMG.
3. Because they do everything electronically, which saves everyone time -- including them
4. Because they provide detailed records of everything for FSA/HSA purposes as well as for your records.
5. Because they offer multi-tier service (NPC, PA, MD // video/email/inperson) so you can save everyone's time for minor things.
6. Because they do lots of things in one place (vaccinations, bloodwork, etc.) rather than you having to go to many places
This might sound like a nit, but the previous primary care doctor I went to in the Bay Area emailed me a follow-up message in the form of a Word document—which mistakenly included several pages of someone else's medical information, too.
This happens all the time with archiac or manual systems, but it is not a minor nit. That's a hairs edge away from being a reportable HIPAA breach and thus a headache for the doctor. If you made a fuss about it, they would have to report it.
Having good data security processes is not something a doctor's office can afford to ignore. That's definitely an advantage of a more technologically focused approach like One Medical.
- integrated online doctor visits, so you often don't need to go in
- you can message someone with any health question and get a response within 24 hours
- you can go to any location and they automatically pull up your full medical history, no need to fill out a form
- it is easy to get an appointment the same week or same day if you need it
- you can come any time without an appointment for lab work
Kaiser provides an HMO plan, but Kaiser's HMO is not typical of most HMOs because most HMOs aren't integrated practices owned by the health insurer (for better or for worse).
I use my PPO plan to get a specialist directly if I need one (usually sports medicine/getting too old for this shit).
If I had chronic/serious health issues I might seek out a regular PCP and use One Medical for the routine stuff (physicals, vaccines, cough/cold/flu etc.) Depends on if you have PPO or HMO plans of course.
Their raising fees every other year is beginning to stick in my craw though.
For One Medical, it’s super easy to stop by for a 10 minute “something isn’t quite right” appointment, last minute travel immunizations, etc, and, at least in NY, it’s likely there’s an office within 10 mins of where I’m going to be in the city that day.
I think a specific practitioner makes a lot more sense if you’re often sorting out several long-term issues and having a long-term affiliation with one specific practitioner is important, but if you’re a yuppie in generally good health where you’re mostly looking for annual physical, and fantastic availability for quick “I’m sick and may need a prescription” visits and std tests and such, One Medical is perfect.