House Calls are Back
When we feel weak and ill, the last thing we want to do is heave ourselves out of bed and sit in a waiting room alongside other sick, contagious people. Enter the Heal app, which provides on-demand MDs to your home, office, or hotel, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. The cost is a typical co-pay for most patients with an Anthem or Blue Shield PPO. Otherwise, Heal charges a flat fee of $99. And for any prescribed meds, the website and app Phox connects patients with local pharmacies to provide free, same-day medication delivery. Here’s to never infecting innocent bystanders again!
Prevention 101
Roughly half of deaths in San Diego County are related to one of four chronic diseases: cancer, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease. That statistic prompted Scripps Health to launch a free course on prevention based on three personal behaviors: smoking, diet, and physical activity. “This program will allow you to take control of your environment to prevent these conditions,” says Scripps endocrinologist Athena Philis-Tsimikas. And if a chronic illness runs in your family, don’t assume the same diagnosis is inevitable for you; Philis-Tsimikas says even the smallest tweaks can make a big difference. “We want to embed a sense of positive change.”
The Price is Right
If you’ve ever ignored a nagging pain or illness in fear of what the treatment might cost, a new website assuages that anxiety by making medical services more transparent. San Diego–based Doctible offers a directory of providers, including their rates, reviews written by patients, and an appointment booking system. “While people have health insurance, they don’t necessarily have coverage, because they have no idea how much services cost,” CEO Ajit Viswanathan says. “What we do is bring in that level of transparency and make it simple to see a doctor. We’re putting it all on one platform, because health care is not a commodity.”.”
Wellness at Your Doorstep
Uniting holistic services with traditional medical care is the goal of Integrated MD Care, a group of yoga instructors, massage therapists, nutritionists, acupuncturists, and energy healers who deliver in-home services. “The problem is that people who are dealing with complex illnesses have a host of challenges that aren’t adequately met,” says San Diego doctor Bob Uslander, founder of the service concierge. “People really aren’t being cared for as well as they could be or should be.” Giving patients other avenues of hope helps them deal with the challenges and stresses of cancer and might even change their outcome. Case in point: One of his patients was just released from hospice.
Medical Services that Make Your Life Easier
Bogdan Timofieenko
