“Patients told me what they wanted,” said Dr. Barron Nason, board-certified emergency physician and founder of NasonCare. “And I listened.”
“Where’s the popcorn?” asked one patient who was watching a movie and waiting for CT scan results. The next time the patient visited, there was the popcorn – and granola bars and drinks.
“It’s not because of the snacks. It’s because it says something,” said Dr. Nason. “It says we care. And that’s what it’s all about.”
Listening to and meeting the requests of patients is at the heart of Dr. Nason’s development of NasonCare. In a patient-first model for health care, he is bringing together urgent care visits, primary physicians, employer payments, employee care and convenience.
Upending the complications and drawbacks of health insurance, Dr. Nason is offering a medical membership that offers primary, urgent and employee care. Members have unlimited access, at no additional charge, to checkups, lab work, consultations, medications and whatever else they need.
“NasonCare is the only facility that is a total care facility, where all you have to know is: Just go to Nason,” he said.
Dr. Nason reflected on his ‘yesterday,’ having seen hypoxia, head trauma and pregnancy.
“We’re able to handle all of those different problems,” said Dr. Nason. “There’s no other urgent care that can do that.”
To accommodate the large Hispanic and Brazilian populations in South Carolina, the NasonCare staff is trilingual. Many of these patients are accustomed to paying upfront for care, presenting an opportunity to educate about alternative formats for accessing medicine.
Fee-for-service is the conventional model for health care. Providers make money when patients and their insurance companies pay for each service rendered.
“With a medical membership, we’re not trying to bill anybody anything – you’ve already paid for it,” said Dr. Nason.
After establishing care, patients can connect to Nason from anywhere. There’s no need for them to visit the office for every treatment, and they can get prescriptions filled whether they’re in South Carolina or Montana – or any other state.
NasonCare’s membership model puts patients first, so the cost of care comes out of NasonCare’s pocket because patients have already paid their membership. This approach removes incentives to provide unnecessary, expensive treatments.
“This takes out the concern of ‘Why do they want to do the test?’” said Dr. Nason. “The only answer will be: “It’s medically necessary – that’s why.”
Those interested in a membership can contact their employer, who can contact NasonCare for more information and to receive a quote. NasonCare can help lower employer insurance costs, avoid unmet deductibles and give employees the care they need. The employer saves money and the employee has access to health care, which is an excellent recruiting and retention tool for employers.
Learn more about how to bring NasonCare to workplace at nasoncare.com.
By Molly Sherman
