Dear friends,
It is my great pleasure to introduce you to Imago Dei Restorative Health. Latin for "image of God", it reflects my belief that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made by God with remarkable abilities to heal and thrive. Imago Dei Restorative Health is the new practice that I am establishing in the Direct Primary Care (DPC) model. You can help me launch my practice by leaving me a Google review! In the rest of this letter, I will explain briefly why I have chosen the DPC model of care, what it is, and how you can stay apprised of practice updates, including our soon-approaching opening date! I would be delighted and honored for you to join me at Imago Dei. Be sure and sign up below to receive updates on our quickly approaching opening.
My priority is your best care, and practicing within an insurance-based system restricts my ability to give that best care to you. Insurance companies require hours of charting checkboxes to meet their compliance standards, restrict the amount of time we spend together in the exam room, and limit the kinds of recommendations and referrals I can offer to you. In short, insurance companies intrude into the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship. Given the opportunity to join another insurance-based practice or to start my own practice emancipated from insurance, I realized that what is best for both patients and myself as a physician is to embrace the freedom of Direct Primary Care.
Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a self-pay model that removes insurance intrusion, with its perverse incentives and disincentives, from the doctor-patient relationship. This model allows me to care for your health and wellness in a way that allows us the time and ability to discover the root causes of health problems and to explore together ways for you to achieve and maintain wellness so you can truly thrive.
My DPC is membership-based with a straightforward monthly membership fee. This fee allows you to see me as often as you need to, for longer in depth visits when needed, without additional office visit fees. This includes wellness exams, problem visits, consultative visits to discuss your health journey, and urgent after-hours phone calls. You will be able to communicate directly with me via text, email, and phone. Additionally, you will have access to discounted rates for simple in-office procedures, lab tests, supplements, and some other services. An option for an hourly rate fee without a monthly membership will also be available, albeit without most of the benefits of membership.
You may be concerned that you cannot afford DPC medicine. I understand your concern. You already pay a lot for health insurance, and you wonder how you could possibly pay yet more. I hear you. If this is your concern, and yet the freedom from Big Medicine appeals to you, consider doing the math for yourself and your family. Add up your monthly premium, deductible, co-pays/co-insurance, and the costs that insurance companies won't cover. Include the cost of urgent care visits along with the mental costs of debating whether or not to use urgent care and the distress of not knowing how much an urgent care visit might cost you. Compare this value to the value of other goods and services that you regularly consume as a family, and consider how your healthcare fits in alongside these.
Direct care medicine is not insurance and is not a substitute for health insurance. You should still maintain coverage for catastrophic events and hospital/surgical care as well as any services provided by anyone but me. However, you may find that you are able to choose a less costly insurance plan that saves you some money by accommodating catastrophic coverage only or raising your deductible. You can explore options for developing your Health Savings Account or Flexible Savings Account. Or, you might consider joining a health-expense-sharing program such as Samaritan or Medishare, as these kinds of programs cover catastrophic expenses while offering lower monthly fees.
I hope you will find it to be affordable and value-rich, considering what you get for the membership. The fees are set purposefully lower than most other DPC practices in the area because I am not including as many free perks as these other practices. Rather than including these perks in a higher monthly fee, I am opting for an a la carte style for these services in which they will be deeply discounted so that you can pay for what you need if and when you need them.
Imago Dei will be opening soon in the North Indy/Carmel area with plans to expand to the south side.
Please join our list to to receive email updates and find out when patient enrollment is open.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me for more information and/or questions.
Take care,
Dr. Katherine
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