How it Works
Addressing your questions and concerns Healthcare Simplified
At EBO MD, transparency is a key component in our approach to providing all of our patients with quality and affordable healthcare.
Membership Questions
The fee covers excellent primary care through unlimited office visits, annual wellness exams, wellness child exams, sports physicals, school physicals, basic office procedures, in-office testing and procedures, acute illness or minor injuries, 24/7/365 access to your doctor, little or no wait times in the office for your appointment, and much more. It basically covers everything that we would do in the office. Nursing home visits are also available.
There are several reasons why charging a monthly membership fee is a better model for primary care. Firstly, the membership fee allows us to provide the vast majority of a member’s primary care needs for a simple, fixed price so that members can better budget their healthcare finances without worry about co-pays and deductibles for routine care.
Additionally, the trend to over-utilize in-house lab tests or procedures is removed from all decision-making when there is no profit associated with these services. Your doctor is free to focus on value, satisfaction, and the medical problem at hand. So there’s value for both the patient and the doctor in this type of practice model.
Finally, it allows EBO MD to limit the number of patients in the practice. This gives you unlimited access to your doctor in a relaxed and friendly environment. This also ensures same day or, at worst, next day appointments.
Labs that we must send out are not covered by the monthly fee but we have negotiated wholesale prices for these. We pass that cost to you at no profit to us. We do dispense some generic medications in our office, and you’ll pay wholesale prices for this convenience. Again, your charge for this service is enough just to cover our costs and no more. If your prescription is for a medicine that we don’t dispense, you will pay the pharmacy just like you normally would. Your charge for these services will be dramatically reduced compared with any other lab or pharmacy.
No, we charge no sign-up fee. We do require that you agree to a minimum 90-day membership. A 30-day written notice is required for cancellation.
Yes, you may rejoin but you must pay a re-membership fee of $250.
Yes. We are happy to accept the children of our enrolled clients (birth through 18 years of age).
General Questions
Primary medical care practices typically cover patients of all ages, and at EBO MD, we do too. Rest assured that we won’t abandon you in your “golden years”. Our fee for nursing home patients is $125 per month.
We treat acute and chronic primary care problems, along with health maintenance issues.
If you require hospital care, you will be under the care of a specialist, and that’s not covered by our fee. Other hospital charges and associated costs will still apply. Once you are out of the hospital, our providers will resume care as needed.
No. Patient privacy is a natural benefit of this medical model. We will never provide any third party with a copy of your records, unless you specifically ask us to do so.
In the age of telemedicine, many illnesses can be diagnosed and treated with a simple conversation by phone or webcam. If appropriate, we’ll locate the nearest pharmacy and order the medication most suited for your circumstance. And if you need to go to the hospital or seek other medical attention we can advise you on that as well.
Absolutely, yes! You may contact a physician any day at any hour via our telehealth membership benefit (which is included with your EBO membership) by telephone, email, messaging, Skype and FaceTime; our goal is to make contacting us as easy for you as possible. It’s how we do custom healthcare. After normal office hours please call or text 573-803-2941.
You would pay at the time of service or with the next month’s billing cycle.
Medicare & Insurance Questions
Yes. Although health insurance is NOT necessary for membership, we recommend that you do have insurance to comply with Federal Law. We do encourage patients to maintain some level of health insurance to help cover the costs of medical care that you receive from medical providers/facilities outside of our practice.
Insurance will help cover costs associated with, but not limited to, prescription medications, labs, imaging studies (X-rays, CT scans, MRI’s, etc.), specialist consultations, hospitalizations, and surgeries.
EBO MD does not replace insurance, and ideally we encourage our patients to carry a high deductible, a major medical plan or a plan with a health savings account, thereby ensuring financial help should hospitalization or referral to a specialist be necessary. You should consult with your insurance provider to help you find a plan that works best with our medical model and that will meet your specific needs.
Yes. However, your monthly membership fee cannot be submitted to Medicare for reimbursement. You must sign a waiver every two years that declares that neither you nor your doctor will directly bill Medicare for your membership fee. Medicare and medicare supplemental insurance will still cover medical costs that you incur outside of EBO MD.
For example, prescriptions that you fill at an outside pharmacy, or labs run at an outside lab, or hospital charges, physical therapy and imaging are covered, just to name a few. You do not lose your Medicare coverage for other medical needs just because you are a member of EBO MD.
Many times patients purchase high option health insurance plans that require little or no co-pay and that cover all lab costs and prescription costs. However, EBO MD members pay no co-pay and we offer labs and generic prescriptions at wholesale prices to our members. So, our members may find it worthwhile to change from a high option health insurance plan to a base health insurance plan.
Although monthly membership fees are not covered, you can use your FSA or HSA funds for lab costs or prescriptions. This is one smart method of paying for your healthcare needs with pre-tax dollars.