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Title: This Pittsburgh doctor sees patients for just a flat fee of $35 -- with or without insurance
Source: [None]
URL Source: http://www.cuzzblue.com/2020/05/thi ... urgh-doctor-sees-patients.html
Published: May 19, 2020
Author: staff
Post Date: 2020-05-19 16:55:29 by Ada
Keywords: None
Views: 2428
Comments: 21

A Pittsburgh doctor is trying a new approach to health care. Dr. Timothy Wong refuses to take your insurance and instead just charges $35 for a primary care visit. There is no membership or hidden costs.

Wong said by eliminating the overhead of insurance paperwork and staff at iHealth Clinic in East Liberty, he can afford to charge less.

Wong said the low cost is important for people who don't have insurance. He wanted to make it affordable for those people to see a doctor.

Wong said 8.5% of people in Pittsburgh don't have insurance coverage -- which works out to about 25,000 people.

"I worked in the traditional setting for almost five years after residency, and I kind of lost faith in the system," he said. "We had so much inefficiency, we were letting down patients, and it was actually worse than I even realized because I never even saw, really, how many people didn't have insurance."

Wong did his residency at UPMC Shadyside. He opened iHealth seven months ago and is working six days per week to make it work.

He estimates that if he sees 20 patients per day he can earn about 65% of an average doctor's salary, and describes this as much more rewarding.

Some patients do have insurance when they visit iHealth because they said it's easier to get a walk-in appointment and can still pay less than when they use insurance.

Wong said that if additional testing such as blood work has to be sent off site, there could be an additional fee.

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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 10.

#1. To: Ada (#0)

When I first started working for State of Illinois, my primary care physician was located in Ravenswood Hospital in Chicago.

I heard that building has been empty now for 20 years, and they are planning on turning it into Senior Citizen housing. I hope they have been keeping up on maintenance of the place. ;)

BTP Holdings  posted on  2020-05-19   17:09:36 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#6. To: BTP Holdings (#1)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcxdNofZshc

;)

NeoconsNailed  posted on  2020-05-20   1:09:43 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#8. To: NeoconsNailed (#6)

There's a EweToob with some "urban explorers" in there. Appears all the "precious" medical records are there for the taking.

Esso  posted on  2020-05-20   1:23:01 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#10. To: Esso (#8)

Right. And that place is so intact -- or was at its closing -- I think the hurricane is just an excuse.

"There's a EweToob with some "urban explorers" in there" -- I'm glad you noticed that ;) Such EewTubers show like nobody else how much waste goes on -- whole humongous facilities going to rack and ruin all across the country. In one set in a college there are nice fresh-looking Yamaha pianos just standing around.

NeoconsNailed  posted on  2020-05-20   1:47:41 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


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