[Alert - this post is openly brown-nosing a friend’s new venture launch. And I’m glad to do it!]
Super nice and authentic guy Dr. Jay Parkinson, whom i count as a personal friend and all-around good man, is officially opening Hello Health’s first store-front office this evening. I sincerely wish that Nashville wasn’t so far away from NYC as I’d really like to be there to personally support and congratulate him.
Hello Health is located in NYC area or more specifically: Williamsburg at 105 Berry and North 8th Street. Members pay a $25 monthly fee, and an additional $75-100 per visit depending on condition.
His idea: target those who are uninsured, and offer them doctor services on a pay-per-visit basis, with the option to text, IM or email when you have questions or concerns. In a new development, Parkinson has decided to franchise his operations (which he now describes as …
“The doctors said he’s comin’, but you’ gotta pay in cash”
-The Eagles
We’ve enjoyed a bit of a free ride for the past several decades when it comes to healthcare. Employers and the government have picked up much of the tab. But now we are starting to pay the price literally. Increasingly we are asked to pay for medical services. Locally, The Tennessean just featured a piece on a doc who is going to charge his patients $1,500 annually to maintain access to him. We had best get used to it.
I have nightmares of other businesses becoming like our current healthcare system. In these night terrors, I go to buy groceries, pay a $20 co-pay and then get the bill 30-45 days later, can’t understand what it is I got, have already consumed the product and am expected to pay far more than I would ever have dreamed it might …
Because he’s authentic , sincere , yet doesn’t take himself too seriously.
I feel like we share a similar vision about what is right vs. stupid. My hat goes off to Jay for simply being really honest and avoiding the complexity that the healthcare system tends to swirl in. Keep on cutting through the crap, sir.
If you haven’t downloaded Jay’s HIMMS presentation , do it. Albeit 460 slides, like Jay, the presentation is simple and honest.
Also, I wanted to point out the long stream of comments from an article about Jay in the WSJ here that reinforces the angst and anxiety faced by Physicians and Providers when presented with change… like anything there are those who react with
- fight/flight
- acknowledge/question
- embrace/rejoice
No matter what your position is (mine is c. obviously), the mere notion that people are discussing and presenting their heated position for/against the notion of evolving a healthcare delivery model is …
