Current Health, Formerly San Francisco On Call Medical Group,
Announces New Primary Care Membership Program
San Francisco’s First Medical Home Charts a New Course for Patient Care
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (May 1, 2009) – Current Health Medical Group, formally known as San Francisco On Call Medical Group, is announcing a primary care membership program that represents the 21st century model for the practice of medicine. The program addresses the rising cost of medical care and the shortage of primary care physicians by establishing a Medical Home that provides affordable access to high quality primary care services.
Getting an appointment with a primary care physician in San Francisco varies anywhere from two to four weeks. Further undermining access to quality care, national studies indicate the average face time a patient receives with a doctor is seven minutes. “What patients want is an attentive, responsive and trusted doctor who is available 24 hours a day, on email and on time,” said Jordan Shlain, Current Health’s CEO and founder. “Patients want the peace of mind that their doctor knows their history, and are focused on keeping them healthy and will help them navigate the healthcare system in crisis.” Current Health was founded on a ‘patient-centered’ approach to medicine, and the creation of a Medical Home extends the practice’s commitment to providing consistent access to quality care.
San Francisco’s First Medical Home
By building a Medical Home that responds to the immediate need for a personalized approach to medicine, Current Health is changing the way healthcare is delivered. “Current Health is the antidote to ‘fortress medicine’ that often leaves the patient confused and underserved,” said Shlain. In contrast to an impersonal experience that ultimately increases costs through a distorted relationship with time, Current Health offers an ‘always-on’ environment that reduces cost by offering a system of mutually aligned incentives. Regardless of time, place, and the impact of technological change, the ‘functional unit’ of medicine remains the quality of time that patients spend with their physician – the ‘healthcare minute’. Instead of undermining the doctor-patient relationship, Current Health reinforces the value of this ‘healthcare minute’ by providing reliable access to the best doctors at the best price. Current Health’s Medical Home means eliminating the cumbersome hurdles and putting doctors and patients on the same page – achieving better outcomes and focusing on staying healthy. Current’s Medical Home incorporates integrative and naturopathic medicine as well as pediatrics. By integrating the best practices in naturopathic and western medicine, the doctors place significant emphasis on wellness with a focus on long term outcomes.
In their pursuit of access, Current Health provides house calls to the San Francisco and Marin area performing many of the same services that are provided in a traditional medical office. Physicians usually arrive at house calls within an hour and generally spend 30 to 45 minutes with each patient, making follow up calls and visits as necessary. Current Health is actively involved, both as a medical provider and as an advocate, throughout the entire patient care process. That is, Current Health serves as the ‘lead navigator’, coordinating all the specialists for a single, comprehensive plan.
Current Health believes that an individual’s health is her greatest asset. Coupled with a high deductible insurance plan to insure against a catastrophic event, Current Health offers the most comprehensive program for the delivery of ‘always-on’ healthcare. For $50 per month, one is eligible to receive Current Health’s simple platform: online, on time, and on-call access to medical care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “Our promise to the patient is to make healthcare straightforward, responsive and meaningful,” said Shlain. Current Health is a fee-for-service medical practice. Current Health delivers care based on patients’ needs rather than insurance company policies.
About Current Health
Current Health was founded by Dr. Jordan Shlain in 1997 under the name San Francisco On Call Medical Group Inc. He found his inspiration during a house call to an elderly woman during his residency. Focusing initially on providing services to top Bay Area hotels and to the maritime and airline industries, Current Health continues to set the standard in providing medical care to those constituencies as well as individuals in the area. A San Francisco Bay Area native, Shlain earned a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and his M.D. from Georgetown University Medical School. He is an assistant clinical professor at the U.C.S.F. Medical Center and a medical economics lecturer at U.C. Berkeley. He is also the Northern California medical director for Lufthansa Airlines, and is on the board of directors for the San Francisco Medical Society.
Current Health’s office can be reached at (415) 732-7029. San Francisco Current Health offices and clinic are located at 490 Post Street, Suite 710, San Francisco, CA 94102. Garage parking is available below the building at 520 Mason Street. Information about the practice and the member benefits can be found on the Web at www.currenthealth.md.
