Direct Primary Care - Concierge Medicine
Our Model
Tidal Wellness operates under a concierge or direct pay model. This means we are not contracted with any insurance company and do not file insurance claims. By doing this we are able to charge much less than most doctor offices. Now some of you may be thinking, "If you don't take my insurance, how is that more affordable?" Good question! Due to our low prices, visits to our office can result in fewer out of pocket expenses. This is especially true if you have a high deductible plan or no insurance at all. Even though we aren't contracted with insurance companies each individual patient is able to file their own insurance claim. Tidal Wellness can provide some assistance in filling out claims but they are ultimately the responsibility of our patients. We are also able to offer discounted medications, laboratory, and imaging services due to our model and ability to negotiate outside of health insurance.
We minimize the cost to our patients by operating in physician/nurse teams without ancillary staff. This also results in higher quality care by providing more continuity and access with your physician. Don't be surprised to call our office and hear a physician pick up the phone.
Hospital admissions are performed by Coastal Family Medicine and payment for admissions is not covered through Tidal Wellness. We work very closely with Coastal Family Medicine to ensure a high quality of care and continuity for our patients admitted to New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
Tidal Wellness is not a health insurance company and we do not provide health insurance.
Our Philosophy
At Tidal Wellness, we believe every patient needs a medical home where they can receive the majority of their medical healthcare and wellness. We accomplish this by having teams of 1 physician and 1 nurse that respond to all patient needs. There is no separate billing department. There is no hierarchy of management. Patients simply communicate directly with their nurse or physician for all their needs. In addition we schedule in 30-60 minute blocks to give you more face time with your doctor as opposed to most practices which often schedule 10-15 minutes for each patient and sometimes overbook.
As family physicians we are trained in a broad spectrum of diseases and treat all ages. We believe that your family physician should be the first person you call when you have medical questions and that the majority of the time we should have an answer. By developing a close relationship with our patients and managing a broad spectrum of diseases, we hope to decrease confusion created by having too many unnecessary specialists. "Too many cooks in the kitchen" as some might say. We also know our limits and maintain close relationships with specialists in the area for when they are needed.
At Tidal Wellness, we also prefer to think of our patients as less of patients and more of people who sometimes get sick or have medical problems. We are open to holistic forms of medical care and believe strongly in preventive medicine and an overall healthy lifestyle. See our page on services for what we offer.