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At DocSpot, our mission is to connect people with the right health care by helping them navigate publicly available information. We believe the first step of that mission is to help connect people with an appropriate medical provider, and we look forward to helping people navigate other aspects of their care as the opportunities arise. We are just at the start of that mission, so we hope you will come back often to see how things are developing.

An underlying philosophy of our work is that right care means different things to different people. We also recognize that doctors are multidimensional people. So, instead of trying to determine which doctors are "better" than others, we offer a variety of filter options that individuals can apply to more quickly discover providers that fit their needs.

Other COVID casualties: doctors' offices

by jerry on December 13, 2020

Kaiser Health News published an article about many smaller doctors' offices shutting down because of the lack of patients during the pandemic. The closure of these doctors' offices is sadly ironic that in the pandemic's current surge, many hospitals lack personnel and many patients have difficulty getting access to medical care.

Kaiser Health News published an article about many smaller doctors' offices shutting down because of the lack of patients during the pandemic. The closure of these doctors' offices is sadly ironic that in the pandemic's current surge, many hospitals lack personnel and many patients have difficulty getting access to medical care.

Doctors' offices can have high fixed overhead (e.g. trained medical staff), and when their primary source of revenue vanishes, then understandably, many offices might not survive. There is likely a lesson from this scenario, in case a widespread lockdown is ever needed again: it might well be worth paying doctors' offices to stay open, similar to how the US government subsidizes certain industries that it considers strategic (and therefore important to be domestic).

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Amazon launched Amazon Pharmacy

by jerry on December 06, 2020

In November, Amazon announced their launch of a new service: Amazon Pharmacy, where patients can have prescriptions fulfilled online. As Americans have grown accustomed to the convenience and transparency in pricing of Amazon's offerings, this could be another welcomed offering and might have some implications on medication pricing over time.

In November, Amazon announced their launch of a new service: Amazon Pharmacy, where patients can have prescriptions fulfilled online. As Americans have grown accustomed to the convenience and transparency in pricing of Amazon's offerings, this could be another welcomed offering and might have some implications on medication pricing over time.

The impact of this announcement feels reminiscent of when Target announced $4 generic prescription medicine: a consumer-friendly move by an industry giant. As others followed Target's pricing strategy, perhaps we will see other major retailers follow suit.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

by jerry on November 27, 2020

It's been a difficult year for many, but we are still thankful for much. Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

It's been a difficult year for many, but we are still thankful for much. Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

May this holiday season bring much needed cheer.

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New policies targeting drug pricing

by jerry on November 20, 2020

The Wall Street Journal reported on two new policies expected to be adopted by the current administration with the aim of lowering drug prices: limiting rebates that are paid to pharmacy benefit managers and indexing the price of some drugs in the US according to prices in other countries. Both of these policies appear to have some winners (payers such as Medicare, possibly also patients) and some losers (pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical manufacturers). Backlash against rising drug prices in the current political and economic climate might give the administration enough cover that the losers will not have enough clout to stop these policies.

The Wall Street Journal reported on two new policies expected to be adopted by the current administration with the aim of lowering drug prices: limiting rebates that are paid to pharmacy benefit managers and indexing the price of some drugs in the US according to prices in other countries. Both of these policies appear to have some winners (payers such as Medicare, possibly also patients) and some losers (pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical manufacturers). Backlash against rising drug prices in the current political and economic climate might give the administration enough cover that the losers will not have enough clout to stop these policies.

It is unclear whether the upcoming administration will uphold these policies, or perhaps enact more sweeping reforms. It is also unclear whether the stakeholders in these industries will find new ways of maintaining their profits.

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Healthcare can be expensive, even with insurance

by jerry on November 14, 2020

NPR published a piece about a recent study that estimated the number of Americans that experienced "catastrophic medical expenses" (defined as spending more than 40% of income after food and housing costs). While we hear about people facing expensive medical bills, there is some expectation that those with health insurance should be shield from devastating financial effects from healthcare expenditures. The study referenced in the article found that about 6 million Americans (ages between 20 and 64) with private health insurance suffered "catastrophic medical expenses" in 2017. That translates to about 3.5% of the US population in that age range experiencing expensive medical bills despite having private insurance.

NPR published a piece about a recent study that estimated the number of Americans that experienced "catastrophic medical expenses" (defined as spending more than 40% of income after food and housing costs). While we hear about people facing expensive medical bills, there is some expectation that those with health insurance should be shield from devastating financial effects from healthcare expenditures. The study referenced in the article found that about 6 million Americans (ages between 20 and 64) with private health insurance suffered "catastrophic medical expenses" in 2017. That translates to about 3.5% of the US population in that age range experiencing expensive medical bills despite having private insurance.

One of the study's authors cited high-deductible plans and out-of-network medical bills as being two reasons that insurance might not have offered adequate financial protection. Despite the push for more Americans to get insurance coverage, little progress has been achieved by way of managing the underlying costs.

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