Updated user interface
January 08, 2023
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.
January 08, 2023
This week, we plan on releasing some updates to the reviews and comments functionality. Previously, the two functions were on separate tabs, and we have tried to streamline the interface by unifying overlapping functionality.
After we released the comment functionality last fall, we noticed that many people left comments were more appropriate as reviews. We hope that the new interface will encourage people to leave comments as comments and reviews as reviews.
January 01, 2023
We're excited for this year, and hope to bring out new features to this site.
Hopefully, 2023 will be even better than 2022. Happy New Year!
December 25, 2022
We hope you had an excellent year, and have an opportunity to connect with family and friends over the holidays.
Merry Christmas!
December 18, 2022
With drug prices already so high, policymakers have been looking for ways to save on medications. One plan has been to allow distributors to import drugs from abroad, taking advantage of the difference in drug pricing across countries. Kaiser Health News reported on some recent state efforts to move forward on drug importation.
The idea of importing drugs from other countries seems to have bipartisan support. However, some states have applied for approval and are still waiting for permission from the FDA. The reasons for the delay might not be entirely clear, but it seems likely that the current administration is concerned about the political backlash from pharmaceutical companies that might ensue if the applications were approved. At the same time, delaying meaningful steps to curb the rise of drug prices might engender its own political backlash from ordinary voters.
December 10, 2022
Colorado launched Colorado Option: an insurance plan administered by private insurance companies, but with the state mandating certain benefits and an overall reduction in premiums over time. Kaiser Health News reported on the plan's rollout. State officials seem intent on gaining better value by insisting on both richer benefits and price reductions. The option apparently requires "unlimited free visits for primary care, mental health care, substance use, and perinatal services, as well as coverage of diabetes supplies like glucose monitors and syringes at no cost," which seems more generous than most insurance plans. Starting with the second year, plans that do not achieve premium reduction targets are subject to review by the Division of Insurance.
It is unclear how much pressure the review will exert. A state representative that sponsored the legislation seems to believe that insurance companies will try hard to avoid the rate review, but what is not apparent is how much more information those reviews will reveal than is currently available to state regulators. Regardless, it is good to see state governments trying to find new solutions to rising health costs.