We do things a little differently at Haven Direct Health, and that is a good thing. Thanks to our Direct Healthcare subscription model, we have strong patient provider relationships, excellent outcomes, and affordable prices.

We are able to do so because of what we call the “four pillars” of Direct Health Care.

Pillar 1: Time

Q: What does a patient need when trying to understand a complex diagnosis or set of diagnoses?

A: Time with their provider.

Q: What does a patient need when beginning or a new treatment plan?

A: Time with their provider.

Q: What does a patient need when starting new medications?

A: Time with their provider.

Q: What does a clinician need when working with a patient with a complex diagnosis or set of diagnoses?

A: Time with their patient.

Q: What does a clinician and a patient need to work through barriers of language, culture, or understanding?

A: Time together.

At Haven Direct Health we pride ourselves on the time we are able to spend with our members! Appointments are scheduled for a minimum of 30 minutes and new patient and annual physicals are scheduled for an hour. We are able to do this because we have smaller patient / provider ratios and because of our other pillars.

Pillar 2: Efficiency

Haven’s Direct Healthcare model is radically different than the traditional healthcare system. Our subscription model eliminates the cost stress of the Third-Party payer system, cuts out the middle man, and gives our members access to near-wholesale (we call it “List Plus”) labs, tests, supplies, and medications, all in-house. The Direct Healthcare model make diagnosing and treating illnesses much more efficient and affordable.

Efficiency eliminates “Cost Stress”

“Cost stress” is our term for the stress that comes from worrying about primary care costs. It can be a significant barrier to good clinical decision making.

Not knowing how much an appointment will cost (or knowing that it will be unaffordable) drives many patients to wait until a condition “gets really bad” to justify the expense of seeing a provider. Delaying care can make many conditions harder and more expensive to treat.

On the flip side, since office visits can be so expensive, patients go in hoping for a quick fix. They will often pressure a provider for a prescription to treat a condition when that condition would be better treated by a “wait and see” approach or by lifestyle changes.

Either way the cost of primary care appointments is often a significant barrier to good clinical decisions.

Haven’s inexpensive subscription Direct Healthcare subscription model (which includes all office visits), and our inexpensive labs, tests, medications, and supplies help eliminate cost-stress.

Efficiency cuts out Middle Men

Instead of placing an insurance company, the government, or other middle-men between the patient and provider, our inexpensive subscription model allows the us to work directly with our members. This means that there are never co-pays or deductibles to pay for primary care! Cutting out the middle man also simplifies record keeping, communication, and logistics.

At Haven Direct Health, it’s just our providers working directly with our members to meet their health goals.

“List Plus” Labs, Tests, Supplies, and Medications save time and money

Haven’s “List Plus” labs and tests cost a fraction of what they cost in the traditional healthcare system. Access to information from these labs and tests make it far easier and less expensive to diagnose and treat illnesses. Additionally, we can dispense many non-controlled-substance prescriptions in-house, at near-wholesale prices, which saves our members time, money, and the stress of yet another errand to run.

Pillar 3: Flexibility

Does anybody who has any type of interaction with the traditional Third Party payer system think that it is flexible? Doubtful. Our subscription model frees us from arbitrary Third Party payer rules. As a result, Haven Direct Health makes clinical care much more flexible.

This flexibility allows us to:

• Fully leverage communication technologies to work with members.
• Offer extended hours for members.
• See members on their terms, often on a same day or next day basis.
• Concentrate on meeting the needs of members, instead of the requirements of “middlemen” and Third-Party Payers.
• Address multiple conditions in a single visit.

Pillar 4: Innovation

We believe the majority of innovation in the U.S. healthcare system happens IN SPITE OF not because of the structure of the system. Despite our small size, Haven Direct Health is already innovating. In the short amount of time since we’ve opened our doors, we’ve:

• Developed software tools to better monitor depression and anxiety.
• Recruited an in-house therapist who consults with providers which allows us to handle mental health issues more holistically.
• Developed better screening protocols for insulin resistance.
• Developed educational materials to help members better understand their condition(s) and treatment plans.

We have many more projects in development.

Clinical Applications

Haven’s Four Pillars help our members get care on their terms, afford their medications and labs, and understand their disease processes better. As a result, they have better outcomes. Below are real-world examples of how these Four Pillars are helping real Haven subscribers.

Type 2 Diabetes

Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance is the underlying cause of pre-diabetes and diabetes. In fact, pre-diabetes and diabetes are just arbitrary terms applied to the spectrum of insulin resistance.

Sore throat

Sore throats often benefit from a “wait and see” approach. No cost primary care appointments and use of technology eliminates cost stress and enables us to follow appropriate clinical guidelines for treatment.

Antibiotic Stewardship

Research indicates that most “sinus infections” and sore throats are due to viruses. Antibiotics are not helpful for viral infections but should be used in secondary bacterial infections that follow in a fraction of viral infections. Public health professionals the world over are concerned about the overuse of antibiotics and the potential for antibiotic resistant bacteria. Due to the efficiency of Direct Health model we are able to use a lot less antibiotics, while improving outcomes.