Smash Notes
P.J. Parmar
Episodes
Notes
TED Talks Daily · How doctors can help low-income patients (and still make a profit)…
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How Can We Bridge the Gaps of Underserved Medicine Gap and the Inequality Gap
The only way we are going to bridge the underserved medicine gap is by seeing this as an opportunity. In order to bridge the inequality gap, we have to recognize our privileges and use them to help others.
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What Does P.J. Parmar Say His Refugee Clinic Costs Compared With Other Care?
On TED Talks Daily, P.J. Parmar says his clinic at Mango House is cheaper than the places his patients would otherwise go. The clinic serves about 15,000 refugees a year at a lower cost than that alternative. He does not take the profit home. He puts it back into the refugee community as a business expense, paying for food, clothing, an after-school program, English classes, and other services run by tenant groups in the building. He calls the model social service arbitrage: using inefficiencies in American health care to serve people who are poor. Doing it as a private clinic, he adds, means taxes, legal exposure, and Medicaid rates that move.
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Why Does Parmar See Only Walk-in Patients?
Parmar paints a picture of a patient that has no phone minutes or phone access. She takes the bus because she cannot drive, and she has disability family members or young children to take care of. This scenario is the reason why there are no appointments. The patient shows up when she wants and is able to.
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How Many Resettled Refugees Did Parmar’s Clinic Serve Within 6 Years
His medical team has served more than 50,000 medical refugee visits. 90% of his patients have Medicaid and most of the rest, he sees for free.
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Why Do Half of Family Doctors Refuse Medicaid Patients?
It's because Medicaid pays less than private insurances. Also, Medicaid patients are shown as more challenging patients. Some show up late for appointments, some don’t speak English, and some have trouble following instructions.