P.J. Parmar: How doctors can help low-income patients (and still make a profit)
Physician P.J. Parmar founded Ardas Family Medicine, a private practice that serves resettled refugees, and Mango House, a home for refugees with activities and services that include dental care, food and clothing banks, churches, scout troops and afterschool programs. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
wickedest street in America.
it's a medical desert.
and hospitals nearby,
the poor who live in the area.
20 percent of this country is on Medicaid.
and make less than $33,000 a year,
of the family doctors in Denver
like five Medicaid patients a month.
wait months to be seen,
if you have Blue Cross.
discrimination is legal
doctors in the country
than private insurance
are seen as more challenging.
some don't speak English
following instructions.
while in medical school.
that caters to low-income folks
and very little competition.
doing underserved medicine.
but as a private practice.
seeing only resettled refugees.
50,000 refugee medical visits.
have Medicaid,
make money on Medicaid,
then I wouldn't tell you,
"bleeding-heart" capitalism.
not less, so here's how.
of our medical maze
of Medicaid patients,
and pocketing the difference.
may seem simple, but they add up.
at the emergency room,
at family doctor's offices.
for an appointment.
doesn't have phone minutes.
and she can't navigate a phone tree.
for an appointment
she takes the bus,
plus her disabled father.
than 15 minutes to be seen.
with us as she needs.
usually it's less than five.
staff to do scheduling,
and a zero late-show rate.
right to the waiting room,
room their own patients,
instead of alternating between rooms.
and increases customer satisfaction.
right from our exam room:
and some prescription ones, too.
or amoxicillin right in her hand.
instead of stopping at the pharmacy.
just looking at all those choices.
we've never had to advertise,
at working with Medicaid,
insurance company we deal with.
chase 10 insurance companies
it just works better.
by tax payers like you,
"How much does this cost the system?"
might go to the emergency room,
just for a simple cold.
and let their problems get worse.
at a clinic that's part of the system
Qualified Health Centers.
of safety-net clinics
government funding per visit
one in each area.
on special funding for the poor.
and quality to go down.
I'm not a nonprofit.
and culturally sensitive.
to move a stapler.
are new or unique --
while making money.
that money home,
as a business expense.
to feed and clothe the poor,
mental health and the scout groups.
by tenant organizations
form profits from my clinic.
health care system to serve the poor.
they would be going.
to doing this as a private business,
or a government entity.
and specialists who don't take Medicaid.
all you refugees!"
all you refugees,
to your English class, instead."
"This guy's a bit different."
then other doctors would be doing it.
you can do this in most of the country.
good money doing it.
application essays
those less fortunate.
beaten out of you in training.
as a lifestyle specialty.
low-income folks.
who don't work in health care,
to make a difference.
successful in your career
a few dollars or a few hours;
to innovate new ways of serving others.
the underserved medicine gap
the inequality gap
and using them to help others.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
P.J. Parmar - PhysicianPhysician P.J. Parmar founded Ardas Family Medicine, a private practice that serves resettled refugees, and Mango House, a home for refugees with activities and services that include dental care, food and clothing banks, churches, scout troops and afterschool programs.
Why you should listen
P.J. Parmar is a family doctor who started and runs a primary care clinic, dental clinic, youth programs and other endeavors for resettled refugees in the Denver area. He focuses on process efficiencies in underserved primary care medicine and challenges the notion that private practices can't thrive while serving low-income patients. He has also been covered widely for his work founding a Boy Scout Troop for resettled refugees.
P.J. Parmar | Speaker | TED.com