Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

A direct practice is any medical practice where care is financed directly by the patient, not a third party payer (TPP) such as the Government or commercial insurance. Recognize that every medical decision is “payer-centered”, meaning that the payer dictates medical care. To be “patient-centered”, the patient must be the payer. In traditional practices where physicians work for the TPP, they receive low reimbursements and have high overhead expenses. Thus, they are forced to see more patients, and have less time to attend to each patient.

In a direct practice, your physician works for you, not the payer. This allows you improved access, time, and services.

You also have true privacy. In a traditional practice, HIPPA does not protect your privacy from the third party paying your bills. When you self-finance your care, your physician answers to only you. Joining a direct practice is an investment you can trust!

Your fee covers all medical services provided by our office, including exams, procedures, EKGs, hospital care, and blood draws. This means no co-pays, no hassles and no hidden charges.

We strongly encourage you to purchase health insurance to protect against unexpected events just as you do for your home, car, and life insurance. The ideal type is a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) tied to a Health Savings Account (HSA). For more information, see health insurance for individuals or consult your financial advisor.

If you currently cannot afford insurance, RHS offers an option until you are able. Easy access to comprehensive primary care gives you the best opportunity to avoid emergency room visits and hospitalization which are the most expensive care. We have also negotiated deep discounts for laboratory testing and radiology services should the need for these arise.

Possibly.  At each visit you will be given a receipt for the care you receive.  You will not need to actually pay an additional fee for that care since you have already paid for it care through your yearly retainer fee.  If you have an out of network option with your insurance (PPOs, POSs, high deductible plans), you may choose to submit the receipt to your insurance for reimbursement. If you do not have out of network options (HMOs, Medicare), you may be able to claim it as a tax deduction if you meet the “health expense” threshold. This potentially lowers your net out of pocket expense to our office significantly.

Yes. Dr. Whitney is enrolled as an out-of-network physician with insurance companies. We work with your company to use in-network services, when reasonable, for laboratory, radiology, physical therapy, and specialty services. For example, if your insurance company uses Quest Labs for blood work, we draw the sample as part of your fee and Quest bills your insurance for the testing.

Yes, if your payer allows it. Since Dr. Whitney is a licensed physician, we can request prior authorizations. As with traditional practices, it doesn’t guarantee they will approve payment. You are entitled to an appeal process directly to your insurance company should they deny payment. We will assist you with this if necessary.

If you have a life-threatening emergency, call 911.  Patients are asked to contact Dr. Whitney, day or night before going to any facility for non-emergency care.  He will make every effort to address urgent needs.  If you require an emergency room, he will be available, 24 hours a day, for consultation with emergency room personnel and for coordination of your care.  Specialty referrals will be discussed with the emergency room physician if warranted.

Dr. Whitney is on staff at St. Mary’s Hospital, located in Langhorne, PA.  If you are admitted to this hospital, he will oversee your care.  If you are admitted to any other hospital, you will need to be admitted to the services of a doctor who has admitting privileges to that hospital. Dr. Whitney will stay in contact with the admitting doctor and oversee your care until you are discharged.  If the hospital is within close proximity to our office, he will be able to visit you during your stay.

No. Your annual fee covers all hospital visits.

Our goal is to be available when needed, so if you are unable visit our office during normal hours, we will work with you to find a mutually available time, including evenings and weekends.

Home visits are available with the Platinum Program, Family Program, and The Home Care Program.

When Dr. Whitney is out of town, our staff will be available.  He is usually available for a phone consultation even when away. If a formal visit is needed, there will be a fully qualified physician available.  Patients will be notified in advance how to access care whenever Dr. Whitney is away.

Some Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA), and Health Savings Account (HSA) plans may pay for all or part of the annual fee. Patients are advised to consult with their benefits advisor or tax consultant to clarify qualification.

Revolutionary Health Services is a "fee-for-care" model, which requires the physician to completely Opt-Out of Medicare.  This means we may not submit any Medicare claims or receive any payments from Medicare for any services we provide to you.  All services Dr. Whitney prescribes to you that are provided by outside agencies (lab, xray, physical therapt, etc.) will continue to be covered by Medicare.  Only services performed by Dr. Whitney are not.

See fees for details.

If you must transfer your care, we will assist you in finding a new doctor.  Your medical records will be promptly sent upon receipt of your Medical Release Form.  The unused portion of your fee will be refunded.

By design, our practice is a membership practice with a limited enrollment.  Once that enrollment limit is reached, a waiting list will be established.  Every effort will be made to accommodate interested patients, but the enrollment limit must be honored in order to continue to provide the highest standard of personalized care and service to all participating patients.

We invite you to invest 30 minutes of your time for a complimentary consultation with Dr. Whitney to address your health care questions. At that time, we’ll also give you a personal tour of the practice. Please be assured, it will be time well spent.

To schedule your private consultation and tour, please contact Judy Wierzbicki at 215.321.1371 or email her at office@revolutionaryhealthservices.com. Judy will also be happy to answer any questions you may have.