Providence, RI – HealthAccessRI is a network of independent doctors and medical practices that charge a monthly membership fee, usually $25 or $30 per month for comprehensive Primary Care services. Beyond the monthly fee is the office visit fee, usually just $5 or $10. Many practices offer discounts for multiple family members and also for automatic monthly credit card payments. This means that if a family can not afford health insurance, they can still get quality primary care and have a relationship with a doctor that will monitor and care for their health. No more emergency room visits for basic care!
Here’s how it works:
Doctors: At present Health Access RI has 9 practices positioned around the state, with a total of 21 family-medicine doctors. This network is growing every day.
What you get: 24-hour telephone access, sick visits, well child care, check-ups, school and sports physicals, family planning, yearly physicals. There are no restrictions, anyone can become a member. There are no limits to the number of doctor visits you can have. You will be in the program as long as you keep current with the monthly charge, there is not term-length contract. If you stop payments of the monthly charge, you will no longer be in the program.
What you do not get: This is not Health Insurance. Health Access RI will not cover major medical emergencies or hospital stays. Health Access RI is a way to get healthy and stay healthy by having a relationship with a doctor who knows your health history and can see you at his office regularly. You can see a doctor when you are sick and when you are well. If you do have a major medical emergency, you will have a doctor that knows your history and can advise you, or your family, on the best options for your care.
Cost: Varies by practice but consists of these elements: One-time enrollment fee of $15 to $80; monthly fee of $25 or $30; office visit fees of $5 or $10. All fees are listed at www.healthaccessri.com
Additional Benefits: Through the Health Access RI network, participating patients get discounted lab work, image scans (MRI) and physical therapy with our participating Health Access RI service affiliates: East Side Lab, XRA Medical Imaging and Rhode Island Rehabilitation.
“Having a primary care doctor eliminates any visit to the emergency room or even to the walk-in. If you have a primary care doctor that you can call, they will advise you what to do,” says Rose Zia, whose family of 5 is enrolled in Health Access RI at Family Doctors of East Providence; just one of the seven practices spread across the state to support this new innovation in patient care. Please visit www.healthaccessri.com for more information, or call 401-647-0040.
