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Livingwell
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HEALTHCARE NEWS YOU CAN USE FOR YOUR WHOLE FAMILY
JANUARY 2017
IN THIS ISSUE | 4 Healthcare events | 5 x
Writing a new prescription for healthcare Two Valley companies are making routine care affordable and efficient By David M. Brown
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Spanish-speaking woman calls a doctor at the Redirect Health program. Her 4-week-old baby has a 101-degree temperature. She’s stressed and scared and says she is about to go to the emergency room. It’s Sunday, and the new mom has her first day back to work tomorrow. She’s afraid her job could be jeopardized if she takes more time off. The doctor calms her and guides her through using baby Tylenol. “Not only does her baby’s temperature go down, as it almost always does, but she also goes back to work as planned and she’s super happy,” said Dr. David Berg, founder and CEO of the Scottsdale-based alternative healthcare company. “She received instant care without leaving her home. She saves hundreds, even thousands of dollars, and there was no out-of-pocket cost for her.”
“We’re a new way of doing healthcare, focusing on small- to medium-sized businesses and ordinary people.” — Dr. David Berg, founder and CEO, Valley’s Redirect Health program
Efficient and affordable Offering customized plans for businesses and individuals, Berg’s company is a Valley pioneer in nontraditional healthcare plans, making routine healthcare affordable and efficient. The company “redirects” quality care through the most efficient means, for instance, to costefficient clinics and away from hospitals, saving consumers and the system money. More than 70 percent of the traditional time needed for an in-person doctor’s visit is eliminated, he said. Another company, Mesa-based Medicus Network LLC, offers Direct Access Medicine® to physicians. “We are a licensing organization, which has the distinct advantage of preserving the value of ownership of an independent practice for its clients while optimizing guidance, support and accelerated growth during transition to a proven model of direct primary care (DPC),” said CEO Woodard Ligget, who co-founded the company with its president, Michael J. Lucherini, M.D., M.S. “We’re a new way of doing healthcare, focusing on small- to medium-sized businesses and ordinary people,” said Berg, who started using this model in 2007 for his own employees and their families. “We wanted to end the nickel-and-diming, the complexity and confusion, top-heavy administration and waste, the time off work and the needless money spent.”
One-call care Healthcare efficiency is the goal. Much routine care, as with the mother and her baby, can be delivered with a phone call to a caring, knowledgeable medical team, which can provide for most members’ needs without requiring time-consuming and expensive clinic visits and eliminating co-pays and deductibles. For Medicus Network’s Direct Access Medicine® care model, a focus is on 24/7 access. “Patients have the comfort and security of having a doctor who knows them very well and is available 24/7 to discuss medical concerns, reserve appointments and be evaluated in the office either the same or next day,” Ligget said. “Additionally, extended office visit times are available for complete management of a patient’s medical care at each office visit.” A standard health insurance-based medical practice might have patients regularly sitting for 45 minutes in a waiting room with very little time actually spent with the physician, but Direct Access Medicine patients briefly wait before seeing their doctors for an average visit of one hour, he added. ! HEALTHCARE, continued on page 5
FIGHTING FOR YOUR FITNESS
Fitness can come in many forms, such as workouts offered by Jabz Boxing and the Body Lab (below).
New exercise trends and techniques for a total body workout BY M E G H A N N F I N N S E P U LV E D A
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t’s a new year, with new goals … and hopefully a new you! Millions of Americans will commit to get fit in the New Year. Those who exercise regularly
can not only control weight and build muscle, but also improve their mood, reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and other health conditions and increase their chances of living longer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A variety of individual training and group exercise programs are available around the Valley to help people meet their fitness goals.
High intensity interval training Those seeking a challenging and fast-paced group fitness class would benefit from a high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout. At Triplex Training in Chandler, certified personal trainers lead participants through various fitness stations consisting of strength and cardiovascular movements in every 60-minute class. “We train in three planes of movement because true functional training also involves rotational, lateral, and single leg and arm exercises,” said Kyle Herrig, owner of Triplex Training. “Members enjoy a strong sense of community while training movement patterns, like reaching down to pick up a child, in addition to building strength, endurance, core, balance and mobility.” The staff at Triplex Training offer guidance and demonstrate proper technique for each movement including lunges, kettle ball exercises and the use of cable machines, Ski Erg machines, TRX, and barbell and dumbbell weights. “Traditional exercise equipment can isolate your muscles,” Herrig said. “Bodies are meant to twist, turn and shift.” Triplex Training changes exercise regimens on a daily basis to help people mix up their workouts and reach their goals. At DC Ranch Village Health Club & Spa in Scottsdale,
another fitness program, INSANITY by Beachbody’s Shaun T, is being offered to members. Led by group fitness instructor Morgan Francis, INSANITY is an intense and highly challenging workout that yields great results, builds endurance and helps with weight loss. “INSANITY is also based on HIIT, where people are in an aerobic state for two minutes followed by a 30 second recovery,” said Francis. “What’s unique about this program is that anyone can participate, especially people who have injuries or need modifications.” Exercise equipment is not used in INSANITY workouts, instead participants start with a warmup and then move on to three areas of focus which include plyometrics and speed, strength and balance and agility and coordination. The 50-minute workout changes regularly and includes exercises such as burpees, high jumps and pushups along with abdominal work. “The last few minutes of the class mentally challenge and encourage people to really push their bodies to the next level,” Francis said. Those who take an INSANITY class can expect to burn an average of 700 and 900 calories. ! FITNESS, continued on page 2 The Body Lab