Using a technique that has worked very well internationally in other sectors, a new US based website aims to connect hospitals and doctors around the world direct with patients, cutting out all ‘middle men’; whether they call themselves agents, brokers, advisors or facilitators.
Delaware based MediBid.com connects physicians to patients anywhere in the world. The MediBid portal connects patients directly to doctors. Participating physicians can expand their practice by offering medical services to cash paying patients without what the company calls ’’ interference from the medical middlemen who drive costs skyward without improving care.”
Ralph Weber, MediBid founder says,” The costs of running a healthcare practice have skyrocketed in recent years. This poses a significant challenge to physicians who simply want to provide quality care to their patients. The medical middleman has driven up costs for both patients and physicians without regard for quality of care. Medical bureaucracy interferes with the practice of medicine. This is bad for doctors and patients.”
MediBid helps cash paying patients connect with medical practitioners. MediBid allows doctors to set their own prices based on the patients' needs and gives patients a choice. Physicians tailor bids on a case-by-case basis, which empowers them to find new patients and enhance their practice. MediBid does not regulate prices. Patients pay doctors or facilities direct.
MediBid is much more than a medical directory or medical tourism facilitator; it allows doctors and patients to work through the issue of cost on everything from primary care to the most critical of care. Physicians respond to requests for care from patients with a special bid, not a pre-arranged tariff.
Ralph Weber explains,“MediBid helps physicians to expand their fee for service practice through private contracting. By removing the middleman from medical care, MediBid makes it possible for the uninsured, the underinsured, Canadians on a waiting list, people using a high deductible health care plan, and people seeking experimental procedures, elective surgery or a non covered procedure to be able to afford the care they want and need. MediBid was founded on a belief that universal access can be accomplished by reviving the free-market healthcare system. Interest from patients during the testing phase was strong and the response by physicians has been overwhelmingly supportive. This is truly an idea whose time has come.”
MediBid is an interactive marketplace to allow cash paying patients to seek medical care from doctors, hospitals, and facilities both locally and around the world. More than a physician directory, it is a resource where medical consumers can find a doctor, then actively seek bids for the care they need. It gives physicians a direct connection to their patients. Physicians and hospitals are charged an annual registration fee, with no transaction or bid charges.
