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Timarron Family Medicine Tiered Access Health Plan (TAHP)

Dear Timarron Family Medicine Patients,

Lori and I have practiced medicine in our community since 1995, and as owners of Timarron Family Medicine since 1998.  You have entrusted our staff and us with your well being and the well being of your loved ones.  It is an honor and a privilege caring for you.  Running a practice providing the highest quality of care has always been our goal and will remain so; however, environmental challenges to do so are mounting.  In part due to these challenges and in part due to demands for services by our patients, we implemented some options for you in how you receive your healthcare.

We are excited about the opportunities the new practice model creates for a more personalized and more convenient care of our patients.  We offer the option of a Tiered Access Health Plan (TAHP) as an opportunity for you to choose a plan of care that suits your needs and wants.  Some patients want and need more intensive involvement with their physician for various reasons and some require less.  You choose the plan right for you, you and your spouse, or you and your family.

The different plans offer access options as illustrated in the plan chart.  In all the plans, I, Dr. Christopher King, MD will be your attending physician for all of your visits unless I am out of the office and you have an acute need.  I will be more involved in coordinating your care with other physicians. Your visits will be longer than traditional scheduling allows. Email and phone consultations will be available in Plan I and Plan II, possibly sparing you the cost and hassle of coming into the clinic. You will have my personal cell phone number for 24/7 after-hour emergency phone consultation in Plan I. See chart and FAQs for more details. 

Participation in these programs is optional and currently only open to Timarron Family Medicine patients in good standing with the practice. You will pay an annual fee based on the TAHP plan you choose.  Most plans cost less than your cable and Internet service and even less than many cell phone plans.

We recognize that not all patients will want or need a TAHP membership. We will continue to offer all of the services we have provided over the years at our same current location.  Dr. Lori will continue to see patients as always under the traditional practice model and will be helped by our physician extender(s). Any non-members can still be seen in our clinic.

There will be a limited number of patients who can sign up under each TAHP plan.  Once a maximum number of patients have signed up, non-members will see Dr. Lori King or one of our physician extenders. Dr. Lori King will continue to work on a part- time basis.

The currently evolving healthcare environment has its challenges.  Our goal is keeping our business viable while providing the highest quality medical care available.  We have included a list of answers to questions you may have as well as a chart outlining the three TAHP options.

Thank you for your consideration of this proposal and for the trust you have placed in us over the years to be your family physicians. 

Tiered Access Health Plan (TAHP) Chart

TAHP Plan Costs

TAHP BENEFITSPlan IPlan IIPlan III
Portable Personal Health Record
Doctor's cell phone # after hours
Routine visits in 5-7 days
Acute visits same day
Phone consults (office hours)
Email consults
Always see the doctor
Longer visits with your doctor
Improved coordination of care
Acute visits same or next day

*The plan is an annual plan that can be paid for in 2 six month installments or in 1 annual payment.

TAHP Plan Comparison

PLANMEMBERSANNUAL COST
IIndividual$950
IFamily of 2$1700
IFamily of 3$1900
IFamily of 4+$2100
IIIndividual$800
IIFamily of 2$1400
IIFamily of 3$1600
IIFamily of 4+$1800
IIIIndividual$650
IIIFamily of 2$900
IIIFamily of 3$1100
IIIFamily of 4+$1200

Frequently Asked Questions about TAHP

1. Can I keep my current insurance and still see you?

Yes.  Your signing up for a TAHP has no bearing on your current insurance or Medicare policies.

2. Will my insurance still be billed if I pay an annual TAHP access?

Yes. The TAHP fee only covers the items listed in the plan. These items and benefits are not covered by insurance or Medicare so billing for other services rendered are billed just as before.

3. Do I still pay a copay or have to pay coinsurance until I meet my deductible?

Yes, The membership TAHP fees do not cover the usual medical services rendered, so the billing process does not change. See question #2 above.

4. As a TAHP member, whom will I see if Dr. Christopher King, MD is out of the office?

Should an acute care need arise when Dr. Christopher King, MD is out of the office, you will see Dr. Lori King, MD if she is available or one of our physician extenders in our office.  If we cannot accommodate your acute care needs in a timely enough manner, you may have to visit your local acute care facility (such as Care Now or Urgent Care).  We have discovered from you, our patients, that you already do this on a fairly regular basis after hours.  We estimate this situation during my absence from the clinic may occur on average less than once per year per TAHP member patient.  We will still have staff in the office during usual clinic hours to answer calls and take care of the more routine needs.

5. Do I pay the TAHP access fee up front?

Yes. You can pay the entire annual fee up front or we will collect 6 months of the annual fee up front and bill for the second 6 months when appropriate. A $35 administration fee will be added to fees paid at 6 month intervals instead of paid annually. Fees not paid in a timely manner could cost you your membership and the membership spot will be offered to others waiting to become a member.

6. How do I renew my TAHP membership?

You will be given first right to renew your membership 60 days before your membership expires. If you choose not to renew or do not pay before 14 days after your renewal date, you will forfeit your membership.

7. How long is my membership commitment?

Your membership is an annual, renewable agreement.

8. What if I choose to leave or have to leave the practice, do I get a TAHP fee refund?

If 90 days or more after your plan start date you leave the practice, you will get a prorated refund minus $175 fee.  So if your prorated refund is less than $175, you will owe money. If you leave in the first 90 days, there is no refund.   

9. If I don’t sign up now for a TAHP membership, can I sign up later?

There are a limited number of patients who will be cared for under the TAHP plans. Once the maximum number has been met, the plans are closed to new membership. If a member leaves the practice or forfeits membership, the available membership plan will be offered to patients who requested to be placed on a waiting list for future TAHP membership. The offer will be made to patients in the order they were placed on the waiting list.

10. Do the phone and email consultations mean I don’t have to come to the clinic to receive medical care?

No. The consultations will be screened for appropriateness. If it is appropriate to handle the consult over the phone or via email, it will be done so, saving you the time, cost, and inconvenience of coming into the office. We will take care of issues this way as much as possible, but it is up to the doctor to determine whether a clinic visit is best for your healthcare and thus required. Face-to-face consultations ALWAYS facilitate the best care.

11. What is meant by improved coordination of care?

Caring for fewer patients will allow me more time to communicate directly with your other doctors and this communication will improve the quality and efficiency of your care. Better communication between providers should lead to better outcomes both for hospitalizations and specialty consultations. In addition, we will have more time to make follow-up phone calls to you to check on your progress.

12. What is a Portable Personal Health Record (PPHR)?

In a Plan-I membership, I will personally create a summary of your most pertinent conditions, treatments and history. You can take the PPHR with you to other doctor visits and keep it with you and give it to your family members who may need to provide this information for you in case of emergencies. I will put the record in a portable electronic format on a flash drive that would work on any provider’s computer. I will update your record accordingly as things change and you can update the PPHR as well. I will use a Word Document format that will be easily edited. You control the use of your PPHR and are responsible for keeping it secure.

13. Under family plans, what constitutes a family?

A family would include a married couple and their children or a single parent and his/her children.  Adult children over 24 years old could not be included in a family plan.  An adult 25 years old or older could sign up as an individual.

14. What is the difference between acute and routine care visits?

An acute care visit addresses a condition that is new and of sudden onset like the flu, a fever, or an injury and likely needs treatment in the next 24-48 hours.  A routine visit addresses chronic conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes and can be scheduled well in advance because there is no urgency in treatment.