Getting the kind of medical care you need and deserve in central Illinois

 

[November 19, 2019] 

A new kind of medical service opened November 1 in Lincoln to serve patients in Logan County. It's the kind of medical service many people need, and everyone deserves. It's called Central Illinois Direct Care, and it is different, much different from what people are accustomed to today in medical care.

This new office was opened by Dr. Dru Hauter, no stranger to Lincoln. Dr. Hauter practiced medicine at Family Medical Center in Lincoln from 1991 through 2001.

Trained as an internist at SIU, Dr. Hauter has done many different kinds of medicine in his 29 year career, from being a general care MD, to running a twenty six bed ICU unit, being a physician in an urgent care practice treating sick and injured kids, and even practiced occupational medicine where he sutured wounds, set fractures and argued for work comp claims. Hauter, now 57, spent the last two years in retirement, and came out of retirement because this idea of Direct Care appealed to him and got his passion started again.

Direct Care is not a new concept: it has been practiced in many communities, but is new to central Illinois.

What is different about the Direct Care approach is that you get direct, unlimited access to your doctor. You not only get to see him in the office (by appointment), you get his cell phone number, his email address, get to text him, and even can make video calls about any medical issue, anytime, and talk to your doctor right away. Hauter said, "It's like having a doctor in the family!" The goal is always same day or next day care.

What you will experience when you have an appointment with a Direct Care physician is that you have the doctor's full attention. Your doctor is not tethered to a computer, but is instead in the room to listen to you, pay complete attention to you, diagnose and interact with you for as long as it takes.

With Direct Care, there is complete price transparency. You know up-front how much any procedure will cost, what your drug prices are, and how much testing will cost. Knowing your costs up front means you can make better decisions about your medical care. Most of the pricing is already on Central Illinois Direct Care's website, including monthly membership fees and surprisingly low procedure and test costs (the majority of listed costs are included at no extra charge with your membership). The website can be viewed at www.ci directcare.com.

Direct Care patients pay an affordable monthly membership or subscription fee for this service. If you need to see the doctor a second time during the month, there is no additional fee.

Direct Care physicians do not accept insurance and Dr. Hauter has opted out of Medicare, meaning he can treat Medicare patients who subscribe to his service. Since no insurance is involved, no insurance company decides what procedures you can have and can't have. The result with Direct Care is, we can get back to the doctor-patient relationship where the doctor diagnoses, educates, treats and advises the patient, letting the patient be in charge of their own medical decisions.

Who should consider a Direct Care membership?

• People who want a close, flexible, all inclusive relationship with a personal, competent, experienced physician with a heart for people.

• People with high insurance deductibles or co-pay.

• People who currently pay cash or have no insurance coverage.

• People who have Health Share memberships or health savings plans.

• People who have chronic conditions and health concerns, who want and need more personalized care.

Since Central Illinois Direct Care can also dispense medication at a steep discount, the monthly cost of the membership is often offset by the savings patients experience on medication alone.

Dr. Dru Hauter is married to Dr. Marcia Hauter, who he met in his third year of medical school and married in his fourth year of medical school. Together they have two children, Emily, an ICU nurse in Springfield, and Ben, who will complete medical school in May. They are also proud grandparents.

Central Illinois Direct Care is located at 1411 N. Kickapoo St. in Lincoln. Their phone number is 217-632-6236. Office hours are flexible and available by appointment. An initial consultation is free. You can also find Central Illinois Direct Care on FaceBook.

[Jim Youngquist]