The Midwest Direct Primary Care Alliance, a group of primary care clinics in Kansas and Missouri, donated more than $10,000 to buy $1.4 million in unpaid medical bills.
By partnering with RIP Medical Debt, which buys medical debt for pennies on the dollar, the alliance helped erase medical expenses of 784 people in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
"When I worked within the large hospital systems, I couldn't tell you how much an MRI was, or what a lab would cost the patient. As doctors, we had been blinded to the cost of care, and — whether we like it or not — we bore some responsibility for patients' bills," said care alliance member Ryan Neuhofel, DO, of Lawrence, Kan.
"But now it's our job, as direct primary care providers, to prioritize thinking about healthcare costs in the context of care and prevent debt like this from piling up in the first place."
The care alliance plans to erase more debt for local residents through a crowdfunding campaign. More information on the campaign is available here.
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