Delphi’s new primary care model reduces waiting times: Same-day care changes lives

You wake up in the morning feeling groggy and clammy. You’re congested and coughing; it hurts to swallow. All your joints ache.

You drag yourself into the kitchen and make yourself a cup of tea while you search for your GP surgery.

Sure, they can get you in within three or four weeks.

That’s a long time to figure out if you have strep throat, the flu, pneumonia, COVID, or a viral cold.

Meanwhile, when another person struggling with depression and anxiety reaches out to their current healthcare provider, they are told they won’t be able to be seen for five to six weeks.

Their next call was: Delphi Advanced Primary Care In Bedford.

“This person signed up with us, and we saw them the same day they signed up,” said Delphi president Andy Vailas. “They were able to talk to the doctor for a significant amount of time, figure out some of the issues that were happening and create a model to help with those issues.

“It’s scary to think about how big of an impact that time period can have on that individual’s life,” Vailas said.

By 2022, the average wait for a new patient to see a primary care doctor is 21 days Merritt Hawkins’ survey.

In a typical practice, primary care physicians may have 1,500 to more than 3,000 patients on their panel. A patient may spend 15 minutes with their provider when they finally make an appointment (if they haven’t been reassigned to another practitioner).

“The biggest problem is people don’t have access to care,” Vailas said. “They want to be able to see their doctor whenever they want, on their own schedule, and the traditional model doesn’t really allow for that.

Delphi is different.

“We had a patient last week…she was very surprised because she could choose the day and time she wanted to see the doctor,” Vailas said.

Delphi doctors each have a patient panel of 600, meaning patients can often get same-day or next-day appointments. They can also spend 40 minutes to an hour or more with their doctors to investigate the root of their symptoms.

Patients pay a monthly or annual fee to become members, which helps the clinic maintain a smaller panel size. While Delphi acknowledges that $120 per month or $1,200 per year is an additional expense for patients, they have found that by addressing health issues in their early stages, they can save patients the cost of more serious concerns later. Delphi also accepts insurance, including Medicare.

Delphi believes that improving access to healthcare will also improve the quality of care, Vailas explained.

“The longer you wait, the bigger the problem it can become, right? … The longer you wait, that sore throat can turn into a more serious infection,” Vailas said. “With greater reach, it allows you to treat the root cause of a problem rather than the symptoms.”

When a new or existing patient requests an appointment, they can call or text the office or reach out through Delphi’s website. Once a relationship is established, patients can reach their doctor directly by phone or text at any time of day or night.

Doctors have more flexibility in their work schedules and are more willing to see patients later than their normal weekday hours or on weekends, Vailas explained.

“That’s the beauty of an independent practice. You can set your own schedule,” Vailas said. “Our doctors are open to seeing patients later or earlier than our normal office hours, or they may need to come in on a Saturday because it’s a more serious situation.”

In truly urgent cases, patients are advised to go to a hospital emergency room for care.

Because Delphi doctors have a smaller patient panel to follow, they can provide more personalized care.

“One of our physicians made home visits. … This particular individual went to an assisted living facility because the patient had transportation issues,” Vailas said. “It really will be on a case-by-case basis. It may not be for everyone.”

In addition to calling or texting their doctor for guidance or coming into the office, patients can also schedule video telemedicine appointments.

But Vailas noted that more patients are moving away from virtual visits. He emphasized that Delphi is happy to communicate with patients by phone, text or web, but that no one has to download an app or set a password to sign up.

Part of the clinic’s commitment to access to quality care is careful attention to and follow-up on specialist referrals.

“The difference between Delphi and others is not only that we make sure you are in the hands of a very good expert, but also that we like to focus on independent experts because of their accessibility, similar to the way we work,” Vailas said.

Physicians become more involved in the specialist care process as they can spend more time with individual patients.

“We preach both advocacy and access,” Vailas said. “We had a patient that we referred to an otolaryngologist … and that specialist was making appointments for a month, two months, something like that. Our doctor was able to get on the line and talk to that doctor, and we were able to get that patient in the next day because they told them the patient’s condition and that he couldn’t wait five or six weeks.”

If you are looking for preventive care or need help managing a chronic condition, contact Delphi to access primary care on your terms.

“We almost want to turn back the clock, go back to the days when people had their own doctor when they needed him and could see him whenever they wanted,” Vailas said. “Our biggest, biggest focus is having access to your doctor when you need him, focusing on quality of visits, not quantity.”