4
TI'KSDAY. APRIL 8. 2008
N.C. physicians embrace preventive medicine
Approach also increases patient costs
BY ANASA HICKS
STAFF WRITER
Starting May 20. Dr. Jeffrey
Furman and Dr. Patrick Ciuiteras
at Chapel Hill Family Medicine will
change to a controversial practice
that some say disadvantages the
poor.
They will become the first doc
tors in North Carolina to affiliate
with MDVIP. a national company
that focuses on preventive health
care and patient care hut increases
costs.
M DVIP doctors require a $1,500
y early fee for an annual comprehen
sive exam that Furman said focuses
on prevention instead of reaction.
Many doctors and experts say
the health care system in America
is seriously flawed, but some don't
Campaigns embrace service
Wisconsin governor stumps in N.C.
BY JACKI HUNTINGTON
STAFF WRITER
When Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle
campaigned across North Carolina
last week for Democratic presi
dential candidate Barack Obama,
he emphasized the importance of
presidential service initiatives in
mobilizing voters and supplying
aid domestically and abroad.
"A commitment to service cuts
across all ideological lines and geo
graphical lines," Doyle said. "There
is a common purpose, a common
goal."
Doyle, a prominent Peace Corps
alumnus of the lptiOs, endorses
Obama in part because of his pro
posal to expand existing service
organizations and create new ones.
()hama. who has stated that the
cause of his presidency is anew call
to sen ice. has proposed to double
the size of the Peace Corps by 2011
and more than triple the size of
AmeriCorps.
Obama has also proposed mul
tiple sen ice-learning initiatives to
engage students and other young
people in public sen-ice, often with
academic funds attached.
"Sen. Obama himself can speak
w ith authority because he actually
did commit to sen-ice." said UNC
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support MDVIP. sometimes called
concierge medicine.
“It’s a commentary on all
the problems were facing with
American health care." said Dr.
Nortin Hadler. professor of medi
cine and microbiology at UNC
School of Medicine. “It's not a solu
tion. it's a response."
MDVIP patients receive a CD
with their checkup information
and a personalized Web page their
doctor can update, in addition to
other benefits.
“(Concierge) doctors are able to
practice in a way that's largely free
of payment restrictions and red
tape," said Dr. William Roper, dean
of the School of Medicine and CEO
of the UNC Health Care system.
To compensate for high prac
Students for Obama Director Vivek
Chilukuri, referring to the candi
date's extensive social work in the
Chicago area.
Hillary Clinton has also
announced expanding national ser
vice as a goal of her administration.
If elected, she plans to not only cre
ate a service program coordination
office within the White House, but
to expand Teach for America.
Clinton has also proposed to
increase AmcriCorps volunteers
by 100,000 and to provide college
scholarships for students who devote
a year or more to public service.
“I think she understands our
generation is really concerned
about serving others." said Amanda
Vaughn, director of UNC's Heels
for Hillary.
"She's aware of it and wants to
give us as many opportunities to
give back to the community as
possible."
Beth-Ann Kutchma. a UNC
Center for Global Initiatives pro
gram officer, emphasized the
impact that service abroad has on
students as developing citizens.
“With international education
in this day and age, you would be
virtually useless in any job market
without knowing what is going on
tice costs, some general practice
physicians currently see 50 to 70
patients a day. Hadler said.
Concierge doctors see much
fewer. Furman and Guiteras. who
now have more than 3,000 patients
each, will have no more than 600
once they transition to MDVIP.
"It allows us to practice high-qual
ity medicine without the pressures
that are coming with decreasing
insurance reimbursement." he said.
And through MDVIP. Furman
said they can give more individual
ized care without losing money.
Roper said concierge doctors
make considerably more money,
and some only take cash.
Furman stressed that MDVIP is
not concierge medicine and that the
practice will not make more money.
He said he hopes this kind of medi
cine becomes a trend.
But some experts said this is
E
Wisconsin Gov.
Jim Doyle
endorses Sen.
Barack Obama
in part because
of his service
initiative plans.
in this world." she said.
UNC contributes the fourth
largest number of volunteers to the
Peace Corps among large colleges
and universities, with 81 alumni
currently participating. The candi
dates' platforms are in line with the
University's emphasis on public ser
vice. both domestic and foreign.
“This is a hands-on experiential
thing you can't learn in a class
room." Kutchma said.
Both candidates' plans for
defraying college costs to encour
age public service participation
put students in a position to help
themselves and the communities
where they serve.
“People have opportunity to live
in other countries, to see how the
rest of the world is and broaden
their horizons," Doyle said.
“It is very good for the student
and very helpful to the country
down the mad."
Contact the State £? National
Editor at stntdesk(a > unc.edu.
News
unlikely.
“I think there are enough ethical
concerns that most providers aren't
interested in this model," said Dr.
Marisa Domino, professor of health
policy and administration.
She said the practice, which has
gained popularity in the Northeast
and in California, creates a two
tiered type of medicine in which
those who can afford to pay more
get superior care.
But Furman said he was surprised
by the economic diversity of the peo
ple signing up for his new practice.
National and World News
FROM THE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL
McCain funds lag
but are on the rise
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP)
Sen. John McCain raised more
than sls million in March for his
presidential campaign, a top per
formance for the likely Republican
nominee that still falls far short of
the cash gathered by Sens. Barack
Obama and Hillary Clinton.
McCain intends to accept
public financing in the general
election —a sum of about SB4
million. McCain donors are now
being asked to supplement that
public financing with dona
tions to the Republican National
Committee.
McCain criticizes
withdrawal plans
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -
Republican presidential candidate
Sen. John McCain said Monday
that calls from his Democratic
rivals to withdraw US. forces from
Iraq stand as a “failure of leader
ship" as they arc making promises
they cannot keep.
Sen. Barack Obama said the
failure rests with McCains sup
port for an open-ended occupa
tion of Iraq. McCain insisted that
last year's U.S. troop buildup in
Iraq brought a glimmer of“some
thing approaching normal" there,
despite recent heavy fighting.
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“This is not just a wealthy access program,
not just rich people's medicine. This is a
plan for people who value this kind of care."
DR. JEFFREY FURMAN, CHAPEI HILL FAMILY MEDICINE
“This is not just a wealthy access
program, not just rich people's medi
cine," he said. “This is a plan for peo
ple who value this kind of care."
He said he and Guiteras decided
last fall to become MDVIP doctors
because they wanted to provide the
Baghdad descends into violence
as militia leader resists ultimatum
BAGHDAD (AP) - Hundreds
of people fled fighting in
Baghdad's Shiite militia strong
hold Monday as U.S. and Iraqi
forces increased pressure on
anti-American cleric Muqtada
al-Sadr, who faces an ultimatum
to disband his Mahdi Army or
face a ban from Iraqi politics.
Al-Sadr's aides said he would
only dismantle the powerful mili
tia if ordered by top Shiite cler
ics who have remained silent
throughout the showdown.
Although al-Sadr holds con
siderable influence through the
Madhi fighters estimated at
Protestors climb
Cal.s Golden Gate
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)
Three people protesting
China’s human rights record
and the impending arrival of the
Olympic torch climbed up the
Golden Gate Bridge on Monday
and tied the Tibetan flag and
two banners to its cables.
The banners read “One World
One Dream. Free Tibet" and
“Free Tibet 08."
Demonstrator Laurel
Suthcrlin said he was'worried
that the torch's planned route
through Tibet would lead to
more arrests and Chinese offi
cials would use force to stifle any
visible dissent.
ahf Daily Car Hrrl
absolute best care to their patients.
“It lets us practice the way we
want to practice, the way we wen
trained to practice," Furman said.
Contact the City Editor
at citydeskfa unc.edu.
up to 60.000 political exile
for his movement would shat
ter his dream of becoming the
major power broker among the
country’s Shiite majority.
Gunbattles raged around the
sprawling Sadr City district that
serves as the Baghdad nerve cen
ter of the Mahdi militia, which
has been under siege since last
week by about 1,000 U.S. and
Iraqi troops.
Police said at least 14 civilians
were killed in clashes Monday
in the Baghdad area. Three
American soldiers were killed in
separate attacks.
400 taken from
polygamist den
SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) _
Authorities say more than 400
children have been taken from a
polygamist comixmnd and placed
in state custody as they continue
to investigate whether one of them
had been an underage bride.
Authorities have uncovered the
equivalent of a small town on the
1,700-acre property in rural West
Texas they raided last week. They
say 133 women left the compound
voluntarily and that an unknown
number of men remained there
and are not free to leave.
A girl's report to authorities last
week that she was abused let! to
last week's raid. . •