The mission of AMC is to empower medical consumers by making the shift to consumer-directed health care meaningful and beneficial, helping them to save money and to improve their health. AMC was founded to deal with one issue – MEDICAL CONSUMERISM – based on the primacy of medical consumers realistically partnering with their doctors.

Short-Term & Long-Term Goals

SHORT-TERM GOAL: To minimize the financial and health liabilities of patients, particularly those with severe and chronic disorders.

LONG-TERM GOAL: To improve the American healthcare delivery system by modernizing it to a knowledge-based collaboration between doctor and patient, in contrast to contract-based superimpositions on both doctors and patient.

Company History

AMC was founded in November 1992 as a California company with a nationwide impact. This company is presently a wholly owned subsidiary of the California corporation, The Neurofibromatosis Institute, Inc. Since its founding, AMC has engaged over 2100 clients. As healthcare delivery industry insiders, we have helped individual customers to

• Obtain access to enhanced health care
• Decrease medical bills
• Pursue grievances and lawsuits
• Improve relations with doctors and healthplans

As well, we have provided direct assistance to numerous employers, practitioners, medical groups, healthplans, scholars, journalists, government agencies and self-help groups. In short, AMC is an established leader in medical consumerism.

Background

Consumers are potential or actual purchasers. In order to obtain medical services and medical products, we must purchase them. In short, in order to obtain medical services, we all must be medical consumers, though there are different types, that change from time to time: patients, caregivers (non-professional givers of care) and simply purchasers. Understanding and utilizing the consumer approach is one of the most important ways of maintaining and improving your health and well-being.

AMC exists in order to make life more realistic for medical consumers in a changing world; likewise for doctors and other participants in our health care delivery system.

The American health care delivery system is undergoing revolutionary changes. Many people talk as if the revolution resulted from the intentions and plans of managed care organizations. The real revolution has been initiated by the medical consumer. Managed Care, as such, is not the issue. The issue is "contract medicine," making health care decisions through contract language rather than on the basis of medical necessity determined by your doctor. Plain and simply, AMC believes that the medical consumers' medically necessary needs are more important than contract language. “Doctor, can you help to the fullest extent of your knowledge and abilities?” These words are both an assertion and a call for assistance: a request for the doctor to do what he or she does best. They contrast with a deceptively similar question: "Doc, what does my health plan pay for?" The tragedy - and the basis for medical consumerism – is that often the doctor doesn't appreciate the difference between these two questions.

Problems in the healthcare delivery system represent an opportunity to serve the medical consumer and to improve the system. AMC provides the skills and tools for both tasks.

WHEN A DECISION HAS TO BE MADE, YOU MUST CONSIDER WHETHER
THE BENEFITS DECISION MEASURES UP TO THE MEDICAL DECISION

The President of AMC: Vincent M. Riccardi, MD, MBA

Vincent Riccardi has been educated, trained and served as a faculty member at six medical schools, including Harvard, Baylor College of Medicine and UCLA. His research and teaching have focused on health care delivery, clinical communication and genetic disorders. He has a national and international reputation characterized by capability, dedication and integrity.

He has been involved in the full breadth of medical practice.

• Leadership roles in both private practice and academia.
• A specialty pediatrician and internist, involved with all ages, newborns to elderly.
• Commitment to the whole-person, holistic, approach of genetics.
• The entire gamut of medical decision-making as a neurofibromatosis specialist.

He has first-hand experience with managed care, the business of medicine, the economics of laboratory diagnostics and specialty-based comprehensive evaluations.

• Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree received in 1993
• Performing the managed care activities of a Medical Director, as well as Utilization Review, Quality Assurance and Credentialing
• He is especially well-read in the literature of health care reform, patient rights and medical consumer advocacy.

He developed, implemented and operated innovative health care delivery systems.

• The Colorado-Wyoming Regional Genetics Program, now in its 34^th year.
• The Baylor College of Medicine Neurofibromatosis Program, begun in 1978.
• He pioneered the use of computers and telecommunications to provide health care information directly to medical consumers.
• He has been a key contributor to the founding and functioning of disease-specific patient advocacy groups, including the Texas Neurofibromatosis Foundation and The Neurofibromatosis Institute.

He has been a medical consumer: Treatment and rehabilitation for a broken neck.

Home
AMC Services Overview
Next Step for Individuals
Next Step for Employers
Next Step for Providers
Next Step for Brokers and Healthplans
Next Step for NF and Other Disorders
Company Profile
Contact Us

© 1998-2008 American Medical Consumers - All Rights Reserved