Doctor wants to open a practice with ‘$1 a minute’ visits

A doctor in Albany, Georgia, hopes to make healthcare accessible to low-income patients by offering them 10-minute office visits for the low price of $10.

Samuel Williams, M.D., intends to open a primary care practice that will introduce the idea of “$1 a minute” visits to the area. That way he can offer patients a 10-minute office visit for $10, he told the Albany Herald.

An internist and geriatrician, Williams said on the Facebook page for Williams Geriatric Medicine and Medical Services that he looks forward to the $10 office visit, which he will provide to a limited number of patients or as resources allow.

Williams still needs approval for the practice from the state medical board. Since he doesn’t have office space, Williams said he would see people in their homes or set up a tent to provide care once he finalizes his malpractice insurance coverage. Williams also plans to add telemedicine to his practice.

“I am trying to help people. I am not trying to get rich,” Williams told the publication. “Patients need physicians who are down to earth. Just give me a rusty exam bed and I’ll see what I can do. I’ll put a tent in the flea market.”

Williams said he also is trying to fill the need for primary care physicians in the area. The country will face a projected shortage of between 40,800 and 104,900 doctors by 2030, according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Rural communities have been hard hit by a primary care physician shortage and some communities are trying innovative strategies to try and attract a doctor.