Clinical, Competent, & Comprehensive
Direct Allergy teaches how to set up a turn-key allergy center in a practice for:
- Establishing a protocol for patient identification
- Skin testing
- Formulation of individualized treatment for the allergy patient
- Patient education
- Administration of subcutaneous therapy – if chosen for the patient
- Education on the other two treatment methods
Direct Allergy sources and trains clinical specialists who manage the allergy center process under the medical direction of the practice. Direct Allergy uses nationally recognized experts for training. The patients are seen in the practice’s office. The practice handles all the insurance billing.
Patient Identification & Selection
Under the direction of the standing protocol authorized by the practice physician, the clinical specialists screens daily patients’ records. The records are flagged for potential allergy testing and treatment candidates for the medical provider to review. A comprehensive patient history form is also provided for the patient to complete. The form determines if there is a medical necessity for testing. The patient’s insurance status is also noted in the identification process.
Patient Testing
If found to be medically necessary, the physician can order skin testing, Modified Quantified Testing (MQT), to confirm, diagnose, and reveal what the patient is allergic to and to what degree. Skin testing remains the “Gold Standard” for identifying allergens to which a patient is allergic. A complete set of tests can be conducted in less than one minute, with minimal patient discomfort.
While blood testing can be useful for some patients, skin testing remains the most sensitive diagnostic tool. With skin testing, the results are available in 15 to 20 minutes, versus days for blood testing and the patient is able to actually “see” their allergies. To conduct blood testing, Direct Allergy partners with a micro-array blood testing laboratory.
Patient Treatment
A skin test result is “evidence based” medicine use for individualized dosing to for each patient, as opposed to “universal dosing” where every patient receives the same Immunotherapy mixture.
Direct Allergy offers:
- Subcutaneous Immunotherapy (SCIT; aka injections)
- Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT; aka drops)
- Oral Mucosal Immunotherapy (OMIT; aka toothpaste)
The toothpaste therapy was developed by Dr. Reisacher, MD of Cornell University, a medical advisor to Direct Allergy.
Each treatment option allows the patient to participate in choosing the best treatment that meets their needs, subject to the physician’s agreement.
The Business Model
The business model is legally and clinically complaint. Trained clinical personnel perform all allergy-related procedures, under the medical and administrative direction of the practice. A 100 to 160 square feet of space, a small refrigerator, and initial allergy supplies are required initially. Direct Allergy manages the details.
Direct Allergy provides services under a “shared risk” model. Please contact the Direct Allergy Business Director at (814) 812-2055 for the details.
If the practice tests eight potential allergy patients per week, experience teaches about half will be found to need Immunotherapy treatment over the course of about three years. This translates to income to the practice of about $200,000 per year.