Primary care visits. It is something that not many people look forward to every year, but it is an essential pillar to keeping your health and wellness. Furthermore, not many people even think about their main primary care provider often, even if it should be a common practice to give the most effort into getting the best care possible.
Nevertheless, the point is that, the whole idea and process behind primary health care overwhelms many. If only there were primary health care providers which are flexible, easily accessible, and do preventive care as well. Meet Forward, One Medical, and Parsley.
These are primary health care providers that are more accessible than your usual doctor. What primarily sets them apart is the fact that doctor-to-patient sessions can be done online.
That is not the only thing that sets them apart though. The whole focus is around accessibility, some even offer 24/7 doctor consultation, which is mind blowing. Before we dive deep into which of these is the best candidate for you or even the best in general, we must see what exactly is the point of these.
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Why Forward, One Medical, or Parsley?
The whole topic around primary health care is a bit of a taboo one. There are not many risk-takers, like these three brands, that plan to revolutionize health care as we know it.
We’ve grown accustomed to the usual yearly check-up at the local primary care center, without ever thinking twice. But why would something as important as primary health care become stale, and not improve at all? After all, there might be a better way to do things.
Forward, One Medical, and Parsley, might be members of the new wave of primary health care. Also, they’re not just online, but rather, they have centers in multiple locations, primarily in the USA.
Nonetheless, the reason why they make a lot of sense is because they’re relatively easy to become a member of, and doctor sessions are much more flexible, and easier to fit in many people’s schedules. Plus, they do their best to monitor and prevent diseases before they even become an easy.
And yes, not to forget the main elephant in the room, they do COVID-19 testing as well.
Table of Contents
- Why Forward, One Medical, or Parsley?
- The Best at Keeping Tabs – Forward, One Medical & Parsley
- In-Depth Comparison – Forward VS One Medical VS Parsley
- Forward or One Medical – Which Makes More Sense?
- What Is Better? – Forward VS Parsley
- Comparing One Medical & Parsley
- The Verdict: Forward VS One Medical VS Parsley – Best Primary Healthcare
The Best at Keeping Tabs – Forward, One Medical & Parsley
Most of the time, some people do not even have primary care. In fact, the numbers seem to be dropping in most developed countries, yearly. In addition, the usual primary care model is a bit outdated. Mostly because it is centered around treating a disease, rather than preventing one in the first place. This is one of the reasons why talking on this topic is a bit frowned upon.
That is not to say that the usual primary care doesn’t prevent diseases, but the point is that, health care providers like Forward, One Medical, and Parsley seem to do a much better job when it comes to prevention.
Why is it so? Well, instead of that one visit yearly, these three are much more flexible in terms of how easy people can get an appointment, hence more consultations get booked. It is very easy to reach a medical professional, and your data is collected throughout the consultations and sessions.
Another thing which most people mistake about these three forward-thinking brands, pun intended, is that they’re only online. No. That is not the case. They have offices, in multiple locations, and people can have both online, and in-person consultations.
More on office locations later.
In-Depth Comparison – Forward VS One Medical VS Parsley
Now, when it comes to choosing one of these three primary care providers, it is difficult; Since, there are a couple of factors that come into play.
Aspects like, do they accept insurance, how expensive a membership is, are same-day visits available, are there laboratory capabilities, and so on, are things which people need to take into consideration.
In a general sense though, like mentioned a couple of times before, on paper, it seems as though these make much more sense than the traditional model for care. Since they’re on the same page in terms of their goals and mission, you would expect as though there I not much that differentiates them, when in fact, there is quite a lot.
So, in the end, there is a provider in this list which will be tailored more towards you, based on multiple variables. With that said, let’s dive a little deeper and see an in-depth comparison of Forward, One Medical, and Parsley:
| Primary Healthcare Comparison Forwards vs One Medical vs Parsley |
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visits in Same Day | Only urgent ones |
Yes | No |
| Price | $149 a month | $199 yearly, without visits | From $150 to $175 a month |
| Insurance | Insurance not accepted | Insurance accepted | Only out-of-network benefits |
| Locations | San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., San Diego, New York City, and Orange County |
New York, Chicago, Phoenix, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Seattle, Orange County, Boston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, and more upcoming |
Los Angeles and New York City |
| Lab Diagnostics | Available | Available | Available |
| 24/7 consultations | Available | Available | No |
| Testing for COVID-19 | Available | Available | Available |
| Website |
Office locations will play the most crucial role whether these providers are a good fit for you or not, since these places need to be relatively close to you for testing, diagnostics, and similar things which must be performed in-person.
Forward Review
Unbelievable is a word that can be used to describe Forward. One of the most prominent things that Forward did was the introduction of the screening sensor, which can reveal a lot of data in mere seconds. Truly phenomenal. This means that for scans that are usually performed in the doctor’s office, can now be performed online.
Nevertheless, Forward’s approach is simple and yet innovative. They use a four-step formula to keep patients’ health and wellness in check. Firstly, a whole medical profile is made for the patient. This includes: all biometrics data using the scanner, or performed at one of the office locations of Forward, blood work, family medical history and genetic analysis.
The blood work can be tested at one of Forwards offices, and what is great for those dreading the time it takes for test results, at Forward, it takes only a few minutes to get the results. With those aspects covered, your doctor has an extensive health profile for you.
After that, in consultation with your doctor, you can set goals, and get a unique and personalized treatment plan based on your health profile.
The next step is simply to monitor progress. This is where the smartphone Forward application comes in clutch. There are many features which make this application better than others, but all in all, it is great for monitoring your health and wellness.
There is an option to also record your mental states, which are reviewed by a special doctors’ unit at Forward. Plus, there is an urgent support option should you need it. Whenever you’re satisfied with your progress, or already achieved your goals, it is possible to do a bit of tweaking to the treatment plan. This can be done in a one-on-one session with your doctor, either in-person or remotely. But what are some of the positive and negatives sides to using Forward? Well, let’s review them
PROS
- Virtual scanner available, meaning some scans can be performed virtually
- No fee for doctor visits
- 24/7 availability for consultation
- Affordable prices
- A lot of office locations available
CONS
- Insurance coverage not accepted
- Same-day visits only if urgent
One Medical Review
One Medical’s mission is simple: Make primary care as convenient as possible. One Medicals knows just how overwhelming and frustrating visits to the doctor’s office can be. That is why One Medical offers 24/7 availability when it comes down to consultations. Not only that, but the fact that you can schedule an appointment in the same day is like a dream come true.
Another thing which is an enormous plus with One Medical is the number of available office locations they have, which is a lot. Chances are, that there is a One Medical office near yourself. With that said, you can pop into a One Medical center anytime you like for a full lab test.
Yes, One Medical’s labs work like that. There is no need for appointments or silly waiting periods before you can do a comprehensive analysis on your health. Truly, an in-and-out experience, pun not intended.
This primary care providers works in similar fashion to Forward, where your health profile is made, and then goals are set, and depending on how well the treatment is working, the necessary changes are made.
Also, feeling a need to get checked out by a medical professional? You can do that the same day. Or even the next day, depending on what is most convenient for you. Meaning, there are both same-day appointments, and next-day appointments.
And not to forget One Medical’s holy grail, which is acceptance of insurance! It is a bit more expensive than Forward, and the visits/consultations and laboratory works are a fixed fee, but still.
With that said, let’s see what some of the pros and cons are to going with One Medical:
PROS
- Same-day consultations
- Insurance accepted
- Pop-in for laboratory tests
- Most number of medical offices out of the bunch
- Digital health tools provided
CONS
- Visits and laboratory work requires an additional fee
- Not as personalized as Forward
Parsley Review
If One Medical and Forward were great with a targeted treatment for a specific condition, Parsley’s methods differ a bit. They take a whole different approach, changing their perspective, and looking at every aspect of your health and wellness. In other words, a whole-body approach.
Parsley also focuses on tweaking minor, and yet major aspects like lifestyle, nutrition, fitness, and others, in order to treat a specific condition, and overall, improve the health of the patient. A rare approach, and yet one that is very effective. Unfortunately, Parsley only has two offices, which is a bummer. However, there are remote consultations available. The process is simple: Parsley gather all the data to create a medical profile for you, then creates a personalized treatment plan, with some additional unorthodox treatments which are proven to be very effective.
Since Parsley only has two office locations, they will find a national lab that is close to you, or send a specialist to your home to conduct laboratory tests for cortisol, food sensitivity, microbiome, and more.
A doctor is only a message away, which is included in the membership, and the response is relatively quick. The things you get most with Parsley is additional information and guidelines for nutrition, fitness, supplements, and lifestyle. This is ultra-rare these days, and yet, it proves to be of definitive help to well-being.
Also, if you live near a Parsley office, there are labs available at your disposal. There are no same-day consultations or 24/7 consultations, but for some, that might be overkill. For those that can ignore those two factors, Parsley does make a lot of sense.
There are some pros and cons to Parsley though, some of which are already apparent:
PROS
- Holistic approach
- Additional information and guide for fitness, supplementation, nutrition, and lifestyle
- Affordable
- Streamlined process
- Treatment for whole body
CONS
- Only two office locations
- No 24/7 availability for consultations
Head-to-Head Comparison
By now, there is a good chance that you have made your pick out of the bunch. If that’s the case, the following information might help you get to know your primary care provider even better. However, if that is not the case, then you might be thinking of two or more options.
To help you make a decisive choice, we though it be best to put each primary care provider into a mini head-to-head, to truly see what are the differences when compared to each other. Every match up is covered!
Forward or One Medical – Which Makes More Sense?
Even with all the differences these have, both are forward-thinking and exceptional at what they do.
What might play a role here is convenience. One Medical already struck as the most convenient, since they’ve managed to streamline primary care to the fullest, or at least it seems that way. Plus, there are a lot more office locations that are available, should you need laboratory work, or an in-person consultation.
Yes, Forward also has quite a number of locations, but not of the same caliber as One Medical. Additionally, Forward offer same-day consultations only if urgent, when One Medical has unlimited daily consultations, no matter if it’s urgent or not.
These are things which need to be taken carefully under consideration. Nevertheless, One Medical has made unlimited visits possible by charging a small fee for visits or laboratory work. Still, it is more expensive than Forward.
In any case though, the difference in price is relatively small for an important thing such as primary care. So, both are very effective and unbelievably revolutionary. From these two though, make sure to consider all aspects like whether insurance is accepted, whether 24/7 consultations are available, and similar practical aspects.
What Is Better? – Forward VS Parsley
Comparing these two is relatively easy, since their approach is quite different. One has set out to treat the whole body, while also attacking underlying issues, while the other is much more comprehensive and focused on certain goals set out by the patient and doctor.
Surely, many can guess which is which. So, in the case of these two, it comes down to what you prefer. Do you prefer a more traditional approach to your primary care, or an approach which will tackle your condition and also other things which might improve your well-being.
It is hard to ignore how thorough Forward can be though. That is not to say that Parsley isn’t, but the whole process of Forward seems much more efficient and more enjoyable. Plus, the treatment plan seems much more personalized, because on top of all the medical data that Forward collects, your goals come into question as well. The Forward application cannot be forgotten here as well.
Still, Parsley makes a pretty strong case as to why it is being compared to these two giants in primary care. Which is: approaching conditions and issues with all aspects and factors taken into consideration, with holistic routes as well.
Parsley is only available in two locations though, but they give their fullest effort to not make that an inconvenience for patients, by sending lab specialists to your home or finding the nearest lab.
Between these, think about the approach, and what might sound more tailored to you!
Comparing One Medical & Parsley
By now, the case that Forward seems to be the best option for many can be made. Nevertheless, there are many which might prefer other approaches or full-on convenience.
If you live in Los Angeles or New York City, and you’re fond of Parsley’s approach, then go for it. While they might not have the fancy features like 24/7 doctor consultations and same day visits, they’re not quite a deal-breaker in my book. Of course, they do make sense in some cases.
As for if you’re looking the most convenient one, it is One Medical. There is such an effort that they’ve put in making primary care not as frustrating as before. No wait times, no rushing needed, drop-in laboratory access, are just a few perks which make this provider so convenient.
But still, the fact that Parsley makes such an effort to provide patients with nutritional, fitness, lifestyle, and supplementary methods of increasing well-being on top of the usual treatment, is quite extraordinary. Again, the office locations are lacking, but with a provider like these, that doesn’t really matter.
Parsley is more affordable than One Medical too, and it has some out-of-network benefits that One Medical hasn’t.
However, if you want to make going to the doctor as convenient as possible, consider One Medical. If not, Parsley is really promising on multiple dimensions.
The Verdict: Forward VS One Medical VS Parsley – Best Primary Healthcare
It is truly impressive how primary healthcare could be improved so much. All in all, there is not much difference to the usual care anyone would get, but the convenience is much different. Most dread waiting for hours to get checked out, after getting an appointment nearly a month after the call, but this completely changes that.
Indeed, with all three primary healthcare providers, there is one for everyone.
Firstly, let’s start off with Parsley. Great for implementing unorthodox treatments and holistic methods in primary care. Sure, it lacks some important stuff which the other two have, but is great for those that want to improve their health with dietary or lifestyle changes.
As for Forward, it is truly impressive. It has everything that one might need from a primary healthcare provider, and you’re not limited by insurance to get all the perks of this provider. There are many little dings and dongs which add to the value of Forward, but all around the best option for those without insurance.
And lastly, One Medical. It is the pricy, since visits or consultations require a small fee, but insurance is accepted. Plus, they’ve managed to make going to the doctor very convenient. A lot of office locations with drop-in laboratories at your disposal, and same-day consultations with 24/7 availability. Perfect for those with an insurance plan.
All in all, the three are great options. It comes down to whether the nearest office is close to you, or whether it accepts insurance or not. But one doesn’t need to worry about those factors, since Forward, One Medical, and Parsley, are primary healthcare providers, which are much more flexible and accessible.
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