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I just got my health insurance renewal letter. My monthly premium for January? About 21% higher.

Twenty-one percent.

I didn’t qualify for financial assistance this year, and I don’t expect to qualify next year. So that’s nearly $240 more a month I’m preparing to pay.

Is your renewal notice giving you sticker shock, too?

And even after paying the premium, depending on your plan, you may still have a deductible, copays, or coinsurance when you need care.

I’m Dr. Michael Gray, founder of SelfPayMD. I offer physician-led telemedicine with straightforward cash-pay pricing.

Your first visit is $39. Follow-up visits are $89.

You see me personally, and you know the visit fee before you book.

Have insurance? You can still choose SelfPayMD. We don’t bill insurance—you pay directly for your visit.

Depending on your coverage, an in-network visit may cost less.  SelfPayMD gives you another option with a clearly stated visit price.

Medication and lab costs are separate. Prescriptions require a clinical evaluation, and some concerns need in-person care.

I can’t fix your insurance premium. But I can tell you what your SelfPayMD visit costs before it starts.

SelfPayMD.com. Clear visit pricing. Personal physician care.

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I’m a doctor, and here are a few things I won’t sell you.

A guaranteed prescription? No.

A miracle cure? No.

A detox that “flushes out toxins” without telling you which toxins?

Definitely no.

A medical opinion based on your situation? That’s exactly why I’m here.

I’m Dr. Michael Gray, founder of SelfPayMD. I personally conduct every medical visit.

We talk about your symptoms, your medical history, and what you’re hoping to address. Then we discuss the appropriate next steps.

Sometimes that means a prescription. Sometimes it means testing, supportive care, or an in person examination.

And if your concern needs care I can’t provide online, I’ll tell you.

You’re paying for my time and clinical judgment. A prescription is a possible part of the plan—not something you’re guaranteed to receive.

I also respect your budget. When it’s medically appropriate, I include refills based on your medication, medical history, and follow-up needs. That can help reduce the need for additional paid visits just to renew a prescription, while keeping necessary monitoring in place.

My goal is to help you understand your options and make an informed decision.

No miracle package. No seventeen-step cleanse.

Just a conversation with a physician who takes your concerns seriously.

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Sometimes helping a patient means figuring out why the lab keeps saying no.

A patient came to me because he needed testing to check whether his vasectomy had worked.

He’d already received lab orders. But every time he tried to get the test done, he hit another roadblock.

He had an order. He had a reason for the test. What he didn’t have was a way forward.

So I looked into exactly what the laboratory needed.

The sticking point was the test being ordered, the order was for a standard fertility semen analysis, rather than the lab’s specific post-vasectomy test.

Similar names. Different orders.

Once we identified the appropriate test and corrected the order, he was finally able to get the testing he needed.

I couldn’t undo the frustration, but I could help get him unstuck.

That’s part of what I value about practicing medicine: listening carefully, researching an unfamiliar problem, and following the details through.

I’m Dr. Michael Gray with SelfPayMD.com. Sometimes a small detail makes a big difference!

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A dad contacted me because his child’s mouth hurt so badly, he had stopped drinking.

He was understandably worried—and getting ready to head to the emergency room.

On examination, his son had herpangina, a viral illness that can cause very painful sores in the mouth and throat.

The immediate concern was dehydration. When every swallow hurts, telling a child to “just drink more” only gets you so far.

After evaluating him, I paused to think through our options.

I worked with the pharmacy on an individualized pain-relief plan using prescription topical lidocaine, with specific instructions for Dad.

This medicine requires care, especially in children. It isn’t something to try on your own.

We also discussed clear warning signs that would mean he needed emergency care.

Following treatment, the pain improved enough that he could start drinking again, and he remained at home.

That felt like a real win: a child more comfortable, a relieved parent, and no emergency visit that time.

Sometimes the emergency room is exactly where a child needs to be. But timely access to a physician can sometimes help a family safely manage a problem before it escalates.

I’m Dr. Michael Gray with SelfPayMD.com. Thoughtful care starts with listening—and figuring out the next step.

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“Doc, does this cut need stitches?”

I get that question on video visits. And while I can’t stitch through a screen, I can help you decide what kind of care to seek—and how urgently.

First: bleeding. Apply firm, continuous pressure with clean gauze or a clean cloth. If bleeding is heavy, spurting, or won’t stop with pressure, seek emergency care.

Next: depth and location.

A cut that gapes open, exposes fat or deeper tissue, or causes numbness or trouble moving needs an in-person examination.

Cuts near an eye, across a joint, or involving the lip border also deserve particular attention.

Bites, punctures, crush injuries, and wounds with embedded material need assessment—even if they look small.

A small, shallow, clean cut whose edges stay together and whose bleeding stops may heal without stitches. Some other cuts can be treated with medical adhesive or closure strips.

And timing matters.

There’s no single deadline for every wound. Some clean cuts can be closed up to about eighteen hours after injury, and selected head or facial wounds up to twenty-four hours.  However, if the decision is made to close the wound then the sooner the better, ideally within 3 or 4 hours.  This will help reduce the chance of infection and help improve outcome with less scarring.

Those timeframes are just guidelines, not a reason to wait. Dirty wounds and other higher-risk injuries may need a different approach. Waiting can make immediate closure unsafe, although other treatment options remain.

We also consider cleaning, infection risk, and whether your tetanus protection is current.

Telemedicine can help guide that decision, but video can’t reliably rule out a deeper injury.

Sometimes you need the ER. Sometimes an equipped urgent care can handle it. And sometimes home care is appropriate.

I’m Dr. Michael Gray with SelfPayMD.com. Even when treatment needs to happen in person, we can help you figure out the next step.