Forbes
What Is Concierge Medicine And Is It Worth The Price Tag?
Can you remember the last time you scheduled a same-day appointment with your doctor? No wait or quibble over a copay or deductible when you arrived at the office, and then you and your doctor discussed the stress of your new job and alternatives to anxiety medication? No? Neither can I. However, that experience does exist in the world of concierge medicine.
What Is Concierge Medicine?
Concierge medicine—also known as concierge care, boutique medicine, retainer-based medicine, platinum practice and direct primary care—is membership-based healthcare that pairs exclusive, personalized care with accessibility and convenience.
For a flat monthly fee, you get unlimited office and telehealth visits that last as long as you need, as well as direct care from a doctor without worrying about copays and other charges. You also gain access to your doctor’s direct phone line for medical questions and simple diagnostic and blood tests in their office. And if you have a major health problem, your doctor coordinates specialist referrals and/or hospital care as needed. With concierge medicine, there’s no insurance or corporate health system interference—just doctors and patients.
The concierge concept is appealing for both primary care physicians and their patients, says Sequita Richardson, M.D., a family medicine physician at Encompass Medical Group in Kansas City, Missouri. “Doctors get frustrated with government restraints and insurance. There are administrative burdens, so people are burnt out and unhappy. Primary care on demand sounds attractive because you can get back to doing what you love to do,” she says.
Concierge Medicine vs. Traditional Primary Care
A new patient in a large metropolitan area waits an average of 24 days to get an appointment with a traditional primary care physician. Why? Because a traditional primary care physician can have a patient panel of up to 4,000 people and see up to 40 patients a day for no more than 15 minutes at a time[1].
“In a busy insurance-based primary care practice, you don’t have enough time with patients,” says Troy Burns, M.D., founder and medical director of ProPartners Healthcare, a direct primary care practice in Overland Park, Kansas. “Doctors are paid for how many people turn the turnstile.” Unsurprisingly, people who choose traditional primary care are frustrated with the lack of access to their doctor. “They love their doctor but hate the office,” he says.
The traditional primary care physician routine is a familiar one—after waiting weeks for an appointment, you have some basic tests and screenings and wait days or weeks for the results to be uploaded to an online portal. If you’re lucky, you get to discuss your results with a nurse over the phone.
The concierge medicine model, on the other hand, is more about the patient experience. Physicians who participate in concierge or direct primary care typically have a patient panel of no more than 600 people. They see six to 10 patients a day and spend at least 30 minutes with each of them. Patients can get same-day or next-day appointments, access advanced tests and screenings more easily, and spend the time it takes to discuss results and develop a personalized care plan with their doctor.
The Pros and Cons of Concierge Medicine
Naturally, there are both benefits and drawbacks to the concierge medicine model.
Pros:
- Guaranteed access to care 24 hours a day, seven days a week
- Same-day or next-day appointments
- Standard care, including wound treatment, blood work, physicals and preventative screening, in office
- No copays or deductibles for office visits
- Some common medications are dispensed directly from the office at a discount
Cons:
- You still need regular health insurance to cover things like hospitalization and specialty referrals
- Membership and monthly fees vary by practice
- Fees increase with age
- Monthly fees paired with regular insurance premiums can be expensive
