A concierge medical practice is a type of primary care that provides high-quality, personalized attention, with the goal being to keep patients healthy and happy. It is often more expensive than traditional healthcare but can be worth it for those who are willing to pay the price. Many people have switched over in recent years due to increasing dissatisfaction with our current broken health care system.
However, here are 15 reasons why a patient should choose concierge medical doctor
Top 15 Benefits of Concierge Medical Services
1. Access
You will have the doctor all to yourself for your entire family. No longer will you be shuffled around from doctor to doctor with insurance issues and co-pay requirements. The time saved alone, not having to deal with waiting rooms and insurance companies, is invaluable. Scheduling appointments becomes a breeze as well since there is so much flexibility involved.
2. Care –
You will receive undivided attention whenever you need it, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for as long as you are your doctor’s patient. Emergency room visits just to receive treatment for non-emergency illnesses is considered unacceptable by concierge doctors. Think of this service as having your own doctor’s cell phone number and be able to call or text anytime of day or night.
3. Quality –
You will receive better medical care because your doctor is no longer hindered by insurance company bureaucracy and red tape, which can bog down the best of doctors. The majority of the time spent with you will not be used to fill out paperwork or explain treatment protocol. The focus will be on you and your health, not how to maximize reimbursement.
4. Prevention –
Concierge doctors are not incentivized to provide unnecessary treatments simply to pad their wallets. A prime example of this is the over-prescription of antibiotics leading up to flu season. These drugs are becoming less effective year after year due to increasing antibiotic resistance. These drugs are handed out like candy to patients who present with cold-like symptoms by conventional doctors. This is not the case at all with concierge care.
5. Privacy –
The health information shared between you and your doctor stays between you and your doctor, period. The HIPAA privacy rule allows doctors to share your medical information with only those parties who have a “need to know.” With conventional insurance, the patient has no need to know any of this information and therefore should not be privy to it at all.
6. More Time –
Your doctor will have more time to take care of you now that he/she does not need to deal with insurance companies and can focus solely on you. You will also notice less down time for your doctor when making appointments, which will make scheduling more convenient for you.
7. Better Access –
With concierge care there is no worry about over-booking the doctor, meaning that you will have more time to see him/her. This is a great benefit for people who have had trouble in the past trying to schedule an appointment with their doctor when they were ill.
8. Convenience –
With a concierge medical practice, your doctor will have extended office hours so you can still get in to see him/her after work. You can even avoid the hassle of going to an ER for non-emergency illnesses and schedule a visit with your doctor instead, saving you time and money in the long run.
9. Choice –
With concierge care there is no need to upgrade or switch insurance carriers because your current provider will continue to be accepted at your doctor’s office. There is also no worrying about co-pays, deductibles, or prescriptions because your doctor will have the ability to waive these for you as a courtesy.
10. Customized –
You as a patient deserve to be treated as an individual and not as just another cog in the wheel of America’s broken health care system. With concierge care you can rest assured that your doctor will create a program suited specifically for you based on your current medical needs, lifestyle, and family history.
11. Accessibility –
Think of how great it would be to have access to your doctor at all times via phone or email for non-urgent matters. Your doctor also knows your medical history well, which prevents any delays in treatment.
12. Affordability –
The costs of these services are typically covered by the patient, not through insurance. The monthly cost is usually around $100-$150 per month depending on how many family members are being cared for by the doctor. This is definitely one of the best reasons to switch your care to concierge medicine because it will eventually pay for itself.
13. No Limits –
With the increased focus on preventative medicine, doctors no longer have a limit on how much they want their patients to be seen each year. In addition, you won’t be limited with what tests can be performed due to your insurance carrier’s coverage.
14. Better Quality Care –
Since the doctor has more time to devote to you, you can be assured that he/she will provide better care and won’t have to rush through the appointment as if it were just another item on his/her daily schedule. This also goes for how long a visit could last, with doctor’s office hours being longer and you won’t have to spend as much time in the waiting room.
15. Long-Term Health –
This style of medical care will help ensure that your overall health is maintained by keeping a close eye on both chronic conditions and newly contracted illnesses so they can be treated early before they become more serious.
Concierge medicine is definitely the way of the future in medical care, since it addresses all of the issues that are currently plaguing our medical system, but may not be for everyone. Each patient must weigh out their options before deciding whether or not this type of practice would suite their needs personally