What Is A Concierge Doctor?
The concept of concierge doctors is slowly gaining momentum with an increasing number of patients favoring them as opposed to conventional medical practices.
However, not many people know what a concierge doctor means and how he or she would be different from primary healthcare physicians. Let us understand what is meant by a concierge doctor.
What is a concierge doctor?
Concierge doctors offer healthcare services directly to patients in exchange for an upfront fee that is usually paid on a monthly basis.
According to one report from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, nearly 1 in 5 adults in the top 1% population pay the additional fee for having direct access to their primary care physicians. [1]
Earlier, the services of concierge doctors were common only among the privileged class of people or wealthy patients who could afford the higher fees.
However, recent years have witnessed a sharp rise in concierge medicine that has become more prevalent and affordable.
What do concierge doctors do?
Concierge doctors provide personalized care to the patient. They also provide direct access, which means the waiting time to see the doctor could be reduced significantly.
Concierge doctors limit the number of patients they are responsible for. Usually, the idea is to see a smaller number of patients compared to the higher volume of patients in the traditional clinical practice. This allows for more time with each patient.
It also helps the doctors minimize the extent of paperwork associated with Medicare insurance payouts.
Concierge doctors can be primary care physicians or specialists.
Reasons to see a concierge doctor
Shorter wait time
Direct email and phone contact, same-day appointments, and reduced waiting time are some common reasons to see a concierge doctor.
A personal relationship
As concierge doctors do not see too many patients, they are able to spend more time with each patient. This means they get to know their patients better. The doctors can also gain a better understanding of the patient's medical history that could make it easier for them to detect the underlying issues.
If you are considering adding the services of concierge doctors to your team of healthcare providers, you can look out for companies that provide concierge service with low-cost medical insurance.
References:
1. https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=6603517-Income-Inequality-Report-January-2020
