Frustrated with the difficulty in getting an appointment with your primary care physician? Unhappy with the amount of time your doctor spends with you during an appointment? Have a few extra thousand dollars a year?
If these questions describe you, you might be a candidate for concierge medicine. Under this approach, primary care doctors charge patients a flat rate (the article mentions rates from $1,500 to $6,000 per year) for better access to the doctor. Benefits include longer appointments and increased access to the physician (one claims to provide 24/7 access via cell phone and email).
It is not just "one" of us who provides 24/7 access to patients via cell phone or beeper; we all do.
ReplyDeleteI opened one of the first concierge practices in the country 8 years ago and just authored the first book on the subject, "Concierge Medicine; A New System to Get the Best Healthcare"(Greenwood/Praeger, 2008).
Steven D. Knope, M.D.
www.conciergemedicinemd.com