Concierge medicine is a new health care model that is focused on patient-centred care. It is a membership-based model wherein patients are able to receive direct treatment from their concierge doctors, often in conjunction with their health insurance, by paying a direct fee for an enhanced level of access and personalized service.
The healthcare industry is ushering in a refreshing new take on patient care due to the many frustrations that come with the traditional, insurance-based healthcare model.
As concierge medicine offers a highly individualized, patient-focused healthcare method. With its invaluable benefits alone, the concierge medicine model is a true testament of how health care should be, one with every patient’s best interests as its top priority.
Mentioned below are some of the best benefits of having a concierge doctor for personalized care.
As Concierge medicine allows more time between doctor and patient, fostering a more intensive doctor-patient relationship that typically lasts for years, or sometimes even generations.
With the concierge medicine model, doctors will be accessible and able to provide personalized care to their patients as long as necessary who seek their medical advice . Here are the few changes that brought contrast to the traditional insurance-based healthcare model:
What everyone really needs to know is that patients do get better care when their doctor is satisfied with what they are doing. - Dr. Tiffany Blythe, an advocate for direct patient care models
The level of premium patient-centred care that comes with concierge medicine is virtually incomparable to the traditional insurance-based healthcare model.
With concierge medicine, house visits are most welcome. When you are sick, some concierge physicians are also more than willing to accompany you to your specialist appointments to ensure that your health care needs are seamlessly communicated and addressed.
This new health care model provides immediate access to your concierge doctor. Direct patient care is the norm, which means patients can reach their doctors via their personal line 24/7.
Better access to their doctor gives patients peace of mind, it can be therapeutic and it can lead to a relationship of greater trust. - Carolyn Long Engelhard, MPA, a director of the health policy program at the University of Virginia - School of Medicine
You will be surprised by how well concierge doctors can take care of you when they are not overworked, weighed down by unimportant administrative paperwork, or made to do the bidding of intermediaries.
Again, it all goes back to a time – doctors and patients alike desire nothing more than that. Time is the defining factor in building that layer of trust between doctor and patient.
When doctors are not preoccupied with matters other than their patient’s well-being, they have all the time in the world for the important stuff, such as:
Concierge medicine breaks down a significant pain point which the traditional fee-for-service health care model has so convolutely established: complicated third-party billing.
Unlike the chaotic health insurance set-up most patients have come to loathe, the membership fee aspect of concierge medicine is transparent, straightforward, and financially advantageous.
The concierge medicine model allows patients to settle a monthly, quarterly, or annual fee based on clear-cut payment terms and their corresponding amenities.
It is important to distinguish between concierge medicine and Direct Primary Care (DPC). While the DPC model is well-known for offering heavily discounted services and medication at or near wholesale cost because it does not bill insurance, this is not a typical feature of most concierge medicine practices that do bill insurance for such services.
The financial advantages of concierge medicine come from predictable fees for access and personalized care, which can lead to better health management and potentially fewer downstream costs. This model provides:
Now, isn’t that such a comforting thought? Making exceptional healthcare accessible to patients like you is our ultimate goal. Enjoy the best that healthcare has to offer, and find a concierge doctor in your area.
