For those unfamiliar with the term, concierge medicine is when a patient pays a doctor an annual fee or retainer. This payment may be in addition to other charges, and is usually a relationship between the patient and the primary care physician. Concierge medicine is also known as retainer medicine.
Concierge medicine is often seen as a luxury service. Images of a doctor making house calls come to mind. Doctors prefer concierge medicine because it allows them to spend more time with the patients. The higher fees allow doctors to spend more time with each patient instead of rushing to get in as many patients as they can into a given amount of time. Lets take a brief moment to discuss the pros and cons for patients when it comes to concierge medicine.
What Are the Pros of Concierge Medicine
1. Improved Health Care
Concierge is considered improved health care because the doctor is able to spend more time with you. With individual care like this, the doctor has plenty of time to answer your questions and walk you through any procedures you may need to know about. A concierge doctor is also capable of getting back to you quicker. In addition, it takes significantly less time to get a visit with a concierge doctor then it does without one.
2. Decreased Overall Costs
If you can afford a concierge doctor, then you may be looking at a savings verses your current health care bill. Depending on where you get your health insurance from, it is possible to save money by shifting from your current coverage to a concierge doctor. This will depend on the kind of coverage you currently have, and the options provided to you by your employer.
What Are the Cons of Concierge Medicine
1. Cost
One of the greatest limitations to concierge medicine is the cost. A typical fee for a concierge doctor ranges from $1,000 to $20,000 a year. While some are capable of paying that fee, others lack the ability to afford such costs. Limited due to costs, the majority of people cannot benefit from having a concierge doctor.
2. Decreased Services
While concierge medicine is fantastic if you are looking for a general practitioner, it may be worse for you if you are searching for a particular kind of care of specialty. If this is the case, then you will have to pay for both the concierge doctor and any additional medical bills on top of that.
Crystal Lombardo is a contributing editor for Vision Launch. Crystal is a seasoned writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience. She has been an editor of three popular blogs that each have had over 500,000 monthly readers.
