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By Caitlin AdamsPublished: September 01, 2010
SPOTLIGHT ON CONCIERGE MEDICINE
Imagine access to a doctor’s care on your schedule.
By Caitlin Adams
With health-care reform still uncertain and questions swirling about
cost, access to providers and the quality of care, has the time come
for concierge medicine?
Some have labeled it a luxury and
the cost too excessive, especially compared to more economically priced
plans. But confronted with crowded waiting rooms and doctors with
limited resources – not to mention premiums applied to patients with
pre-existing conditions and restrictions on frequent doctor visits –
concierge medicine has become a more widely accepted option.
“Many
of our clients have realized how valuable their health and their time
is,” says Dr. Jeffrey Barke (pictured above, in lab coat), founder of Personalcare Physicians, a concierge medical practice in Newport Beach. “We strive to make sure that we honor both.”
There
is an annual fee to belong to the practice, but the trade-offs are
attractive to a growing number of individuals who are searching for the
right strategy to cover their health-care needs.
“When
people are evaluating the cost benefit of paying for concierge medical
services and considering all of the other services they invest in –
whether it is private school, golf lessons, personal trainers – it
becomes very easy to justify investing in their health,” he says.
Some of the benefits:
• Access –
Doctors are available 24/7, with same-day appointments and no waiting,
as doctors only see a limited number of patients. (Personalcare’s
average patient caseload is 350; it is 600 to 650 at most concierge
services and 3,000 to 4,000 for typical insurance doctors.)
• Relationship – Concierge physicians have time to get to know their patients individually, so they can attend to specific needs.
• Proactive health-care management –
Concierge doctors have the time to help their clients focus on overall,
long-term health, with benefits such as yearly comprehensive physicals,
fitness and nutrition planning, stress management, etc. (This also
applies to family care, as doctors can coach and assess the ongoing
health and development of each individual child.)
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| By Caitlin AdamsPublished: September 01, 2010 |
Imagine access to a doctor’s care on your schedule.
By Caitlin Adams
With health-care reform still uncertain and questions swirling about cost, access to providers and the quality of care, has the time come for concierge medicine?
Some have labeled it a luxury and the cost too excessive, especially compared to more economically priced plans. But confronted with crowded waiting rooms and doctors with limited resources – not to mention premiums applied to patients with pre-existing conditions and restrictions on frequent doctor visits – concierge medicine has become a more widely accepted option.
“Many of our clients have realized how valuable their health and their time is,” says Dr. Jeffrey Barke (pictured above, in lab coat), founder of Personalcare Physicians, a concierge medical practice in Newport Beach. “We strive to make sure that we honor both.”
There is an annual fee to belong to the practice, but the trade-offs are attractive to a growing number of individuals who are searching for the right strategy to cover their health-care needs.
“When people are evaluating the cost benefit of paying for concierge medical services and considering all of the other services they invest in – whether it is private school, golf lessons, personal trainers – it becomes very easy to justify investing in their health,” he says.
Some of the benefits:
• Access – Doctors are available 24/7, with same-day appointments and no waiting, as doctors only see a limited number of patients. (Personalcare’s average patient caseload is 350; it is 600 to 650 at most concierge services and 3,000 to 4,000 for typical insurance doctors.)
• Relationship – Concierge physicians have time to get to know their patients individually, so they can attend to specific needs.
• Proactive health-care management – Concierge doctors have the time to help their clients focus on overall, long-term health, with benefits such as yearly comprehensive physicals, fitness and nutrition planning, stress management, etc. (This also applies to family care, as doctors can coach and assess the ongoing health and development of each individual child.)
Get headlines in your hand at OCMETRO.com/apps
