No I Will Not Pay an Annual Fee to see my PCP !!! (medical, plan)
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Yesterday I got a letter in the mail from my beloved family care doc, who said he is going to "limit" his practice, reduce his patients and only accept those who sign up for his VIP service. First come, first served. Then a wait list. I don't know what the yearly fee will be, but regardless, I am not paying it. He has been my Medicare doc for a while, although I usually see his PA because it's faster. He also saw my 102 year old Mom, and she was the oldest patient he ever had, he said.
Yes, I like him alot. And I think he likes me also. He says he will be more involved with each patient, take more time with them, and will be a better doctor this way. I am appalled at this decision. This seems to be a way to make more money, not offer a better practice. I have already been satisfied with my experience. And I do not need another bill. Maybe he wants to weed out the Medicare Advantage plan patients, don't know.
So, good bye fine doctor. I guess you will have enough people signing up, but I won't be one of them.
Its becoming more and more common. Concierge medicine is no longer for the rich; the average Joe can now participate in this 'closer to the patient' form of practice. Although I have health insurance, I still use a primary care physician who practices concierge medicine and I'm glad I did it.
Then go elsewhere. Vote with your feet. Concierge docs don't make more money BTW. It's about reducing headaches, paperwork, government interference, and not having to fight to get paid.
Concierge docs don't make more money BTW. It's about reducing headaches, paperwork, government interference, and not having to fight to get paid.
This is exactly right. From what I've read on CD and elsewhere, practicing medicine these days is extremely frustrating - and unfulfilling. Robyn who posts on CD (and her hubby) joined the Mayo Concierge practice in Jacksonville three or four years ago for $8k per couple. Her husband has MS. She said her PCP went that route to get away from the administrative headaches. Now Mayo is pricey, but there are many concierge practices which are more affordable - like $2k a year, some much less. If one really needs a lot of monitoring and needs frequent communication w/doc, concierge is a way to get that. We have a couple concierge docs in our area - one charging $2k/yr., I believe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhxBarb
He says he will be more involved with each patient, take more time with them, and will be a better doctor this way. I am appalled at this decision. This seems to be a way to make more money, not offer a better practice. I have already been satisfied with my experience. And I do not need another bill. Maybe he wants to weed out the Medicare Advantage plan patients, don't know.
Medicare reimbursements are low, but Medicare Advantage plan reimbursements can be even lower. The MA's are not required to pay their docs full Medicare rates. Often they negotiate something closer to Medicaid rates. So, it's not surprising the doc wants to get away from that. Probably even higher on his list than reimbursement is his frustration in dealing with the MA insurers and their oversight, and he's sick of it. That would not be an uncommon feeling. Docs have to jump through way too many hoops with insurers these days from approvals to claims processing. In the end, it's the patient who suffers - like you - with the loss of a doc.
Last edited by Ariadne22; 04-05-2016 at 08:01 PM..
Like most things, this should be market driven to lower costs. I dropped Medicare in my office a few months ago and sent out a letter to all my Medicare patients noting the change. Multiple patients left my practice to go find some other chump who "successfully" works in the Medicare cattle-call system. They hire an army of nurses so they can run 5 rooms at once, spend only a few minutes with each patient, and have the nurses do "clean up" and close out the appointments to free up the room for the remaining cattle. It's a race to the bottom. Some of my prior patients are already coming back to me when they realize the difference. I do my own H&Ps, I do my own consent forms for surgery, I remove my own sutures, and I do my own wound care and dressing changes. My patients get MY cell phone number....not a number to some call center or a nurse they never met. They get the same cell phone number my wife calls me on. I take these calls even when I am out of town. Surprisingly to all of them, I still charge barely above Medicare rates. It's not just about the money. There is a market for a higher level of care than Medicare provides for.
I have always seen many out-of-network patients in my office but Medicare is the toughest crowd because they are the most entitled which is the source of the original post here. Entitlement. Medicare patients believe they have clout because they are part of the largest "insurer" in the country. What they don't realize is that only institutional facilities can afford to treat them through additional "facility fees" that private practice docs are not eligible to bill. Therefore private docs are getting rid of government plans and making room for patients who value a higher level of more personalized care. This is why we are slowly moving towards a 2-tier health system where government patients will be treated in "clinic" settings and private patients will continue to be treated in private offices.
The allure for patients to sign up for Medicare is also it's greatest Achilles heal. There are SO many Medicare patients that the individual patients lose their leverage. There is no incentive for doctors to go out of their way to make these patients happy because there are 10 other patients waiting to take their spot.
If there is no value to a higher level of care then don't do it and go wherever your Medicare takes you. The choice is yours.
Yesterday I got a letter in the mail from my beloved family care doc, who said he is going to "limit" his practice, reduce his patients and only accept those who sign up for his VIP service. First come, first served. Then a wait list. I don't know what the yearly fee will be, but regardless, I am not paying it. He has been my Medicare doc for a while, although I usually see his PA because it's faster. He also saw my 102 year old Mom, and she was the oldest patient he ever had, he said.
Yes, I like him alot. And I think he likes me also. He says he will be more involved with each patient, take more time with them, and will be a better doctor this way. I am appalled at this decision. This seems to be a way to make more money, not offer a better practice. I have already been satisfied with my experience. And I do not need another bill. Maybe he wants to weed out the Medicare Advantage plan patients, don't know.
So, good bye fine doctor. I guess you will have enough people signing up, but I won't be one of them.
I don't understand how you could decide that you don't want to pay for the VIP service when you don't even know how much it will cost you. That just doesn't make sense to me. I could understand someone coming to the conclusion that such a service is not worth X dollars to him or her, but how is it not worth any dollars? Emotional over-reaction?
I think he could have just stopped taking patients as some other physicians do. They limit their practices to those patients they already have. And yes, emotional for sure. Overreaction? No, I don't think so. I don't care what the fee is. I will find someone else. I use many specialists and hardly ever see the PCP anymore. So why pay for something I don't use?
This is exactly right. From what I've read on CD and elsewhere, practicing medicine these days is extremely frustrating - and unfulfilling. Robyn who posts on CD (and her hubby) joined the Mayo Concierge practice in Jacksonville three or four years ago for $8k per couple. Her husband has MS. She said her PCP went that route to get away from the administrative headaches. Now Mayo is pricey, but there are many concierge practices which are more affordable - like $2k a year, some much less. If one really needs a lot of monitoring and needs frequent communication w/doc, concierge is a way to get that. We have a couple concierge docs in our area - one charging $2k/yr., I believe.
Medicare reimbursements are low, but Medicare Advantage plan reimbursements can be even lower. The MA's are not required to pay their docs full Medicare rates. Often they negotiate something closer to Medicaid rates. So, it's not surprising the doc wants to get away from that. Probably even higher on his list than reimbursement is his frustration in dealing with the MA insurers and their oversight, and he's sick of it. That would not be an uncommon feeling. Docs have to jump through way too many hoops with insurers these days from approvals to claims processing. In the end, it's the patient who suffers - like you - with the loss of a doc.
Maybe you can answer this, I''m wondering how a concierge practice works with patients who have Medicare, or other health insurance. I understand that joining such a practice involves a fee that ranges anywhere from maybe $1500 annually on up, and this fee entitles patients to better access to the doctor ( as in cell phone accessibility most hours of the day), same day appointments, perhaps at least one well patient exam a year, and so on.
But what about payment for the docs services beyond those covered in the concierge fees? If a patient has a chronic medical condition needing frequent monitoring by the doc, or frequent illnesses, or hospital admission, does the doc bill the patient's insurance or Medicare for his services, and are these reimbursed the same way the services of a non-concierge physician provider would be?
Maybe you can answer this, I''m wondering how a concierge practice works with patients who have Medicare, or other health insurance. I understand that joining such a practice involves a fee that ranges anywhere from maybe $1500 annually on up, and this fee entitles patients to better access to the doctor ( as in cell phone accessibility most hours of the day), same day appointments, perhaps at least one well patient exam a year, and so on.
But what about payment for the docs services beyond those covered in the concierge fees? If a patient has a chronic medical condition needing frequent monitoring by the doc, or frequent illnesses, or hospital admission, does the doc bill the patient's insurance or Medicare for his services, and are these reimbursed the same way the services of a non-concierge physician provider would be?
Yes. In most cases, the concierge fee is an add-on to any reimbursements the docs get from insurance companies or Medicare and supplement.
Articles at this search link - seems there are varying ways to skin the cat:
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