Anyone used concierge medicine? (Dallas, Leonard: insurance, how much, high school)

[jiping]

Patients pay an annual retainer, while the physician keeps a small panel of patients.

Patients have guaranteed same-day/next-day appointments and 24/7 text/call/email access to PCP.

In Dallas there are many MDVIP affiliated PCPs($1,800/yr). Is it worth it?

[North Beach Person]

One of the guys I went to high school with opened a concierge practice when he retired from emergency medicine. He found he enjoyed it more than having a standard practice, which he did for a year or so.

He sold the practice a couple years ago to fully retire.

I know this doesn't answer your question but giving a perspective from a medical side.

[fndmom]

I think it depends on how much you would utilize the doctor. We have noticed several of my husband's doctors have decided to switch to concierge over the last several years. In discussing with them we decided it wasn't worth it at this point in our lives.

[SanJac]

It's worth it if you like your doctor and want to stick with him/her. I've been with the same doctor for over 25 years. He went to a concierge model about 5 years ago and I stuck with him. My experience has been good...appointment availability, phone follow-up calls, text messages, etc.

Having said that, $150 month is a drain when the economy is down. I plan on "breaking up" with my doctor at the end of the year. I'll roll the dice with a new doctor.

[Leonard123]

I looked into it myself, but I just decided the cost wasn't worth it even without insurance. I wouldn't even think about it if I had medical insurance that paid most of those visits. It really depends on your own medical needs, though. I don't think that's a question anyone else can answer.

Now if you are looking for recommendations on a good GP or internist, that's one I'd like to hear. I would be shocked if there were any left, at least any taking new patients. That's one reason I wouldn't want to join any of these programs. Good luck finding someone who is seeing new patients, and even then, I just have lost faith in them all. I'm jaded.

[SanJac]

Originally Posted by Leonard123

I looked into it myself, but I just decided the cost wasn't worth it even without insurance. I wouldn't even think about it if I had medical insurance that paid most of those visits. It really depends on your own medical needs, though. I don't think that's a question anyone else can answer.

Now if you are looking for recommendations on a good GP or internist, that's one I'd like to hear. I would be shocked if there were any left, at least any taking new patients. That's one reason I wouldn't want to join any of these programs. Good luck finding someone who is seeing new patients, and even then, I just have lost faith in them all. I'm jaded.

The concierge model doesn't take the place of insurance. You are basically paying for exclusivity to keep your doctor.

I agree with your assessment of doctors. Everything is trial and error. I value them less after my mom's recent passing - which is why I'm willing to give up concierge service.

[jiping]

Originally Posted by Leonard123

I looked into it myself, but I just decided the cost wasn't worth it even without insurance. I wouldn't even think about it if I had medical insurance that paid most of those visits. It really depends on your own medical needs, though. I don't think that's a question anyone else can answer.

Now if you are looking for recommendations on a good GP or internist, that's one I'd like to hear. I would be shocked if there were any left, at least any taking new patients. That's one reason I wouldn't want to join any of these programs. Good luck finding someone who is seeing new patients, and even then, I just have lost faith in them all. I'm jaded.

My understanding is that the retainer part will be paid out of pocket not involving insurance. You still need insurance to cover other medical charges.

You can have a good GP in your insurance network, but nowadays the bottleneck of medicine is accessibility. Very hard to see the physician him/herself.
You have a 15-min appointment 3 weeks later, or you can see NP/PA, or you will be sent to an urgent care.

Concierge = pay to jump the line.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by jiping

My understanding is that the retainer part will be paid out of pocket not involving insurance. You still need insurance to cover other medical charges.

You can have a good GP in your insurance network, but nowadays the bottleneck of medicine is accessibility. Very hard to see the physician him/herself.
You have a 15-min appointment 3 weeks later, or you can see NP/PA, or you will be sent to an urgent care.

Concierge = pay to jump the line.

I wonder where you guys are that have so many problems getting in to see a doctor. We've been with the same practice for almost forty years and have never had a scheduling issue. Now, the practice does have "unscheduled" slots built into the day for each of the doctors. If ours happens to be off when we call and it's a somewhat emergency another one will see us.

[jbgusa]

Originally Posted by jiping

My understanding is that the retainer part will be paid out of pocket not involving insurance. You still need insurance to cover other medical charges.

You can have a good GP in your insurance network, but nowadays the bottleneck of medicine is accessibility. Very hard to see the physician him/herself.
You have a 15-min appointment 3 weeks later, or you can see NP/PA, or you will be sent to an urgent care.

Concierge = pay to jump the line.

I'm not sure I understand; I thought concierge meant that no insurance was accepted.

[jiping]

My understanding: the ones accept insurance usually work with 3rd party companies (such as MDVIP, MD2) to circumvent billing/code/tax nuisance.

Instead of paying $1,800 to the physician, patients pay the 3rd party companies for an annual executive wellness checkup.
Maybe $300 covers the checkup, and the rest $1,500/yr is kickback to the doc.

Other than that, the concierge PCP works & charges just like an ordinary PCP.
It just that he has $1,500*400 = $600k baseline revenue when he has a panel of 400 patients.
So no incentive to rush 15 min sessions and see 20+ patients a day. Enough time to reply text/email and accommodate same-day appointments.

HOW DOES MY INSURANCE WORK IN AN MDVIP-AFFILIATED PRACTICE?
Most MDVIP-affiliated primary care practices accept insurance (your physician can tell you whether they accept your specific insurance plan). Your annual fee pays for preventive care medical services that insurance usually doesn’t cover (e.g., advanced diagnostic testing and screenings). Your MDVIP-affiliated physician will continue to bill your insurance and charge copays, co-insurances and deductibles as he or she currently does for other medical services like sick visits.