For those who have a concierge primary care doctor, what services are included?

[Anonymous]

My PCP went to a concierge model, so I followed and paid $2100 for just an annual physical exam. In my case, I have all normal labs with no health issues. Additional fees are charged for any other appointments. Their assistant is not prompt at responding to any voice mails I leave, and I had to initiate calling again to ask about scheduling and another very benign question. Also, I recently discovered that the portal that I was using previously (prior to the physician going concierge and using the same portal) --- will not allow me to email my provider directly. (Prior to joining this concierge model, I was able to email my provider directly!) I feel irritated now that I have to always leave a voicemail and cannot message directly, plus I am paying substantially more.

I understand I can't hound the physician for mundane requests, and of course the provider should be compensated for their time fairly -- but I'm now paying for a concierge fee and would like to understand how I am suppose to contact the provider directly rather than always have a dilatory assistant to funnel through. I thought the point of the concierge model to be able to handle a certain number of patients without overloading and burdening the office. I've been to the office several times, and there is no other patients jammed up and the assistant is sometimes not even sitting at their desk to acknowledge my presence (i.e. I end up waiting around looking to see if anyone is there).

If you have a concierge model for primary care, do you get to email your doctor directly? I'm annoyed and wondering if I switch to another concierge doctor, would I get the same lackluster service.

[Anonymous]

Hopefully you will get a more directly responsive answer, but here is a data point:

My neighbor owns this practice (midwest): https://libertyfamilymed.com/membership/benefits/

The benefits at are a lot more than you describe, and the cost is much lower. DH and I are just about ready to sign up because we are so fed up with our primary care providers network.

We are obviously in a lower COLA, but medical stuff is not that much different here- university of missouri physicians make a lot more than university of virginia physicians, for example, because reimbursements are the same everywhere, and because it is harder to recruit to missouri.

[Anonymous]

I'd look elsewhere. I get excellent and quick response both by email and telephone. I even have doc's private cell number with a guaranteed call back w/in 15 minutes (which I've used once in 5 years).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd look elsewhere. I get excellent and quick response both by email and telephone. I even have doc's private cell number with a guaranteed call back w/in 15 minutes (which I've used once in 5 years).

I don't pay the concierge fee at my PC (you can still get regular appointments and not pay it), but this is the kind of thing they do offer if you pay it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd look elsewhere. I get excellent and quick response both by email and telephone. I even have doc's private cell number with a guaranteed call back w/in 15 minutes (which I've used once in 5 years).

From the OP, can you give a ballpark estimate of what you pay? As I mentioned originally, I pay $2100 and I'm not getting any of services.

[Anonymous]

I pay around that much for a concierge GP, and I think it’s worth it. She responds to emails personally within 2-3 hours during business hours, or I can call her office for an immediate response. Outside of business hours, her office has a rotation of doctors on call that will respond 24/7 within an hour. She is very proactive about coordinating care, and when I had complications after delivering one of my kids, she was on the phone with specialists constantly. She has been able to get me in to see specialists quickly, often same day, even if they have a months-long waitlist when I call on my own.

[Anonymous]

Things that doctors used to do for free: like answer your phone calls!

They like it because they can work less and make more.

Bye bye to their non-wealthy patients.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My PCP went to a concierge model, so I followed and paid $2100 for just an annual physical exam. In my case, I have all normal labs with no health issues. Additional fees are charged for any other appointments. Their assistant is not prompt at responding to any voice mails I leave, and I had to initiate calling again to ask about scheduling and another very benign question. Also, I recently discovered that the portal that I was using previously (prior to the physician going concierge and using the same portal) --- will not allow me to email my provider directly. (Prior to joining this concierge model, I was able to email my provider directly!) I feel irritated now that I have to always leave a voicemail and cannot message directly, plus I am paying substantially more.

I understand I can't hound the physician for mundane requests, and of course the provider should be compensated for their time fairly -- but I'm now paying for a concierge fee and would like to understand how I am suppose to contact the provider directly rather than always have a dilatory assistant to funnel through. I thought the point of the concierge model to be able to handle a certain number of patients without overloading and burdening the office. I've been to the office several times, and there is no other patients jammed up and the assistant is sometimes not even sitting at their desk to acknowledge my presence (i.e. I end up waiting around looking to see if anyone is there).

If you have a concierge model for primary care, do you get to email your doctor directly? I'm annoyed and wondering if I switch to another concierge doctor, would I get the same lackluster service.

I get better service at One Medical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My PCP went to a concierge model, so I followed and paid $2100 for just an annual physical exam. In my case, I have all normal labs with no health issues. Additional fees are charged for any other appointments. Their assistant is not prompt at responding to any voice mails I leave, and I had to initiate calling again to ask about scheduling and another very benign question. Also, I recently discovered that the portal that I was using previously (prior to the physician going concierge and using the same portal) --- will not allow me to email my provider directly. (Prior to joining this concierge model, I was able to email my provider directly!) I feel irritated now that I have to always leave a voicemail and cannot message directly, plus I am paying substantially more.

I understand I can't hound the physician for mundane requests, and of course the provider should be compensated for their time fairly -- but I'm now paying for a concierge fee and would like to understand how I am suppose to contact the provider directly rather than always have a dilatory assistant to funnel through. I thought the point of the concierge model to be able to handle a certain number of patients without overloading and burdening the office. I've been to the office several times, and there is no other patients jammed up and the assistant is sometimes not even sitting at their desk to acknowledge my presence (i.e. I end up waiting around looking to see if anyone is there).

If you have a concierge model for primary care, do you get to email your doctor directly? I'm annoyed and wondering if I switch to another concierge doctor, would I get the same lackluster service.

I get better service at One Medical.

I do too. WAY cheaper, as well. Not wild about the Bezos angle but I was a member long before Amazon bought it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Things that doctors used to do for free: like answer your phone calls!

They like it because they can work less and make more.

Bye bye to their non-wealthy patients.

It was the big insurance companies that started the squeeze.

[Anonymous]

We are with one medical because my cop went to them. I get prompt answers to messages, forms done online for kids. Urgent televisions or in person visits when sick. And it's what a $200 fee per person per year.

[Anonymous]

Mine includes a full physical and bloodwork and EKG plus up to 5 sick visits a year. She did not take insurance anyway, so I was paying out of pocket for these things. I think it's $3500/pp. She's excellent and very attentive. Your Dr. does not sound like that. I'd leave after a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are with one medical because my cop went to them. I get prompt answers to messages, forms done online for kids. Urgent televisions or in person visits when sick. And it's what a $200 fee per person per year.

One medical is like the Walmart of concierge medicine, but it's what OP needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Things that doctors used to do for free: like answer your phone calls!

They like it because they can work less and make more.

Bye bye to their non-wealthy patients.

I could spend all day every day answering phone calls for free at my practice. Literally. I could be a volunteer physician who just practices medicine by phone. The reason the receptionist screens calls is because there are so so so many.

This is not a concierge practice- I think having your calls screened at a concierge practice defeats the point of feeling special and getting special care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine includes a full physical and bloodwork and EKG plus up to 5 sick visits a year. She did not take insurance anyway, so I was paying out of pocket for these things. I think it's $3500/pp. She's excellent and very attentive. Your Dr. does not sound like that. I'd leave after a year.

OP here: I feel scammed after finding out this doctor doesn't even allow email directly to them- not that I would abuse it, but it's nice to have in case there is just something I feel I need to ask directly that can only be conveyed through me, and not through an assistant. I have been with this PCP for about a couple of years, so I figured maybe I would be getting better care through this concierge model. Apparently not. I should at least be getting a means to communicate directly. All I am getting is just an annual physical and no additional visits; and no access directly to the doctor via email or phone. And in their defense, I do realize PCPs are busy and aren't compensated enough for their time and workload, but this is lame. Ugg, need now to start combing again for PCP recommendations.