Doctor's office switching to "concierge" (additional cost outside of insurance)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a doctor in primary care. If you want an MD pcp doctor in the future with good appointment times and someone who has time to listen etc this is what the future holds. For many it’s either this or leaving medicine all together because the current landscape is not sustainable.

In the future it will be either MD via concierge for the rich and a rotating group of NP/PA with less training for everyone else.

nah, we dont want to pay and think $50 for a annual PCP visit is more than enough SMH at how brainwashed the patients/consumers are these days.

$50 is more than enough. It’s shocking how brainwashed Americans are. People on South Korea or Japan go to the doctor every year for free, or when they need to pay it costs something like $5-10 per visit. US healthcare blows.

You don't understand the difference between how much the patient pays at point of service vs how much the provider receives.

And you don’t understand how terrible the U.S. is. The Japanese have a similar level of taxation as we do, yet somehow they manage to have pretty much universal access to affordable medicine. In fact, the Japanese government mandates that everyone get a free comprehensive physical every year after a certain age. Healthcare is affordable and accessible there that they got to the doctor like 9-12 times per year, on average. Each time might only cost them $20 or less out of pocket.


Meanwhile, in the U.S. we shell out hundreds per month for insurance that many places no longer even take only to have to pay even more exorbitant fees at the offices. And that’s only if you’re lucky enough to get access to a doctor. Everything about US healthcare blows. It is massively overpriced too.

Because doctors (and drug/insurance execs) expect to be rich.

For all of their complaining, do you have one doctor friend:relative who is not well off? They live in nice houses, send kids to private school, go on fancy vacations.

Lately, some don’t even work five days a week.

If you can afford that lifestyle, while working part-time, you are over charging your patients.

After spending years in training and going deep into debt. Sure.

Cry me a river.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a doctor in primary care. If you want an MD pcp doctor in the future with good appointment times and someone who has time to listen etc this is what the future holds. For many it’s either this or leaving medicine all together because the current landscape is not sustainable.

In the future it will be either MD via concierge for the rich and a rotating group of NP/PA with less training for everyone else.

nah, we dont want to pay and think $50 for a annual PCP visit is more than enough SMH at how brainwashed the patients/consumers are these days.

$50 is more than enough. It’s shocking how brainwashed Americans are. People on South Korea or Japan go to the doctor every year for free, or when they need to pay it costs something like $5-10 per visit. US healthcare blows.

You don't understand the difference between how much the patient pays at point of service vs how much the provider receives.

And you don’t understand how terrible the U.S. is. The Japanese have a similar level of taxation as we do, yet somehow they manage to have pretty much universal access to affordable medicine. In fact, the Japanese government mandates that everyone get a free comprehensive physical every year after a certain age. Healthcare is affordable and accessible there that they got to the doctor like 9-12 times per year, on average. Each time might only cost them $20 or less out of pocket.


Meanwhile, in the U.S. we shell out hundreds per month for insurance that many places no longer even take only to have to pay even more exorbitant fees at the offices. And that’s only if you’re lucky enough to get access to a doctor. Everything about US healthcare blows. It is massively overpriced too.

Because doctors (and drug/insurance execs) expect to be rich.

For all of their complaining, do you have one doctor friend:relative who is not well off? They live in nice houses, send kids to private school, go on fancy vacations.

Lately, some don’t even work five days a week.

If you can afford that lifestyle, while working part-time, you are over charging your patients.

After spending years in training and going deep into debt. Sure.

Cry me a river.

DP. What, so you you can freeload float on someone else's tears?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank ACA.

This isn’t an ACA thing. It’s a privat insurance thing.

I would MUCH rather have a government bureaucracy making decisions about my health coverage and claims than a private enterprise trying to meet quarterly earnings targets.

Oh my God. You have obviously never worked with the government.

My mom was a VA nurse for 38 years. You do NOT WANT THE GOVERNMENT MANAGING YOUR CARE. So many unnecessary deaths due to poor docs. There was one surgeon they called "Dr. Death" because he nicked organs like weekly, leading to people dying of sepsis unnecessarily. Did the VA stop him from operating? Nope. He continued on for 15 more years doing this until he retired.

All of us pay for Medicare starting the day we work, and throughout our working years PLUS, on top of that we pay premiums, deductables and co-pays and it doesn't cover everything so you need a supplement.
So much misinformation. First, ACA isn’t govt run healthcare, it’s through private companies. Second, I’m sure the VA has problems but Medicare is govt run healthcare and seniors are overwhelmingly happy with original Medicare. There’s no reason that model couldn’t work for more people. Third, you have to talk about the impact private equity has had on practices.

Can we actually talk about this? It should be perfectly transparent when a practice is owned by PE. Because I would immediately walk.

There is no symbiosis to those sharks buying up practices (who is selling to them) and patient care.

No, Medicare is government PAID health care, which is totally different than government run health care. And seniors may be happy with their original Medicare, but that's because there are basically no limits on their expenditures AND the rest of us subsidize the low rates paid by the feds to hospitals and physicians. That is not a sustainable model for the entire system.

[Anonymous]

What are they doing extra for $2200 a year if you still have to pay for appointments and your insurance is billed? That's what almost $200 a month, and for that I'd expect one charge appointment at least monthly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised that you’re surprised by this. Over the past 5 years lots of PCPs have moved to a concierge model. My doctor explained that she would now be able to see 400 patients instead of the 2200 she was previously seeing. It’s up to you to decide whether the premium is worth it. My doctor still took my regular insurance so there were no surprises there.

I decided it wasn't worth it. I see several specialists for a complicated condition and a PCP doesn't add much value, especially for $2200. I'm not sure what they're going to do during the superduper annual check up. They certainly do not coordinate the specialists, and when I was diagnosed the PCP knew less about the condition than I did from Dr Google.

My suggestion would to find a PCP who uses the same portal as your specialist. Having them share records is the best care coordination for me.

2200 is dirt cheap to get (assuming you would) same day or next day care, extended time with doctor, and full annual more extensive visit.

Agree. My concierge practice charges 3200

Ha. 3200 happens to be right around the annual FSA limit. They just expect people to max out their FSA and hand it to them. Fat chance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are they doing extra for $2200 a year if you still have to pay for appointments and your insurance is billed? That's what almost $200 a month, and for that I'd expect one charge appointment at least monthly.

Yeah, I don't understand this at all. I go to mt PCP once or twice a year. $1100/visit is outrageous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are they doing extra for $2200 a year if you still have to pay for appointments and your insurance is billed? That's what almost $200 a month, and for that I'd expect one charge appointment at least monthly.

Yeah, I don't understand this at all. I go to mt PCP once or twice a year. $1100/visit is outrageous.

You aren't like most posters here that need every question answered in 2 hours or their health anxiety spirals out of control into an ER visit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are they doing extra for $2200 a year if you still have to pay for appointments and your insurance is billed? That's what almost $200 a month, and for that I'd expect one charge appointment at least monthly.

Yeah, I don't understand this at all. I go to mt PCP once or twice a year. $1100/visit is outrageous.

You aren't like most posters here that need every question answered in 2 hours or their health anxiety spirals out of control into an ER visit.

If people are that sick or anxious, wouldn't they have lots of specialists?

I won't pay concierge fees because I don't have much faith in a PCP to be knowledgeable about my rare condition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are they doing extra for $2200 a year if you still have to pay for appointments and your insurance is billed? That's what almost $200 a month, and for that I'd expect one charge appointment at least monthly.

Yeah, I don't understand this at all. I go to mt PCP once or twice a year. $1100/visit is outrageous.

Same here. Our PCP is becoming concierge soon, too, and afterwards I'm thinking our healthcare is going to be a combination of urgent care once or twice a year when really sick + specialists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are they doing extra for $2200 a year if you still have to pay for appointments and your insurance is billed? That's what almost $200 a month, and for that I'd expect one charge appointment at least monthly.

Who said the annual membership fee is $2200? This is talked about the entire thread, but where is it coming from?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are they doing extra for $2200 a year if you still have to pay for appointments and your insurance is billed? That's what almost $200 a month, and for that I'd expect one charge appointment at least monthly.

I bet they slip the $2200 into vacation trips and staff parties.

[Anonymous]

Most of PCPs don’t know how to handle these increasing metabolic issues in patients. If you think a concierge doc will play the superhero, make a full stop and seek care somewhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are they doing extra for $2200 a year if you still have to pay for appointments and your insurance is billed? That's what almost $200 a month, and for that I'd expect one charge appointment at least monthly.

Who said the annual membership fee is $2200? This is talked about the entire thread, but where is it coming from?

Marshak's office, who also sent out this email.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised that you’re surprised by this. Over the past 5 years lots of PCPs have moved to a concierge model. My doctor explained that she would now be able to see 400 patients instead of the 2200 she was previously seeing. It’s up to you to decide whether the premium is worth it. My doctor still took my regular insurance so there were no surprises there.

I decided it wasn't worth it. I see several specialists for a complicated condition and a PCP doesn't add much value, especially for $2200. I'm not sure what they're going to do during the superduper annual check up. They certainly do not coordinate the specialists, and when I was diagnosed the PCP knew less about the condition than I did from Dr Google.

My suggestion would to find a PCP who uses the same portal as your specialist. Having them share records is the best care coordination for me.

2200 is dirt cheap to get (assuming you would) same day or next day care, extended time with doctor, and full annual more extensive visit.

Agree. My concierge practice charges 3200

Ha. 3200 happens to be right around the annual FSA limit. They just expect people to max out their FSA and hand it to them. Fat chance.

PP here. It's been worth it for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are they doing extra for $2200 a year if you still have to pay for appointments and your insurance is billed? That's what almost $200 a month, and for that I'd expect one charge appointment at least monthly.

Yeah, I don't understand this at all. I go to mt PCP once or twice a year. $1100/visit is outrageous.

You aren't like most posters here that need every question answered in 2 hours or their health anxiety spirals out of control into an ER visit.

I have real health issues, and I just use an online doctor service when I get really sick or my doctor or alternate is not available. The online is great as I don't have to go in when I'm sick. Got a little camera for my ears and nose off amazon.