Drs office charging monthly fee for "better service"??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is normal with the advent of all the damn lawyers driving up malpractice insurance and obamacare.

+1

Yes, Obamacare has pinned the doctors to a wall. They are suffering from all of the horrible changes that have been put upon them.

Now can you tell me what provisions are actually directed at doctors?

"Obamacare" has nothing to do with this. Do your homework...

Learn to identify sarcasm.

[Anonymous]

We just switched doctors because of it. They wanted $30 a month per patient, more if you're over 40.

[Anonymous]

Exactly what does this better service get you? No endless waiting for scheduled appointments? Free parking? Accurate diagnosis of illnesses?

[Anonymous]

I pay the voluntary admin fee at the practice in question; I have enough doctors in my family to understand the dynamic these days.

My mother has a concierge MD service and for her it's worth it.

For me, I don't plan to sign up with Privia and will be careful to monitor whether I get the same good service I have so far, and if not, I'll make my complaints known (will probably even tell my Dr there at my next visit that I hope the Privia signup doesn't result in worse service for existing patients who don't sign up).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Phone your insurance company and ask them. They should cover at least a portion of it.
You will need to give them details like the name of the practice and the doctors name etc, but doable.

I did that with my dentist and the next time I called they refused to see me

Hahahahahaha! That's probably what your insurer will do when you call them to ask. I have a high deductible plan and they won't even credit the entire visit. I've seen others mention the same thing on this site. Doctors are doing this because they are being squeezed by insurers. Insurers definitely won't pay for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Exactly what does this better service get you? No endless waiting for scheduled appointments? Free parking? Accurate diagnosis of illnesses?

Poster with the parents who use it. I think b/c they have a reduced patient base, it's a lot easier to get in to see the dr. My mom can call and get an appt that same day. When she was visiting us and got really sick, she had her dr's cell phone number and the dr. was able to help her seek diagnosis from other physician contacts in the DC area. When she calls the dr. from here in DC, she gets an immediate response. My father recently admitted he had a drinking problem. My mom's dr. sat down with her for over an hour and discussed strategies, programs for my dad, counseling for my mom, etc.

I know others have said it seems like concierge services are for the rich and leave out the middle class and poor. I mentioned earlier I don't know what my parents pay for this, but as I said, they are self-insured and their co-pays are a couple hundred bucks each. They can not afford to flit about to various drs like I can. I'm relatively healthy and don't need as much medical attention as they do, therefore I wouldn't pay for this kind of service. But I do know the feeling of being rushed and hurried at my kids' ped and my own OB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blame it on the insurance companies. They are raking in hefty profits, even in this economy, squeezing blood profits from businesses, doctors, and patients.

RIGHT cause they are evil.

The profits on insurance are very small and mandated by law. The problem is that the government has enacted and is going to enact more paperwork and worthless processes that cause expenditures to rise. On top of that the government is mandating certain pricing for certain items. Add to this the ambulance chasers like John Edwards and you have the perfect recipe for a big waste of time and money. Again in the end the lawyers win and no one else, we are paying for all of this one way or the other.

You ^^ or your dh must be an insurance executive. When has the government ever mandated profit limits on insurers. If it's not big bad government, then it must be the lawyers. If anything circle around and at least acknowledge that there is likely more medical malpractice due to the pressures on doctors.

Pathetic spin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blame it on the insurance companies. They are raking in hefty profits, even in this economy, squeezing blood profits from businesses, doctors, and patients.

RIGHT cause they are evil.

The profits on insurance are very small and mandated by law. The problem is that the government has enacted and is going to enact more paperwork and worthless processes that cause expenditures to rise. On top of that the government is mandating certain pricing for certain items. Add to this the ambulance chasers like John Edwards and you have the perfect recipe for a big waste of time and money. Again in the end the lawyers win and no one else, we are paying for all of this one way or the other.

You ^^ or your dh must be an insurance executive. When has the government ever mandated profit limits on insurers. If it's not big bad government, then it must be the lawyers. If anything circle around and at least acknowledge that there is likely more medical malpractice due to the pressures on doctors.

Pathetic spin.

President Obama this morning released a health care proposal that he will bring as a starting point for the bipartisan health care summit he is hosting Thursday. The plan closely follows the health care reform legislation that the Senate passed in December, but adds a new provision that would give the HHS secretary authority to block insurance company premium increases if the secretary deems them unjustified. Currently, that power rests with states. so now not only are you screwed at the state level but at the federal level. SEE there is a cap on profits already and even more so with obamacare.

[Anonymous]

The health insurance agency was FULL IN on the health care plan. That is why there is no public option. Please, it never would have passed if they didn't like it. I wish the law did more.

[Anonymous]

Umm, industry, not agency.

[Anonymous]

My GP sent a letter about the new concierge service the office is offering, and I threw the letter in the trash. I thought it was BS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My GP sent a letter about the new concierge service the office is offering, and I threw the letter in the trash. I thought it was BS.

Well in a few years I doubt you'll be able to find a single GP outside of university-sized clinics that won't charge hefty administrative fees, a concierge fee or take cash only. It just doesn't make sense for these physicians to work 60-70 hours weeks, pay $350K for medical school, train for 7 years and make 100K. Insurers aren't paying their share so patients will (out of pocket).

Many think the answer is mid level providers (Nps, PAs) but they don't want the primary care jobs either and every one I know (I am one) leaves as soon as a better (specialty) offer comes along. An NP can make 2 times the money (and work half as hard) in a dermatology or GI practice than in a GP office.

Until insurance companies start reimbursing fairly we're going to see more and more physicians opting out of the traditional insurance model.

[Anonymous]

I am a physician and have Made my practice fee for service (don't participate with insurance but patients can submit bills to get out of network benefits.). I do have regrets about this as I know that this excludes many who don't have the time or money to pay and wait for partial reimbursement but the other way (revolving door spots, unbelievablyfrustrating insurance company issues and reduced income) was not compatible (for me) with a happy family life. The up side is that I offer a sliding scale if patients situation changes and I think I'm able to provide better care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My GP sent a letter about the new concierge service the office is offering, and I threw the letter in the trash. I thought it was BS.

Well in a few years I doubt you'll be able to find a single GP outside of university-sized clinics that won't charge hefty administrative fees, a concierge fee or take cash only. It just doesn't make sense for these physicians to work 60-70 hours weeks, pay $350K for medical school, train for 7 years and make 100K. Insurers aren't paying their share so patients will (out of pocket).

Many think the answer is mid level providers (Nps, PAs) but they don't want the primary care jobs either and every one I know (I am one) leaves as soon as a better (specialty) offer comes along. An NP can make 2 times the money (and work half as hard) in a dermatology or GI practice than in a GP office.

Until insurance companies start reimbursing fairly we're going to see more and more physicians opting out of the traditional insurance model.

I found this extremely disturbing. I have all the respect in the world for healthcare providers but what this is saying is if you have the extra money and pay us more you will get more attention and better care. What about those who can barely afford the deductables, copays, coinsurance and the monthly insurance premiums. I get doctor's are squeezed but excuse me, the solution is to squeeze the patients even more? How do you sleep at night knowing some of your "special" patients will get better care from you and others get what exactly? I would hope doctors choose their profession because they care about people and want to treat them well and manage their illness not because they hoped to be rich and have an expectation of living in a praticular type of house, in a particular neighborhood and drive expensive cars. I just can't feel sorry for them that they can't maintain a certain lifestyle they would like to have so threrefore they screw their patients.

[Anonymous]

I have a doctor who takes virtually no insurance, which means I pay out of pocket, submit my receipts, and get whatever percentage my insurance offers for out-of-network. But all that is worth it because when I have an appointment at 10:00, I get seen at 10:00.