Anonymous wrote:What do these visits normally cost?

My concierge pcp has a yearly fee. It's $3,750 annually and she doesn't bill insurance for visits -- any visits you want/need are included in the membership fee.

What do these visits normally cost?

Lucy McBride but not sure if she has a waitlist. She probably does.

any good concierge practice in Fairfax? My current PCP is dud and I am going to change him but don't have time to wait long for appointments either.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mother recently changed to concierge. She likes her doctor. Andrea Hulse. Mom doesn't have a weight problem so can't speak to that.

OP here. Thank you! I don't have a weight problem either. I've just noticed so many concierge docs have websites focused on weight loss. I don't need that and want someone more focused on my multi-systemic inflammatory problems. Or at least someone creative about chronic illnesses.

The only reason you are seeing concierge websites that appear focused on weight management is because lots of regular (non concierge) providers won't prescribe weight loss meds because the administrative burden that comes along with writing scripts for GLP-1 meds is way too high. They spend hours and hours and hours dealing with insurance companies trying to get coverage, or, alternatively, too much time dealing with angry patients who don't understand why they don't have coverage and why the out-of-pocket cost of the meds is so high. Even when there is coverage, doctors often have to submit a lot of info on behalf of patients including what their weight loss is at certain points (insurance companies won't pay for expensive drugs if they aren't working, so they need proof of weight loss in the form of a certification from a doctor who is weighing the patient regularly). It's a big enough hassle involving so much unpaid admin labor that it can literally send a clinic into the red if lots of folks are on GLP1s. So at this point most traditional insurance-driven primary care practices are referring folks out to weigh loss specialists. Some patients then go to weight loss provider just for the weight management, but some decide to go looking for a new PCP. So at the moment, with the rise in GLP1 use, lots of folks are out there specifically looking for a concierge doctor because they aren't getting the weight management treatment they need from traditional PCPs.

I wouldn't let this turn you off from any concierge primary care practice that interests you. It doesn't mean they are specifically looking for patients who want to lose weight and that that is their focus. It's just the marketing that makes sense in this particular health care ecosystem moment.

Anonymous wrote:My mother recently changed to concierge. She likes her doctor. Andrea Hulse. Mom doesn't have a weight problem so can't speak to that.

OP here. Thank you! I don't have a weight problem either. I've just noticed so many concierge docs have websites focused on weight loss. I don't need that and want someone more focused on my multi-systemic inflammatory problems. Or at least someone creative about chronic illnesses.

My mother recently changed to concierge. She likes her doctor. Andrea Hulse. Mom doesn't have a weight problem so can't speak to that.

Anonymous wrote:No one is likely to recommend their practice because it will place additional demands on the limited resources of the practice. This is one of the reasons concierge medicine is a bad idea.

What?

They cap the number of patients. Their panel is going to be what their panel is, whether people recommend them or not.

Eileen West if you are willing to travel to go to Virginia. She might have a wait list, but probably only for 6 mos or less? Worth getting on it.

Mine doesn't advertise and emails me back in a couple of hours. Their fee and load seems ok for us and them.

Anonymous wrote:No one is likely to recommend their practice because it will place additional demands on the limited resources of the practice. This is one of the reasons concierge medicine is a bad idea.

Seems weird. The practice is going to want to maintain its full capacity and will advertise until they're full and will then stop accepting new patients. Concierge medicine's definition of "full" is much lower than non concierge. But I don't think there's any use in keeping the physician name a secret. It's not going to make a dent in patient load.

No one is likely to recommend their practice because it will place additional demands on the limited resources of the practice. This is one of the reasons concierge medicine is a bad idea.

OP here. I forgot to mention, I'm not interested in One Medical. I have too many data privacy concerns.

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Anyone have a great concierge practice they'd recommend? Ideally, the doctor has an interest in treating chronic illnesses and isn't overwhelmingly focused on weight loss. Foggy Bottom/Downtown DC would be ideal, but would travel for the right person.