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A12 BUSINESS
Wednesday 17 May 2023
Millennial Money: What’s concierge

medicine? Is it worth it?

By KATE ASHFORD
of NerdWallet
My primary care doctor
recently left her practice
and invited me to join her
at her new gig a con-
cierge medicine group.
There, for a membership
fee, I’d have better and
more personal access to
her services: same-day ap-
pointments and long con-
versations!
Concierge medicine a
model in which patients
pay a membership fee for A stethoscopes and blood pressure monitor on set on a rolling
a more direct relationship rolling table at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in
with a primary care doctor Jackson, Miss., Wednesday, April 8, 2020.
used to feel like a perk for Associated Press
the superwealthy. But as they have more time with health savings account,
fees have come down and their provider, says Terry you can use those funds to
people have gotten more Bauer, CEO of Special- pay your annual member-
frustrated with the state of docs, a company that ship fees as long as they go
traditional primary care, helps doctors transition toward wellness benefits.
concierge services may to concierge medicine. ADVANTAGES OF CON-
not seem like such a pie-in- People with a medical situ- CIERGE MEDICINE
the-sky option. There’s less ation after hours can call, There’s plenty to like about
waiting, more access, lon- text or email. “They have concierge medicine. It’s
ger visits and greater coor- that doctor, in essence, on usually possible to get
dination of care. However, speed dial,” Bauer says. “It same-day or next-day ap-
the fees can be high, and makes people a lot more pointments with your doc-
if you don’t have complex comfortable and a lot less tor, and wait times are min-
medical needs, it may not anxious.” imal, says Bret Jorgensen,
feel worth the expense. HOW MUCH DOES CON- chairman and CEO of
WHAT IS CONCIERGE MEDI- CIERGE MEDICINE COST? MDVIP, a network of con-
CINE? Membership fees for con- cierge medicine physi-
Concierge medicine is an cierge medicine vary cians. Typically, you have
arrangement in which a widely. For one large con- access to your provider at
patient pays a member- cierge network with doc- all hours of the day, and
ship fee to gain access to a tors in 44 states , the fee is because they have fewer
doctor’s practice. Your fee typically between $1,800 patients, your doctor has
may cover a wide range and $2,200 per year (or be- more time to spend with
of services, with insurance tween $150 and $183 per you. “With a smaller pa-
covering any needs you month). Other practices tient roster, your doctor
have outside the practice, can run much more. can take the time to know
or your fee may cover ba- “I know a couple that you and your health his-
sic preventive care and charge $4,000 a month,” tory intimately, which can
the practice might accept Bauer says. Doctors who lead to more personalized
insurance for the rest. charge those prices may and effective care,” says
But your experience, over- be board certified in two Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider ,
all, is more personal. Con- specialties cardiology and a practicing internal medi-
cierge medicine typically internal medicine, for in- cine physician and host of
offers same-day appoint- stance or they may be in the TED Health podcast.
ments and 24/7 access to an extremely wealthy area “Concierge doctors can
your doctor (who, by the of the country, he says. focus more on preventa-
way, isn’t rushed during vis- The good news is that if you tive care, which could
its). Patients like it because have a flexible spending or potentially catch health is-
sues early and save costs in
the long run.” q

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