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I began working as a concierge physician in 2014 to strengthen my relationship with my patients. When my patients transition to concierge medicine, they experience positive changes before, during, and after their visits.
Traditionally, a patient will schedule an appointment with their primary care provider at a time that fits into the doctor’s schedule, not the patient’s (assuming they have any availability within a reasonable timeframe). Once they arrive, they wait for their name to be called (hoping that it will be near their actual appointment time).
As a concierge patient, you won’t be spending time in my waiting room, and if you need to be seen, you’ll have an appointment that day or the next.
Once the doctor enters the room, patients often feel frustrated that their doctor appears hurried, spending more time looking at their computer or checking their watch, rather than attending to the patient’s needs.
As one of my concierge patients, you’ll have ample time to have your issues addressed, your voice truly heard, and your questions answered in a way that makes sense to you. You’ll even be able to see what I am seeing as I use my computer, effectively removing a major obstacle to truly meaningful communication.
Frequently, rather than trying to manage problems themselves, doctors will send their patient to multiple specialists for additional (and often unnecessary) testing. Having multiple doctors often results in fragmented patient care without a truly cohesive process for addressing overall patient health. The patient is left to their own devices to schedule those appointments, often with more delays before the actual appointment takes place.
As a concierge patient, you won’t be referred to a specialist unless you truly need one. I will call each and every doctor personally, explain to them exactly who you are and what you need, and help ensure that you will be seen in a timely fashion. I will stay connected with your specialty providers to help you navigate their recommendations. If you see multiple specialists, as so many of us need to do, I will make sure that your care is coordinated, streamlined, and most importantly, understandable to you.
Often, to get test results or answers to questions that are important, a patient will need to leave a message with a receptionist (assuming they don’t hit voicemail prompts, get disconnected, or hang up after waiting on hold). If it’s after hours, they’ll probably be speaking with a covering physician who will have no idea who they are. It may take hours or days to get a call back – and that’s time their questions are left unanswered.
As a concierge patient, you’ll have access to my cell phone. You can reach me 24/7/365.
If you’d like to learn more, please call whichever of my offices is most convenient for you, and my team will schedule you for a complimentary “meet and greet”. Although my practice is being very cautious and screening all of my patients for COVID-related symptoms, I am happy to do your meet and greet by phone or video conference if that is what you prefer. Either way, let’s take some time to meet one another so that I can answer any questions you might have before joining my practice.