What is Concierge Medicine?
Concierge medicine in the United States began in the early 1990s. In Seattle a company called MD² began offering what at the time was a rare and expensive form of primary care that became the standard for ‘concierge medicine.’ Their philosophy is ‘We didn’t take the bureaucratic oath.’ Soon, other concierge medicine practices began to spring up around the country. In 2002 Dr. Michael O'Neal and Dr. Dorota Matusewicz started the first concierge medicine practices in Tampa Bay, and they are still in operation today. Echelon-Health Concierge Medicine was established in 2013.How it Works
A concierge medicine practice provides patients with personalized medical care and convenient service in exchange for a membership fee. In some cases the fee is paid in addition to standard co-pays for those practices that are also insurance-based practices. Practices such as Echelon-Health that are completely insurance-free include all services in the membership fee.Insurance is not required, but can be utilized for labs and diagnostic services ordered by the physician. For patients without coverage or high deductibles, Echelon-Health provides affordable cash pricing on labs and some prescription medications.
What is Included in the Membership Fee?
In insurance-free concierge medicine practice, all office visits and office procedures are covered. That means when the patient pays the membership fee, the patient has paid for all services including visits and procedures. No matter how many times the patient needs to be seen, the fee doesn’t change. At Echelon- Health, we treat everything from fractures to colds including diabetes, hypertension, and acute concerns like lacerations and sprained ankles.How Do Patients Communicate with the Doctor and Staff?
One of the greatest advantages of concierge medicine is the ease of communication. Typically the doctor will provide his patients with his cell phone number for urgent after-hours concerns. Also patients can communicate non-urgent matter via text message, e-mail, or regular telephone communication. Video conferencing is another useful tool that concierge medicine physicians use to communicate with patients when they don’t need to come to the office, but require more interaction than a phone call or text.How Quickly Can I Be Seen?
Another advantage of concierge medicine is the lack of long waits to be seen. If the patient has an urgent concern, then the patient is usually seen the same day, or next day at the latest. Since concierge medicine practices are low volume practices (often seeing less than 8 patients a day) the schedule allows for ease of scheduling for all patients.How Does Concierge Medicine Work With My Insurance?
Insurance-free concierge medicine practices work best with high-deductible plans and PPO plans. Prescribed medications and tests ordered by your concierge medicine physician should be covered without any issues.Patients who have HMO insurance will need to have an HMO physician approve any referrals or prior authorizations, but may still join and will likely have coverage for routine medications and labs.
How Does Concierge Medicine Work With Medicare?
If you have "straight Medicare" or a Medicare PPO you can join without any restrictions. If you have a Medicare HMO plan, you can still join but may have difficulty with referrals and prior authorizations.Read more about Concierge Medicine and Medicare at Echelon-Health.
Is Concierge Medicine Expensive?
The membership fees for concierge medicine practices vary. Fees are generally between $1000-3000 yearly, although some practices may be priced significantly higher. At Echelon-Health the annual membership is $2100 for adults and $360 for dependent children.Is Concierge Medicine Ethical?
While concierge medicine is considered ‘controversial’ by some, mainly due to cost, the reality is that differences in prices of products exist everywhere in life. Whether it is an automobile, a hotel, a meal, or a basketball, the price of products vary considerably. At Echelon-Health we believe that not only is concierge medicine ethical, but a valuable service that is both affordably and transparently priced. No person has ever been forced into joining a concierge medicine practice, just as no one has ever been forced into eating a fine meal or driving a nice car.How Can I Learn More About Concierge Medicine?
We encourage those interested in Echelon-Health to schedule an informational consult where we can delve further into what we do and how it may fit into your lifestyle.To schedule a consultation please contact Echelon-Health at 813-415-2319.