Concierge Medicine

By symtym | 11.8.07

Concierge medicine: Rx for stressed health care system? | AJC | 11.8.07

Concierge medicine — the name itself implying highly personalized services — has sprouted as a rebellion against what’s perceived as assembly-line medicine. The doctors flee the frenetic pace and hassles of traditional practices, and limit their practice loads. Patients, in exchange for $1,500 or more a year, get 24/7 convenience and added face time with a doctor.

In the past five years, concierge practices have gained a small foothold in major cities. But these arrangements — also known as boutique practices — raise tough ethical questions:

In a system that already has a shortage of primary care doctors, does concierge medicine siphon off valuable resources?

Does it create a two-tiered medical system, one for the well-off and one for everyone else?

We have this in the ER, except for the $1,500/year and the wait…