(Forbes) In the U.S., the healthcare system is in need of significant repairs.
The likelihood of these repairs happening in today’s politically charged environment is pretty low. At the same time, the healthcare systems in other countries are also broken or under serious pressure.
With people wanting quality medical care, in many ways, concierge medicine is becoming the optimal choice.
“Although there are many really good doctors out there, they’re not able to practice medicine they way they want to. Critical to high-quality medical care is having a primary care physician who understands you, has the time to spend with you, and who is sincerely concerned about your well being,” says Jeffrey Friedman M.D., Director of Medicine at Community Health Associates and a member of MDVIP, “If patients want to assure themselves of getting access to top-of-the-line medical care when they need it as well as concerted follow up including a physician acting as a health advocate with specialists and hospitals, concierge medicine is probably the answer for many of them.”
“There are a variety of different types of concierge medical practices with different costs and services. For example, there are individual concierge medical practices, networks of physicians such as MDVIP and connected care models,” says Daniel Carlin, M.D., CEO of WorldClinic and author of The World of Concierge Medicine.
“What’s so telling is that all the different versions of concierge healthcare are experiencing a dramatic upswing in patients. Why? Many people are recognizing the need to take control of their lives and are uncomfortable with the idea of depending on the traditional healthcare system, which often practices assembly line medicine. To make certain they get high-quality healthcare they are becoming patients of a concierge medical practice.”
With advances in medical care, many concierge medical practices have embraced wellness and longevity planning.
“We’re same-day available to see patients when they’re injured or sick, but we’ve also committed substantial resources and expertise to preventive care and wellness programs,” says Friedman.
“By limiting the number of patients in our concierge medical practice, we can work with them to help them take the steps that can result in much longer and healthy lives.”
For those people who can afford concierge medicine – keep in mind there are a wide range of price points – the benefits are proving to be extremely appealing. With the traditional healthcare system ostensibly broken and no good fixes in sight, for individuals and families wanting high-quality medical care, the answer seems to be concierge medicine resulting in the boom.
