Concierge Medicine? What’s that?
Connected Health, a Concierge Medicine Facility in Wexford, PA. source: www.bizjournals.com
Previously, on HealthTech 2018, we discussed our client kick-off meeting, defining the scope of our project, and starting our exploratory research.
This week we explored the exciting world of Concierge Medicine and Direct Primary Care, concepts our team had never seen first hand.
Concierge Medicine, also known as retainer-medicine and membership medicine, refers to when a primary care physician charges a membership fee in exchange for enhanced care. This can include decreased patient loads ensuring fast service and, in some cases, having a closer relationship with the physician themselves. Direct Primary Care (DPC) is very similar in that is also charges an annual membership fee in exchange for increased access to their physician; however, they bypass insurance entirely, opting for having a cash-only practice. Fees for concierge care services range anywhere from $800 all the way to $5,000 per year, depending on your service. What exactly are clients of Concierge and DPC medical providers paying for?
Concierge Medicine Services always include increased access to a primary care doctor, but can also feature
- Private Pharmacies
- Gym Memberships
- Nutritionist Consultations
- Health and Wellness Classes
- Healthy Cooking Demos
- Medical Assistant Services
- Preventative Care Services (Like Yoga, Training, and Dieting Consultations)
- And much more.
Altogether, these benefits sound pretty great, but how does a Concierge Medicine facility convince a prospective customer that they should pay an additional fee for their services. After visiting Connected Health, a DPC facility in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, we had a few ideas.
The concept of Concierge Medicine seems fairly abstract, especially in a market of people who have only seen the complicated side of insurance-driven healthcare. Visiting facilities that you might want to join, however, provides a first-hand perspective of what these services can do for you. Engaging in more proactive versus reactive care is still a foreign concept to many using traditional health care systems, but what can we do to introduce people to new forms of health and wellness centers? How would you determine if concierge medicine is right for you?
Next time, on HealthTech 2018, we explore our earliest findings and user interviews, where we dive into some memorable experiences of people who recently recently visited the emergency room.
