Although the concept is being touted as revolutionary, concierge medical care has been around for some time. If you go way back in time, all healthcare was concierge care because doctors came to their patients, not the other way around, and people saw the same doctor all their lives. Now, it is a way to get personalized care from one doctor who builds a relationship with their patient by seeing fewer patients overall. And some even make house calls when necessary.
Several years ago there was a television show called Royal Pains about a doctor who trades in his office practice to become a doctor to the wealthy in The Hamptons. While most think of concierge medicine as house call medicine paid for by the patient instead of through insurance, it has been morphing into personalized medicine for a fee not paid by insurance, but with some services covered by insurance.
What is Today’s Concierge Care?
WebMD explains that today’s “concierge doctors offer their services to patients directly in exchange for an upfront fee, usually paid monthly. They’re also called direct primary care (DPC) or personalized medical service providers. Their services used to be common only among wealthy patients who could afford the fees, but in recent years, concierge medicine has become more affordable…Costs for concierge medical service range widely, and services vary according to cost. Patients often pay a monthly retainer fee, and the annual costs can range from $1,500 for more basic care to $20,000 a year for more specialized services.”
For doctors, being part of a concierge company means seeing fewer patients per day. Where most doctors see between 20 and 25 patients per day, and that number can go as high as 60, a concierge doctor will see an average of eight per day, maybe ten at the most. And each patient has the doctor’s undivided attention.
Some concierge services do come to the patient, but most still have the patient come to them, but with no long wait times in the office. When the patient arrives, they meet with the doctor at their appointed time.
Concierge Care in Williamson County
There are a number of concierge medical services offered in Williamson County in both Franklin and Brentwood. One of these companies, Medical House Calls, has been receiving a lot of attention because it was just purchased by Chuck McDowell, the owner of Wesley Financial, LLC. He became a client of the business during the pandemic and became so enamored of the concept that he bought the business from founder, Stewart Jones.
Medical House Calls provides primary healthcare in the comfort of your own home to clients throughout Middle Tennessee. They have also added IV Therapy and a personalized weight loss management program. They provide nurse practitioners who can take care of a wide range of conditions, including allergies and bronchitis; colds and flu, sprains, strains and fractures; and most of the other services offered by a primary care physician.
Marable Personal Healthcare (MPH), Brentwood MD, Cypress Membership Medicine/Signature MD and MDVIP are all a bit different from Medical House Calls. These companies use the fee for personalized service models. In the case of MPH, the services are provided by one doctor, Dr. Charles Marable. BrentwoodMD, Cypress Membership Medicine/Signature MD and MDVIP all have a number of doctors affiliated with them and they provide the doctors with a patient management service.
At MPH, Dr. Marable is passionate about creating and preserving a long-term patient-physician relationship. He acts as an internal medicine doctor, but also does preventative care and disease management. If a client needs a specialist, he has a curated network of these and he works with them through any hospital stays or surgeries to quarterback care by helping to navigate the healthcare system.
While BrentwoodMD is similar to MPH, there are two doctors and a nurse practitioner affiliated with the practice. By becoming a member of their practice, patients will receive 24-hour access to Dr. Aaron Welzel, the founder of the business, by cell, text or email; house calls; same day office visits; a network of specialists; hormone optimization and weight loss coaching; preventative care; and advanced disease diagnosis.
Both Cypress Membership Medicine/Signature MD and MDVIP are companies that doctors can become affiliated with that connect them with patients, help them to tailor wellness plans for their patients, provide same day appointments; monitor chronic illness; provide specialist referrals; and offer telemedicine services. MDVIP also works with companies to provide executive health programs.
According to grandviewresearch.com, “The U.S. concierge medicine market size was estimated at USD 6.7 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.37% from 2024 to 2030.”
There are pros and cons to this response to long waits in doctor’s offices and a growing lack of relationship between a doctor and patient, but for some the cost will be prohibitive. It is growing in interest among seniors who require more care and have more need of monitoring of chronic conditions, but for those who use doctor services infrequently, then it may not be worth the investment.
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