Concierge Medicine - A Novel Healthcare Model

We are getting subscribed into a world of subscriptions. Be it ordering food, eating in a restaurant, or watching movies. These subscriptions provide a complete experience rather than just products and services. The differentiating aspect of the 21st century is the hospitality and personalized experiences offered to the customers, and the healthcare industry is catching up to the trend.

Imagine booking an appointment easily, visiting your healthcare provider the same day, spending quality time understanding the problem and solution. Sounds unreal? That’s concierge medicine for you.

What is Concierge Medicine?

American College of Physicians defines concierge medicine as “any practice that directly contracts with patients to pay out-of-pocket for some or all of the services provided by the practice, in lieu of or in addition to traditional insurance arrangements, and/or charges an administrative fee to patients, sometimes called a retainer or concierge fee, often in return for a promise of more personalized and accessible care.”

Concierge medicine — also known as concierge care, retainer-based medicine, and direct primary care is a healthcare model that pairs exclusive, personalized care with accessibility and convenience.

To summarize, it is a subscription or membership for healthcare. At a flat annual or monthly fee, it includes visits with the practicing physician which can be booked through an app on the phone. Additional services include lab testing and reports, nutrition and wellness consultation, yoga, 24/7 support. Some service providers even boast immediate on-call and chat support.

Why Concierge Medicine?

Can you remember the last time you and your doctor discussed the stress of your new job and alternatives to anxiety medication? No? Neither can I. However, that experience does exist in the world of concierge medicine.

The patient-doctor ratio is skewed in India, putting immense pressure on doctors to provide quality service. The number of patients a doctor sees in a day makes it difficult for them to spend more than a few minutes with each patient. According to a 2017 study, the average

amount of time spent by a doctor per patient is around 2 minutes. Instant noodles take more time to cook than this! Doctors practicing concierge usually have a limited number of patients and hence can spend more time per patient.

The waiting time for doctor visits is often hours. Lab testing and other reports take a few more hours. Patients are often found complaining about long wait times for testing and procedures such as 2D Echo, X-rays, etc. Concierge medicine also takes care of all the patient health records and reports in one place and is accessible via an app on the smartphone.

With the busy lives we are living these days, anything that saves time is precious. People are willing to pay extra money for additional services and hospitality.

The Future of Concierge Medicine in India

Concierge medicine, like any other product or service we purchase, is an experience as much as it is care. It is a more personalized, intimate, and valuable encounter with the concierge doctor.

Indian healthcare is primarily distributed through institutions. Large hospital chains and multi-specialty hospitals have collectively turned the health spotlight away from individual doctors, small clinics and startups, and stand as the face of the Indian healthcare ecosystem.

In India, there is more stress on curative practices and a lack of emphasis on preventive practices. As a country, we Indians usually don’t think preventive healthcare is as important. A shift in this mentality has started to truly shape concierge medicine in India. People are taking more interest in treating the root cause of the disease rather than just covering it up with pills.

Concierge health services can be a blessing particularly for patients who need periodic medical follow-up due to ailing health, chronic illnesses, and diseases. Concierge medical service is also good for elderly patients who need regular check-ups to keep certain parameters under control like blood pressure or sugar levels, etc.

Pros and Cons of Concierge Medicine

A few of the perks that concierge medicine offers are -

● Guaranteed 24/7 assistance on call

● Dedicated and sufficient time for discussion with the doctor

● Access to healthcare records

● Testing and diagnostics

● Consultation with specialists

● Same-day or earliest possible appointments

● Pharmacy

Any model cannot be without shortcomings and concierge medicine is not an exception. A few cons of concierge medicine are -

● Concierge fees are not covered in your health insurance

● Patients need insurance for other expenses that are not covered in concierge-like hospitalizations

● Concierge fees vary from doctor to doctor

● Fees may increase with age

● It might cause doctors to favour high-income groups over people who can afford to pay concierge fees every month or year

Summing It Up

No sector is immune to changes and the healthcare sector’s next big change might just be Concierge medicine, thanks to the incredible convenience and effectiveness it promises. Although concierge medicine comes with its share of flaws, it is opening up a whole new world of quality healthcare from the comfort of your living room.