Introduction
In recent years, the implementation of concierge medical practice, or retainer-based medicine, is dynamically increasing in primary care settings. The concept itself originated in the 1990s within the practice of Dr. Maron and Dr. Hall (Dalen and Alpert, 2017). It is a growing approach in the medical system wherein physicians keep the number of their patients limited by providing exclusive medical care for an annual fee. As such, the patients pay an extra fee for the extended access to healthcare and doctors’ additional services. Anybody can benefit from a highly personalized and comprehensive approach to medical assistance, although costly services, by choosing concierge care. According to the current literature, concierge medicine is fundamental for building robust, long-lasting relationships between the patients and the physicians, enhancing overall healthcare (Contreras, 2019). For this reason, such an approach keeps becoming more popular nowadays in the United States so that patients can access a higher quality medical treatment. Most importantly, the general perspectives on the healthcare of both patients and healthcare providers are considerably improved.
The Goals of Concierge Care in the Modern Society
The concierge medicine model is developed upon the underlying concepts that advocate for quality and personalized care. Therefore, it serves both the patients and the doctors in modern-day society. First, concierge care reduces the number of patients under the doctor’s responsibility (Contreras, 2019). Hence, physicians are given more time to focus solely on their patients and deliver a more caring approach specifically tailored to patients’ needs and preferences. Second, medical personnel can now build more meaningful relationships with the patients by offering better-quality healthcare. Third, concierge care demonstrates a dramatic increase in patient satisfaction by providing individual healthcare due to the declining number of patients. Given such crucial purposes, both patients and doctors are highly supportive of this concierge model.
Concierge Medicine and Nursing
The concierge care practice also encompasses the nurse practitioners that are expected to provide in-depth treatment. As a result, such quality care significantly advances their careers while, at the same time, improving patients’ health outcomes and saving people’s lives. With the rapid development of concierge services, they are becoming more accessible and convenient for more patients. Nurses, in turn, can seize important career opportunities since they are enabled to spend more time with each of their patients and deliver more personalized care (Dalen and Alpert, 2017). Thus, nurses are given more control over their practices, eliminating the risk of professional burnout or even depression.
The Concierge Medicine Stakeholders
It is important to note that individual doctors or practitioners, as well as their patients, are the primary stakeholders involved in the concierge care system. Other parties that experience the effects of the retainer-based medicine encompass medical students, insurers, small group practitioners and family physicians, and commercial marketing organizations (Paul and Skiba, 2016). For this group, the effects of the concierge model might be controversial as its overall impact on Medicare beneficiaries and less qualified medical practitioners is still being examined.
Conclusion: The Importance of Concierge Care in the United States
The United States undoubtedly takes the lead in the global healthcare arena by developing and incorporating novel approaches and business models in its medical system. Concierge medicine is a critical healthcare model since it significantly transforms the quality of the healthcare system in the country. Such a model gains immense popularity in the United States due to the paradigm shift in societal perspectives on modern healthcare and enhanced quality of personalized care. To conclude, the enhanced focus and control and the closer attention to patients’ and doctors’ needs in concierge medicine helped both parties believe in the reality of high-quality care. It is now the main task to make such medical assistance more accessible by incorporating specific policies or integrating concierge care with the existing ones, such as HSAs or Medicare, by distributing finances evenly.
References
Contreras, P. (2019). Concierge medicine: Higher quality healthcare and its accessibility to patients [Master’s Thesis, California State University, Northridge]. California State University. Web.
Dalen, J. E., & Alpert, J. S. (2017). Concierge medicine is here and growing! The American Journal of Medicine, 130(8), 880–881. Web.
Paul, D. P., & Skiba, M. (2016). Concierge Medicine. The Health Care Manager, 35(1), 3–8. Web.