Pandemic-induced lockdowns exposed the weaknesses of traditional fee-for-service (FFS) medical practices. As a result, visitors and patients essentially stopped showing up to healthcare facilities which significantly reduced the income of FFS practices everywhere.
As for patients, common illnesses and other non-emergent diseases were left untreated. As a result, they had to suffer through their ailments to shield themselves from potentially contracting COVID while waiting in line in FFS clinics.
These traditional primary care model vulnerabilities highlighted the need for a new model less burdened by bureaucratic and administrative requirements.
Concierge Medicine, A membership-based model offers the same level of first-class care but different from traditional fee-for-service (FFS) emerged during this Covid-19 pandemic.
The operational agility of businesses, healthcare organizations, included, were tested during the pandemic. The lockdowns were curveballs that essentially prevented a lot of clinics, labs, and other facilities from operating.
Fortunately for members, concierge practices are extremely agile both in terms of administrative operations and medical dispensation. The roadblocks such as the institutional bureaucracy in insurance-based FFS healthcare practices do not exist in these new models.
A. Early Adopter of Telehealth Services
Even before telemedicine was needed, patients were already able to set and attend their appointments via electronic means, whether through video conferencing and emails. During emergencies, doctors even allow quick consults via SMS or traditional calls.
When the pandemic hit, concierge practices doubled down on these technologies. Some concierge practices even invested in proprietary technologies to either improve operational efficiency or enhance data privacy.
This allowed concierge physicians to keep treating their patients’ non-COVID illnesses without having to break lockdown rules and exposing patients to the virus.
B. Concierge Doctors Help Counteract Disinformation Campaigns
Administrative functions of concierge practices were also quick to adjust as they often didn’t have much work to do compared to traditional FFS clinics. In addition, doctors could spend even more face-time with each patient because they can perform their consultation obligations from home.
This allowed them to have sincere talks with patients about the fake news surrounding the pandemic. With disinformation about vaccines becoming widespread, this important benefit shouldn’t be overlooked, especially when raising overall vaccination rates.
C. Provide COVID-19-Specific Care Packages
Concierge physicians can also easily adapt to the needs of their patients better than traditional practices because of the operational agility of their practice.
With the quick shift to providing COVID home care packages for individuals with mild to moderate symptoms, concierge medicine alleviated some of the stress from mainstream medical institutions.
The lockdowns caused a cascading effect on the economy resulting in massive job loss. With it came the stoppage of employer-backed health insurance coverage leaving millions without the means to pay for necessary healthcare.
Those who can’t pay for healthcare insurance premiums out of pocket are left to fend for themselves.
There are low-cost membership practices such as Direct Primary Care (DPC) that can compete with the cost of insurance, especially when the copays and coinsurance are factored in. With concierge medicine, the costs are upfront, so it can easily be budgeted for.
What makes concierge medicine even more attractive is that it does not necessarily exclude insurance. If patients want to use insurance for specific services, they can do so in conjunction with their concierge practice like using HSA for Concierge Medicine Fees etc.
With FFS, the copays and coinsurance that patients have to pay after each visit might dissuade them from coming in for a consult.
The unlimited access to their primary care physician, on the other hand, makes concierge practices even more attractive to patients. In addition, the convenience and the fixed cost empowers them to consult more often to improve their long-term health.
A. Peace of Mind in Medical Emergencies
Members of a concierge practice have doctors on-call at all hours so they can call in for advice for whatever ails them at any given moment. As for more serious emergencies, having this kind of access to a medical expert can also give members some much-needed peace of mind.
B. Key to Diagnosing COVID Comorbidities and Other Undiagnosed Ailments
The benefit of frequent consultations can’t be stressed enough for long-term health. It’s not only a good way to monitor patient health, but it’s also the key to the early detection of undiagnosed critical illnesses.
Two services typically offered by concierge physicians are complete executive checkups and physical exams. These health checks are crucial in detecting potentially undiagnosed illnesses.
If, for example, physicians find COVID-19 comorbidities via a patient’s health check, such as hypertension, they can then proceed to help them through appropriate treatment plans.
C. Proper Guidance in the Health Maintainance
With the rampant disinformation such as the use of ivermectin as protection against Coronavirus being spread across social media about healthcare topics, it’s important for individuals who are not medically versed to have a credible source of information.
It helps if that source is someone that patients already know and respect.
Most concierge doctors serve that purpose for a lot of their patients. This way, members have a way to discern between credible information and potentially harmful disinformation.
But, this benefit isn’t just for COVID-19 related cases. It can help in other health topics too. From the benefits of intermittent fasting to the cons of consuming GMOs, there are many subjects that concierge practice members can talk about with their doctors.
Conclusion
In the process of exposing the vulnerabilities of the traditional healthcare system, the pandemic has given concierge medicine a chance to shine.
Concierge medicine has highlighted the importance of a healthcare facility’s flexibility in responding in times of crises, the vulnerability of the insurance-based system during a pandemic, and the peace of mind patients can get for the 24/7 availability of physicians.
If you want to find out more about the benefits of Concierge Medicine, Visit FindMyDirectDoctor.com, a website that advocates membership-based models such as Concierge Medicine and DPC, seems to help settle the real score.
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