NYT Concierge Medicine Article: Coming to Pain?

[drusso]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/03/business/economy/high-end-medical-care.html

"What about everyone else? Mr. Traina doesn’t see much future for the conventional family doctor, except for patients who go the concierge route.

“The traditional model of having a good internist is dying,” said Mr. Traina, a scion of a prominent family here that arrived with the California Gold Rush. “Even the 25-year-olds at my company either have some form of concierge doc, or they’ll just go to an H.M.O. or a walk-in clinic. No one here has a regular doctor anymore.”

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[SeniorWrangler]

I've been through three PCPs in two years. At least in a big town, it's very hard to build a relationship with a primary care provider these days.

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

I've been through three PCPs in two years. At least in a big town, it's very hard to build a relationship with a primary care provider these days.

Mapper

 

[drusso]

Kaiser vs Concierge? If you're working the latter, you can an order MRI's on the first visit on every patient with low back pain regardless of guidelines.

 

[Aether2000]

A major danger of concierge medicine is prescribing opioids. Without opioid prescribing, this type of medicine may be a viable alternative for wealthy patients.

 

[nvrsumr]

U can still order that MRI on every new patient. $500 out of pocket. No patients will do(I've seen a few I guess). I am skeptical of cash pay for any non cosmetic specialist. Maybe a few patients but unless you go all in still need staff for your regular insurance patients so overhead savings never materialize.

The only concierge pain medicine i see currently see is suboxone.

 

[Doctodd]

joint and spine MRI's near me on a 1.5T machine with great quality is $250-300 no contrast.