Tommy McElroy, MD

7 years ago · 2 min. reading time · ~10 ·

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Concierge Medicine is [Not] Only for the Rich

Concierge Medicine is [Not] Only for the Rich

6b7d24fd.jpgCONCIERGE MEDICINE HAS A REPUTATION AS BEING ELITIST AND ONLY FOR THE RICH. I’m here to tell to tell you that isn’t true. In fact, of all of my patients only two own an airplane, and they are married. Now, are there practices that cater to the rich with their membership fee and elite services? Sure, think of good ole Dr. Conrad Murray and his magic insomnia elixir. I’m sure the late great King of Pop paid him much more than what my membership fee is, but that’s the exception, not the rule.

CONCIERGE MEDICINE IS FOR THE BUSINESS OWNER. In my practice a majority of members own their own business. In fact, I would say it’s a super majority. If we included business executives in that group, the numbers would most likely reach the 80% mark. What does that say? I don’t know for sure. I think business people are drawn to the idea of a practice that is based on value. Nobody is forced to come to my practice. I’m not in anyone’s insurance ‘network’ yet here I have people paying me directly for medical care. My guess is they know I appreciate their time as much as my own. As a business owner, I understand nobody wants to wait in a waiting room and some can’t afford to wait. It’s a matter of time is money.

3d1c6927.pngCONCIERGE MEDICINE IS FOR THE ‘WORRIED WELL.’ This is by no means a derogatory term. I use this term to include those patients of mine who are in my practice precisely because they are well and want to stay that way . It does my heart good when I hear a patient say, ‘I joined because I want to optimize my health.’ To me that’s like seeing your child hook a trophy fish using the trick you have been showing him or her since starting fishing. Sometimes I think its a put-on because I’m always talking about ‘Optimizing Health’ but I’ve heard it so many times now I think, ‘Wow they really understand what I’m trying to do!’
aca4e923.jpgCONCIERGE MEDICINE IS FOR THE YOUNG PERSON. I have the privilege of having many young patients. The idea of a twenty-something joining a concierge medicine practice may seem strange, but increasingly we have ‘kids’ joining (for the record, I call anyone >5 years younger than me a ‘kid’). They join because we can talk on Skype and I can relate to them somewhat still even though I was a freshman at UF when they were in grade school. A lot of them join because they don’t want to be told what doctor they can go to by their insurance plan. There is something to be said for millennials and their willingness to eschew established dictates. Maybe they will be the ones to right the ship that is the United States as we sail into the next half century.

Concierge medicine is for so many more: the sick and complicated, the family, the uninsured, the one who just ‘likes to talk.’ Whatever it is though, concierge medicine is not just for the rich.

 Dr. Tommy McElroy is a concierge medicine physician in Wesley Chapel, Florida. He is the founder of Echelon-Health and host of the Ask Dr. Tommy Show.


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#Concierge Medicine #Rich #Health #MEDICINE
Comments

Lisa Gallagher

7 years ago #10

#10
Thanks Federico \u00c1lvarez San Mart\u00edn, it's all good. I understand. Appreciate the tip in meantime to get around it. I'm sure you are all working hard on the new upgrades and more right now!

Mamen 🐝 Delgado

7 years ago #9

#10
I've been having that inconvenience as well. Thanks for trick Federico \u00c1lvarez San Mart\u00edn!!! 👏

Lisa Gallagher

7 years ago #8

#8
"Mayberry in color," great description @Tommy McElroy. Love it! For some reason I still can't tag you and we are both following each other? Federico \u00c1lvarez San Mart\u00edn is this a glitch or does it take a day or so after following someone to be able to tag/link to them?

Tommy McElroy, MD

7 years ago #7

#6
You're welcome, that's my goal for AskDrTommy.com, exposing people to the possibilities of practicing modern medicine with old-fashioned values, or "Mayberry in Color.'

Tommy McElroy, MD

7 years ago #6

#6
Your welcome, that's my goal for AskDrTommy.com, exposing people to the possibilities of practicing modern medicine with old-fashioned values, or "Mayberry in Color.'

Lisa Gallagher

7 years ago #5

#5
Thank you for explaining how this works @tommy McElroy, MD- this helped me to better understand concierge medicine!

Tommy McElroy, MD

7 years ago #4

#4
@Lisa Gallagher a common misconception is that what we do is replacing insurance. Most of our patients have insurance and we recommend they all get a policy whether, its insurance or health sharing ministry, that fits their needs. What we do is provide medical care while 'insurance' is used for whatever the patient needs it for. Some have prescription coverage, some don't. Some have high deductibles and pay out of pocket for most care anyway, so that's our target audience from an insurance standpoint. Regarding prescriptions, we are able to provide medication and labs at wholesale cost to our patients who don't have insurance coverage at pennies on the dollar. A full physical panel in our office of 4 blood tests and an urinalysis costs $38. Dr. Josh Umbehr of Atlas.md recently posted that in his office he can get a years worth of medicine for $11 for a patient that would cost a 'low' cash price of $360 in the pharmacy. We in membership medicine provide medical services as well as the 'concierge' service of navigating often times hostile waters for patients. Thank-you for your engagment and please feel free to follow me on my podcast at echelon-health.com/askdrtommy/podcast for the latest in membership medicine, free markets, & more.

Lisa Gallagher

7 years ago #3

#3
I think thats great @Tommy McElroy but what happens if someone needs hospitalization and scripts? They would still need medical insurance. And, there's always a chance they may need a specialist as well which utilizes Insurance? Just questions... this could lead to something larger if those concerns were factored in.

Tommy McElroy, MD

7 years ago #2

#1
We price according to age 0-17, 18-39, 40+. For a yearly membership it's less than most deductibles ( less than $2K) which includes all visits and the other things I mentioned in my article, https://www.bebee.com/producer/@tommy-mcelroy/marketing-membership-medicine-selling-the-ghost

Lisa Gallagher

7 years ago #1

Thank you for sharing this Tommy McElroy, MD. Until I read your article, I never heard of concierge medicine. Can I ask how Physician's charge if it's not just for the rich? Do they have a sliding fee scale or is it a one price fits all?

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