Traditional healthcare is in crisis. Physician shortages are worsening while wait times for appointments have reached record highs. Patients and clinicians are feeling the strain.
It’s no wonder patients and physicians are flocking to concierge care.
The model has patients pay an annual fee in return for enhanced, personalized care. It streamlines many of the administrative burdens that have become synonymous with traditional primary care: an ever-shifting cast of doctors, long wait times, and one-size-fits-all care.
Americans are disillusioned, and they have resigned themselves to paying for the bare minimum: timely appointments and meaningful relationships with their providers. The so-called “perks” of concierge care — telehealth options, flexible scheduling and direct communication — aren’t indulgences. They’re what traditional care should provide, but too often either cannot or has abandoned.
As a physician, I can sympathize. I’m no longer in control of which medications my patients receive; insurance companies and their affiliated pharmacies are making those decisions. Insurers are gaining power through vertical integration — amassing pharmacies, granting pharmacy benefit managers greater power, and expanding into ever-larger conglomerates.
Care decisions are moving further away from the people they affect most: patients. Too often, I prescribe the most appropriate treatment only to learn it’s been excluded from the formulary or that prior authorization is required. My patient is subsequently forced to try a less effective or more expensive alternative. The result? Higher corporate profits and worse patient outcomes.
We see a similar trend playing out in hospitals. Hospital systems are buying up independent clinicians at an alarming rate. Nearly half of all primary care physicians in the United States are now affiliated with a hospital. This consolidation limits patient choice, especially in rural areas, while driving up costs and worsening outcomes.
Physicians, too, are paying the price. My colleagues in hospital systems describe the same frustrations: endless paperwork, long hours, rushed visits and little autonomy. Unsurprisingly, burnout remains rampant — nearly half of U.S. physicians report experiencing at least one symptom. These are not merely workforce concerns; they are patient safety issues that underscore a system pushed beyond its limits.
It may seem like this system is inevitable, but concierge care proves otherwise.
Over the last decade, concierge medicine has grown rapidly, offering patients a more direct, individualized experience. What was once viewed as a luxury for the wealthy now serves a broad range of patients, with membership fees as low as $99 annually. With same-day appointments, longer visits and direct communication with providers, patients are finally enjoying their healthcare experience while receiving higher-quality care.
Clinicians are finding relief, too. One in 10 independent clinicians has transitioned to concierge medicine. Many of my colleagues who’ve made the switch describe a better work-life balance, improved patient relationships, and the freedom to practice medicine the way it was meant to be practiced. With smaller patient panels, they can spend more time listening, educating and focusing on prevention rather than paperwork.
Concierge models also inherently emphasize prevention, thereby reducing costs across the health system. Amazon One Medical, for instance, was recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for its diabetes prevention program. Patients affiliated with MDVIP, the nation’s largest concierge network, are hospitalized 70 percent less often. If we can prevent serious conditions before they arise, why wouldn’t we? This is the vision of care that patients deserve, and physicians aspire to provide.
Health systems should take a page out of concierge care’s playbook — setting reasonable limits on patient panels, expanding telemedicine, adopting flexible scheduling models, and curbing the influence of middlemen who stand between patients and the care they need. If we integrated these best practices of concierge care into the traditional system, we could achieve the same results: healthier patients and empowered clinicians.
The path forward is clear. The only question is why we’re holding on to a broken model when we already have a blueprint for something better.