MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'concierge'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:25:25 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670058&cid=t_205747_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fgrowing-concierge-medicine-impact-medicare-worries-policy-experts%2F The still small but growing trend in primary care of concierge medicine practices like Florida-based MDVIP has health policy experts worried about a two-tiered medical system for seniors. Dr. Lewis Weiner comments. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670058 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 05:54:37 +0100 4670058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615101&cid=t_205747_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwill-health-insurers-do-anything-to-save-primary-care%2F2011.03.19 A few days ago I received an email from a general internist about my posts about concierge practices. I have known this physician for over 20 years, and he has great insight into the challenges facing health care. This email was no exception; he had this to say how his group took the “middle way” of pursuing private funding for the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH): “My practice includes 3 primary care physicians and has invested heavily in IT infrastructure. We have re-engineered our workflows and have achieved benchmark levels of quality and service. We have won NCQA certification for our PCMH. Yet so far no payer has stepped up to underwrite our investment. So we have joined Privia Health in forming a ‘membership practice.’ Patients are asked to pay a small monthly membersh... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615101 Sat, 19 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4615101 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532210&cid=t_205747_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ffree-drug-samples-or-hospital-hotels-the-greater-evil%2F2011.02.28 Many folks criticize pharmaceutical companies for providing physicians’ offices with free drug samples. They claim that this giveaway harms consumers because drug companies must raise their prices to cover the costs of these freebies. Of course, this is undeniable. Any business expense, such as payroll or advertising, has to be covered and is expectedly borne by the consumer. If a company chooses not to advertise, outsources manufacturing to a country with cheaper labor, offers limited benefits to its employees, then they can sell their product at a low price. In this hypothetical example, anemic sales may doom the company quickly. Naturally, free samples are not really free. The rest of us pay for them. While this is true, I don’t think it is evil. Unlike the U.S. government, at least... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532210 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 20:00:00 +0100 4532210 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265734&cid=t_205747_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fconcierge-medicine-the-cost-of-healthcare-room-service-and-other-hospital-amenities%2F2010.12.18 A per­spec­tive in [a recent] NEJM con­sid­ers the Emerg­ing Impor­tance of Patient Ameni­ties in Patient Care. The trend is that more hos­pi­tals lure patients with hotel-like ameni­ties: Room ser­vice, mag­nif­i­cent views, mas­sage ther­apy, fam­ily rooms and more. These ser­vices sound great, and by some mea­sures can serve an institution’s bot­tom line more effec­tively than spend­ing funds on top-notch spe­cial­ists or state-of-the-art equipment. Think­ing back on the last time I vis­ited some­one at Sloan Kettering’s inpa­tient unit, and I mean­dered into the bright lounge on the 15th floor, stocked with books, games, videos and other signs of life, I thought how good it is for patients and their fam­i­lies to have a non-clinical area like this... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265734 Sat, 18 Dec 2010 14:00:25 +0100 4265734 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3942789&cid=t_205747_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fabout-concierge-or-boutique-medicine%2F2010.09.07 A recent piece in The New York Times wondered if the few patients who can afford to pay for additional attention and access to their primary care doctors in a concierge medicine or boutique medicine practice might be ethical since the extra dollars are used to support the traditional primary care practice that the vast majority of patients currently receive.  Questions you might ask are: - What is a concierge medicine or boutique medicine practice? - Is it worth the money? - Is the care better quality? - Is it possible to get similar access and care by doctors not in a concierge or boutique medicine practice? When you think of a concierge, you think about a fancy hotel staff person who answers questions and speaks various languages, books reservations to restaurants, events, and tours (ev... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3942789 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:00:00 +0100 3942789 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3569804&cid=t_205747_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fis-minimally-disruptive-medicine-an-emerging-field%2F2010.05.17 I recently stumbled onto the “Minimally Disruptive Medicine” blog maintained by Dr. Victor Montori from the Mayo Clinic. I have to admit that the name caught my attention so I scoped it out. According to Dr. Montori, “minimally disruptive medicine refers to the practice of medicine that seeks to design effective treatment programs for patients while minimizing the burden of treatment.”  He describes this as an emerging field. I have to admit that I was simultaneously puzzled and intrigued. After all, how is this different from the way good medicine is practiced? I, for one, like to think that I create individually-tailored programs that meet my patients’ needs while minimizing their treatment burden. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at 3... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3569804 Mon, 17 May 2010 12:00:42 +0100 3569804 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2611207&cid=t_205747_180_f&fid=38610&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.productivity501.com%2Fgreat-amex-platinum-concierge-service%2F4921%2F I’ve been critical of American Express Platinum Concierge Service, but last week I had an interaction that was very impressive.  A deer ran into our car and broke the mirror.  Due to a misunderstanding, the local shop didn’t order the part in time for our trip.  I sent the concierge service a map of the route we were going to take, the time we were leaving and asked them to find me any dealer with the part in stock on our route.  The concierge came back with a list of dealers with it in stock along with a list of dealers that could get it in two days near our destination. This was a huge time saver for me and very helpful.  Do you have any success stories from using the concierge service? --- at Productivity501:American Express Concierge EmployeesAmerican Express Concierge... Productivity501 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2611207 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:58:00 +0100 2611207 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1859539&cid=t_205747_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D4801 Those of you who wish you could spend more time in consultation with your doctor, hands up! The problem with the system in Malaysia is that consultation is often rushed and rarely lasts more than 15 minutes. Heck, you’re lucky to get more than 3 minutes in a busy Government OPD. What sort of quality care will you get in 3-5 minutes? That’s barely “Hello, what’s your problem, here’s your medication, goodbye”. In the public sector, it’s just an overcrowded healthcare system which does not/cannot limit the number of patients seen in clinics to a reasonable number. In the private sector, particularly in GP practice, the remuneration one gets from MCOs and “panels” is low given the overheads in practice so the pressure is to see more patient... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1859539 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1859539 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1704598&cid=t_205747_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2008%2F08%2Fhello-health-op.html By Matthew Holt Hello Health, the clinic that Jay Parkinson has been promoting for a while, is open for business. If all the patients are as happy as the first patient, success is assured! The deal is that they’ve gone... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1704598 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1704598 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1539012&cid=t_205747_118_f&fid=36984&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FHealthManagementRx%2F%7E3%2F318256840%2Fprivate-healthcare-consultants-filling.html From "Firms give health advice for a price," by Linda Wertheimer, in today's edition of The Boston Globe: "Private health consultants are trying to fill a gap in healthcare created by overworked primary care doctors who have less time to coordinate patient care, while also catering to the desire of a growing number of patients to take charge of their healthcare. Consultants, many of whom are registered nurses, social workers, or physicians, help clients find specialists and also will make calls to ensure that a patient's various doctors are communicating with each other."Personal healthcare navigators don't come cheap...These interim healthcare consultants price services hourly or remain on retainer.Fees range from $150/hour to $100k/year.So ... Health Management Rx blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1539012 Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:27:00 +0100 1539012 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1419322&cid=t_205747_87_f&fid=35052&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWomensBioethicsBlog%2F%7E3%2F283351130%2Fthird-tier-in-us-health-care.html It’s a sickening situation. Physicians’ incomes are under attack: think lower reimbursements, higher costs for malpractice premiums and the like, greater business costs, claims processing hassles,... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] (Source: Women's Bioethics Blog) Women's Bioethics Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1419322 Sun, 04 May 2008 15:45:06 +0100 1419322 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1174805&cid=t_205747_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2008%2F01%2Fconcierge-medic.html Call it boutique medicine. Retainer medicine. Platinum care. Evoking the pastoral image of a sturdy black doctor’s bag and spectacles, concierge medicine is a small but growing trend among over-worked and over-booked physicians. The practice essentially offers a limited number... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1174805 Thu, 24 Jan 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1174805