The spread of concierge medicine, where patients pay a fixed fee to their physician in return for specialized attention and round-the-clock service, could pose a threat to Medicare by creating "tiers" of healthcare, according to a National Public Radio report.
If concierge medicine becomes increasingly popular, those unable to afford $1,000-a-year retainers could be forced onto a lower tier of healthcare, with longer wait times and less face time with physicians, according to the report. Medicare patients are especially vulnerable: As reimbursements decline, physicians are starting to rethink their participation in Medicare, exacerbating an already significant shortage of primary care providers.
The NPR report forecasts the divide as "a kind of insurance caste system." While concierge physicians and their patients benefit from a more personal connection and better preventive care provision, patients in lower-than-middle-class households could see their choice of physicians drop drastically. According to the report, when one primary care physician switches to concierge practice, several hundred Medicare beneficiaries must find another provider.
Read the NPR report on concierge medicine.
Read more on concierge medicine:
-Physicians Pursue Direct Pay Primary Care to Limit Payor Power, Increase Preventive Services
-Physicians Rethink Traditional Practice, Consider Hospital Employment in Increasing Numbers
If concierge medicine becomes increasingly popular, those unable to afford $1,000-a-year retainers could be forced onto a lower tier of healthcare, with longer wait times and less face time with physicians, according to the report. Medicare patients are especially vulnerable: As reimbursements decline, physicians are starting to rethink their participation in Medicare, exacerbating an already significant shortage of primary care providers.
The NPR report forecasts the divide as "a kind of insurance caste system." While concierge physicians and their patients benefit from a more personal connection and better preventive care provision, patients in lower-than-middle-class households could see their choice of physicians drop drastically. According to the report, when one primary care physician switches to concierge practice, several hundred Medicare beneficiaries must find another provider.
Read the NPR report on concierge medicine.
Read more on concierge medicine:
-Physicians Pursue Direct Pay Primary Care to Limit Payor Power, Increase Preventive Services
-Physicians Rethink Traditional Practice, Consider Hospital Employment in Increasing Numbers