Information on how the "concierge" or "boutique" practices work for better patient care. Not everyone can afford the service, but for those who can it seems to be a win-win for both patient and physician. There are many different ways an office can approach this and we have put several threads here that offer an alternative look. Each office has to determine their structure and fees. Some have been very reasonable too in some area of the country as well. BD
"I wish I had done it a long time ago," said Dr. Edward Portnoy, a Westlake Village internal medicine physician who once had a practice of about 2,800 patients. Now he sees about 380 people but takes home about the same profit, thanks to the $1,800 each patient pays yearly.
At Dr. Stanley Frochtzwajg's family practice in Ventura, patients don't face annual fees but pay at the office for whatever services they receive. A routine office visit is about $80. They're given the paperwork to submit to their insurance companies. One patient said she ends up paying about 30 percent of the bill but is happy with her care and willing to pay for it.
But Carol Miller of Thousand Oaks thinks the $3,600 she and her husband pay in annual fees to see Portnoy is worth it because it brings peace of mind. The money covers an annual physical and a battery of screenings for everything from Alzheimer's to sleep apnea. The fee also covers follow-up that focuses on preventive care.
Patients are given wallet-sized CDs bearing their medical histories. They're promised same-day appointments, sometimes within 45 minutes. If they have problems, they're given the doctor's cell phone number.
"You don't get that with a regular doctor. They don't give out private numbers," Miller said. "I feel like he's more than a doctor. With this kind of practice, they know our name. I call on the phone and they say Hi, Carol, how are you doing today?' "
Local doctors are opting out of insurance-based medicine : Local News : Ventura County Star
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