One physician talks about breaking the shackles of the insurance business...and yes he practices in Beverly Hills, so he might be positioned better than many to do this...but some insurance companies are dropping contracts for the concierge or boutique physicians, which doesn't help the patient if they go to this type of practice and even file their own claims...what gives here? BD 
Anyone who has visited a primary care doctor lately knows the drill: You show up on time, only to wait 45 minutes or even an hour. In the examination room, the physician (who offers no apology) seems distracted, harried and eager to get to the next patient. Then you're referred to a specialist -- who doesn't have an opening for a month. When doctors break free from the shackles of insurance companies, they can practice medicine the way they always hoped they could.
To be sure, physicians are not entirely to blame. With insurance companies dictating how much doctors can charge for services as diverse as a routine checkup or an appendectomy, a doctor has only one route to more income: increase volume. I know. When I began my own private practice in internal medicine, my volume grew quickly, and so did my work hours. I didn't complain because I took that as a sign of success. But before long I found myself toiling nights and weekends just to keep up with the volume. First I sacrificed my free time to my practice, then my sleep and finally the quality of my practice itself.
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