Is Concierge Medicine Worth it?

Doctor’s appointments can be frustrating. First, you must navigate the healthcare system to find a primary care provider (PCP) that accepts your health insurance. Then, you often wait weeks for an appointment. On your appointment day, you find yourself in the waiting room – only to experience an extended amount of time sitting there as well. Once you’re finally with your doctor, you find your time cut short with your concerns unanswered.

Since you’ve landed here, we’re guessing you’ve experienced some of the above. The current healthcare system can leave patients feeling like their time and health concerns are not valued. Thankfully, there is another option with concierge care. Discover if concierge medicine makes sense for you with insights from our Greenwood, IN team.

What’s the Difference? Concierge Doctors vs. Primary Care Physicians

When it comes to the experience and education of your physician, there’s no difference between a concierge care doctor and PCP. Instead, it’s the structure of care that sets the two apart.

A traditional doctor’s office is insurance-based. This means your doctor’s office needs to keep churning through patients all day to make a profit. As a result, PCPs often end up with a bloated patient panel and shortened appointment times, with over 50% spending less than 16 minutes with each person.

Concierge medicine, on the other hand, is focused on the patient. Patients pay annual or monthly fees, and as a result, concierge doctors can take on a significantly lower number of patients. This creates several benefits, including next or same-day appointments, shorter wait times, and more personalized care.

How Much Does Concierge Medicine Cost?

Membership and monthly fees for a concierge care office vary by provider. Typically, these fees are not covered by your insurance (which you still need to have), and you will still have other out-of-pocket costs for things like prescriptions and specialist consultations.

However, with more regular visits to your concierge doctor and a physician who better understands your overall health and wellness, you’re likely to partake in more preventative care. You can save in the long run if you need fewer emergency visits, hospitalizations, and specialist appointments. Additionally, there are often other clinical services included with your membership fees. In terms of cost, you’ll want to ensure that you can afford a membership fee on top of your insurance premium and assess how likely you are to take advantage of the services to get your money’s worth.

Determining if Concierge Care is Right for You

Of course, there are other concerns than the cost when it comes to your health and wellness. As you weigh out your options, you’ll also want to consider your standard of care. Think about how important it is to you to have 24/7 access to your doctor and the difference that same and next-day appointments could make for your acute care. On top of that, the time you could save by having appointments that not only start on time but include valuable one-on-one time with your physician.

If you’re interested in concierge care in Greenwood, IN, then we may be a good fit! Contact Supro Direct to learn more about our concierge medicine services and get started on your journey to better, more personalized health care.

Dr. Praveen Rajanahalli

Dr. Praveen Rajanahalli was born and raised in India. He completed medical school at the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Medical College in India, and moved to the United States to begin his family medicine residency training at the Community Family Medicine Residency in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Rajanahalli enjoys the challenge of treating a wide variety of illnesses from patients at all stages of life. With over 14 years of clinical experience, he has extensive experience in treating chronic illness, as well as acute medical conditions. Dr. Rajanahalli understands that every patient is unique and that treatment needs to be tailored to the individual.