Concierge Choice Physicians(TM) (CCP), the largest national company offering a “hybrid” model of concierge medicine, today announced its expansion into three new states. Physicians in 10 states have now converted their practices to CCP’s model, which allows them to combine concierge care with a traditional practice.
“Primary care physicians are struggling to make their practices financially viable, to avoid burnout from long hours, and to provide the type of ‘old fashioned’ personalized care that patients want to receive and doctors want to give,” said Wayne Lipton, managing partner, Concierge Choice Physicians. “With our program, they can have the best of both worlds: a concierge practice where they can offer more personalized, preventive services, and a traditional practice for their patients who want to remain with their doctor and have this level of service.”
For an annual fee, concierge patients receive comprehensive preventive care and an annual physical, 24/7 access to their physicians, and no waiting time for appointments, among other benefits. Initially viewed as an option that appealed to the affluent, concierge medicine is now affordable for a much wider audience, thanks to programs like CCP’s.
Lipton sees the hybrid concierge model as a viable solution to the growing shortage of primary care physicians in the United States. Physicians who are retiring, fewer graduates selecting primary care, and the anticipated needs of an aging population all contribute to this worsening doctor shortage. Concierge medicine, especially CCP’s hybrid model, enables physicians to keep their practices open while offering options to patients who don’t select the concierge package.
“The primary care physician plays a critical role not only for detecting and treating illness, but also for helping to prevent it,” said Dr. Michael Mandel, who, along with his colleagues at Associated Internists in Richmond, Va. – Dr. Anand Lothe, Dr. Amy McConnell and Dr. Joy Rowe – are practicing concierge medicine. “However, reductions in reimbursements for primary care have reduced the time we can spend with patients, especially in counseling on prevention. With CCP’s model, I have that time again.”
“In medical school, you’re taught that 80-90 percent of a patient’s diagnosis is history, and that includes family history and social history,” said Dr. Lothe. “CCP’s program allows me to go back to the way we were taught to practice medicine – taking the time to thoroughly discuss family and personal histories, determining if there are extensive risk factors, including depression, career or stress issues, emerging symptoms – all of which are important to take into account when making a diagnosis and recommending a treatment plan.”
The cornerstone of CCP’s concierge program is a comprehensive physical examination upon which to base a preventive healthcare program.
“We use the results of this physical and tests to design a personalized wellness plan for patients, including nutrition, fitness and stress reduction,” explained Dr. Rowe. “Then we have time to work with the patient on the program, as well as manage any chronic conditions they may have. Providing a more personalized level of service ensures a higher quality of long-term care for my patients.”
About Concierge Choice Physicians
Concierge Choice Physicians(TM) is a private company headquartered in Rockville Centre, New York. Concierge Choice Physicians offers the hybrid model of concierge medicine so doctors can practice traditional and concierge medicine within a single practice. Physicians never have to dismiss current patients and continuity of patient care is maintained. Concierge Choice Physicians also operates in California, New York, Arizona, Nevada, Florida, Massachusetts and New Jersey.
For more information, visit our web site at www.choice.md or call 877-888-5590.
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