In a new six-part video series produced by Medical Economics Pulse, three Specialdocs concierge physicians discuss varying issues regarding their concierge practice. In part two of the series, the physicians talk about how their practice was before and after transitioning to a concierge practice.
Denise Armellini, MD, a concierge Endocrinologist in Fairfax, Virginia describes how it was for her before having a concierge practice. “It was very hectic. There was no continuity of care. And it was almost impossible to follow through with patients. I’m a mother. I’m a wife. In 2018, I began to feel overwhelmed. I felt like I wanted to quit medicine.” After talking with a fellow doctor who asked her to consider concierge medicine, she was still reticent to take the plunge. She then had a talk with Terry Baur, CEO of Specialdocs. Dr. Armellini goes on to say, “I met with Terry and I have to be honest, he had more trust in me than I had in myself. I was concerned I’d lose a lot of patients and that I wouldn’t make it. But he had a trust in me and he said I’d be great.” She finally chose to transition after being unable to make it to her sons school to do a presentation on diabetes. The untenable choice between choosing to be with her son or her patients made her finally realize that the concierge model was right for her.
Jeffrey Weinberger, MD, a concierge Internal Medicine physician in Greenwich, Connecticut says, “Most of our care is supposed to go making a for-profit bureaucracy happy. The doctors in my coverage group had changed to concierge care and they all started looking younger and happier. They were really going back to being a doctor.” Seeing that change in his colleagues made his curious about the transition himself. Dr. Weinberger goes on to say, “When I signed up with Specialdocs, somebody was holding my hand. It is hard to trust that. My practice is sacred and I’m trusting somebody. We’ve always been told doctors shouldn’t trust business people. It turns out that it changed my life and I loved being a doctor again. I have more time to read and more time to make that extra phone call to my patients.”
George Zenner III, MD, a concierge Family Medicine physician in Houston, Texas started his practice back in 1989 and modeled it after his dad’s family practice. Dr. Zenner then says, “After 25 years things started to change.Payment models started to change and it became harder and harder to make it work. I had to see more and more patients, I cut costs as much as I could to help out, and you work longer hours. I couldn’t keep the pace. I was seeing patients all day long, come home, eat dinner, call patients back, then do refills for a couple, then all of a sudden it’s 11PM. I realized I couldn’t see more patients and my quality of care was dropping.” After thinking about for almost four years, Dr. Zenner finally had enough and decided to make that transition to a concierge practice; not only to better take care of his patients, but to better care for himself.
Specialdocs helps physicians take that first step to a concierge practice. If you find yourself not having any time for your patients, no time for yourself or your loved ones, no time to manage all the bureaucracy, then it may also be time to consider a concierge practice. Watch part two of this series and learn how these doctors took that first step and trusted Specialdocs to lead the way.