Ever feel like your doctor doesn’t spend enough time with you to know what exactly your problem is? Most physicians currently try to see as many patients as they can in a day, which can lead to some severe issues. A doctor who spends less than 10 minutes with you will not have the best idea of what is going on with your health. There is a better way to get the type of healthcare you need and deserve, and it is known as Concierge Medicine. 
Concierge medicine is a massive game changer for any patient. It eliminates the conventional healthcare system in which you get a meeting with your physician that lasts for an average of eight minutes. Concierge medicine involves a close, personal relationship between physicians and their patients. About 20% of physicians are now turning to concierge medicine in an effort to provide their patients with the best quality of care.
With concierge medicine you pay an annual, semester, or quarterly fee that enables you to access your physician when you need them most. This is a remarkable advantage given that you typically have to schedule appointments weeks or months in advance, or otherwise deal with long waiting room times.
Are you looking for an alternative to the traditional healthcare system? If so, then you're in the perfect place! Read on as we focus on the five main advantages of concierge medicine.
1. Quality Time for Better Care
If you want to make an appointment with your doctor, you normally need to either be sick or require a prescription refill. There are often lengthy waiting times, copays and back-and-forth with office staff. Fortunately, now you don’t need to go through the stress of booking an appointment weeks in advance or pay a copay, because there is a better solution. Concierge medicine doctors have fewer patients than other doctors, which means that they have enough time to see their patients frequently and offer higher quality appointments. This helps to improve the overall care provided, as well as patient experience.
It has been revealed that most doctors now spend less than 12% of their time with patients, which is not nearly enough time to get to the bottom of a condition. Concierge doctors spend relatively more time with you, and this helps build solid patient-provider relationships. They aim to provide you with personalized and accessible care, which is why they take on only a few hundred patients compared to the thousands that the traditional doctors have.
2. Concierge Medicine Doctors Can Focus on Preventive Care
If your concierge doctor spends more time with you as a patient, then they can truly focus on guiding you towards recommendations for prevention. Most traditional doctors tend to focus only on the issue facing them, and then work out how to provide a solution, or band-aid, as fast as possible. When it comes to general medical care, if you have a condition that needs to be attended to with a sense of urgency, you must seek out care from either an emergency department or an urgent care facility. Though you might get the treatment you need in the moment, these facilities are not designed to look for the causes of your condition - mostly because they do not have the time. And you can pretty much forget any form of follow-up.
Concierge doctors always devote more of their time to finding out the root of your problem; they can look at your health history and current complaints to help discover and diagnose the cause of an issue. And as you now know, they also help to prevent diseases.
3. Concierge Medicine Doctors are More Available
Concierge medicine is the ideal way to make sure that your doctor can continually treat you promptly. This way, your doctors will never be so busy that they have to postpone your appointment, or make you wait behind other patients. Concierge medicine doctors are always available to answer any questions relating to your health, and they typically guarantee same or next day appointment. They have the time to help establish goals for you, and also focus on your overall health and wellness.
4. Concierge Medicine Produces Enhanced Results
One thing that should never be overlooked when picking a healthcare system is the outcome of your care. The main goal of your healthcare should be to live a happy, healthy and long life.
The ways in which concierge medicine enhances patient outcomes include cutting down on the amount of urgent care clinic and ER visits and drastically reducing inpatient admissions, among others.
5. It Is Cost-Effective
If you consider the name “concierge medicine,” you may be inclined to believe that it is an extreme approach to medical care that is only reserved for the rich, but that is far from the case.
Due to the fact that a concierge medicine doctor has fewer patients to focus on than a traditional doctor, they can focus on preventive care with more insight into every patient’s health. This helps to effectively reduce unnecessary healthcare costs for patients. Unlike concierge doctors, traditional doctors usually spend little time with patients, which means that they have to cast a wider net and order more tests or procedures to diagnose a condition.
With concierge medicine, you pay a set fee that covers all your benefits as a patient, which includes extensive access to your provider, same or next day appointments, and many more. It's nice to know what you can expect.
Is Concierge Medicine the Right Pick for You?
Concierge medicine is undoubtedly taking the healthcare industry by storm, mainly because it is a very accessible and dependable alternative for patients. After considering all the benefits that come with using concierge medicine, it is still possible that it might not be the best fit for everyone.
This said, if you are a patient that doesn't like to wait in line, wants more time with your doctor and likes the idea of working together to prevent disease and bring about ideal health and vitality, then the value and benefits that concierge medicine brings might be exactly what you need.
In Puerto Rico, Pravan Clinic is one of the top Concierge Medical Clinics. It opened right after Hurricane Maria in 2017, and has been providing quality care in Ciudadela in Santurce ever since. They have received excellent reviews consistently since opening, and continue to experience positive feedback from happy patients.
