The ever-changing healthcare system has given rise to models of alternative medicine and medical practices. Some of these models are membership-based practices. With multiple names for doctors and doctor’s offices, it can be confusing or difficult to understand the differences.
As a medical concierge practice, The Village Doctor offers high-quality, comprehensive care to individuals and families.
Can DPC and Concierge Medicine be compared?
Direct Primary Care (DPC) and Concierge Medicine are two types of practices that have gained popularity in recent years. While the two have some similarities, they are also quite different.
There is a range of services offered in both fields, but the general idea of DPC is to avoid insurance to reduce overhead and keep costs low, while concierge care focuses on providing value-added services outside of the limits on things that insurance generally covers.
What is concierge medicine?
In terms of costs, the patient pays an annual fee in exchange for the physician’s commitment to providing medical care on time and availability.
Concierge doctors see fewer patients than traditional medical practices. While a general practice physician may have between 3,000 and 4,000 patients, a concierge physician has between 50 and 1,000, depending on the capacity of the medical practice.
Similarities
Both CPD and concierge medicine are membership-based models. Patients generally sign a contract and pay a fee. This fee gives them access to the doctor. Since both are fee-based membership programs, this healthcare model often makes it easy to confuse direct primary care with concierge medicine.
Additional similarities of the two practice models include:
- Better access to a doctor: Membership-based programs accept fewer patients. This allows the doctor to spend a lot of time individually with each patient. It is also often easier to make an appointment.
- Better doctor-patient relationships: Since the doctor has more time with the patient, there is more time to talk about the patient’s needs or concerns. These models are very patient-centered.
- Improved Medical Care: DPCs and Concierge Physicians have a better understanding of the health and needs of their patients. If specialized care is needed, they coordinate and communicate with the other doctors for better continuity of care.
Differences
- The differences between concierge medicine and direct primary care are minimal, but mostly involve contract terms, fees, and insurance coverage. While concierge practices can participate with insurance plans, DPC practices do not.
- DPC and Concierge medicine also differ in their fees and contracts. DPC models generally involve monthly fees, while Concierge medicine fees are annual. The duration of the contracts follows the same terms.
The annual fee for concierge medicine covers a comprehensive in-depth physical with numerous screenings.
Why choose Concierge Medicine at The Village Doctor?
The reasons for switching to the Concierge Medicine model are numerous, particularly at a time when access to quality healthcare is crucial. Additional benefits include the following:
- Less waiting time for appointments
- More one-on-one time and open communication between doctor and patient
- Patient-centered care
- A more accessible doctor
- Consistent and better access to medical records
- Lower medical expenses with transparent billing
To schedule an appointment with our physicians, contact us today!
