Concierge Medicine: Better Physician Work-Life Balance?
If you’re a physician and you’ve picked up any industry periodical in the last several years, you’ve undoubtedly seen, and likely relate to, one of the myriads of articles discussing work-life balance for physicians and the increasing rate of doctor burnout.
For the most part, physicians don’t realize there is a solution to this problem—a solution that doesn’t include any upfront financial risk, and can lead to a much more sustainable and enjoyable method of practicing medicine.
We asked Dr. Joel Meshulam, a private practice physician, to describe his physician work-life balance before and after he converted his practice to a concierge medicine model.
As Dr. Meshulam shared, since I transformed my practice in early 2014 my work-life balance has definitely changed for the better. Prior to that conversion, I was working twelve and fourteen-hour days, seeing upwards of thirty patients—on my long days, sometimes forty. On short days, I would see twenty to twenty-five.
Since the conversion, I can easily be done at a normal time of the day. I don’t have to get up at 4:00 or 5:00 AM every single day.
Prior to the conversion, I wasn’t taking vacations, I was maybe getting a few long weekends every year. In the two years prior to my conversion, my cumulative vacation time was maybe two weeks, but never a full week off—long weekends only. Now I can actually take a week off and feel comfortable that the whole place isn’t burning down without me.
This is a high-pressure job. There’s a lot of pressure, and everybody working under this kind of pressure needs some time off just to recharge their batteries, decompress, and get away. I was not doing that before my conversion. Now I’m able to do it. I can actually sit and read a book, and not worry about, ‘Am I forgetting something at work?’ It’s been a dramatic change since I started with SignatureMD.
“My wife would agree with me.”
If you’re a private physician seeking a better work-life balance, we’d be delighted to talk with you, and see if transitioning to a concierge model is right for you. To schedule the time that’s best for you, please contact us.
About SignatureMD
SignatureMD is one of the nation’s largest firms providing initial conversion and ongoing support services to concierge medicine physicians. SignatureMD currently partners with over 200 affiliated primary care physicians and specialists across 35 states, and its network is rapidly expanding.