Psychology of Concierge Medicine: Rethinking Health Premium Dollars for Maximum Results

Psychology of Concierge Medicine: Rethinking Health Premium Dollars for Maximum Results

SignatureMD, which partners with the best concierge doctors in the United States, charges patients $1,500 to $2,000 a year. The company’s fee is for the extended care access and comprehensive annual executive physical and wellness plan, but SignatureMD doctors still bill the patient’s insurance company for procedures.

SignatureMD does not mandate the involuntary termination of patients from a Doctor’s practice. The investment of premium healthcare fees is covered by adjusting the deductible of a healthcare plan from the average of $500 to $3000 for families.

This savings in premium cost more than covers the investment for families and individuals to have better access and more cutting edge diagnostic tests made available to the SignatureMD physician to keep their patients healthy and out of the hospital.

Does Medicaid, the joint federal-state health insurance program for the poor and disabled, actually result in better health?

What it does is force doctors to make hard choices based on payouts and reimbursements for time and tests. The new Obama Care health bill relies on the program for roughly half of its health insurance expansion. What is left are unhappy physicians pressured to accept less for their services by the government, and people who are worried that they will be overlooked and have to forgo needed maintenance checkups and access to competent care.

The New York Times reporter Dave Leonhardt, who was a recent featured guest on The Colbert Report, writes http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/07/how-health-insurance-affects-health/ that the [Oregon] study “suggests that the law is likely to improve the health and well-being of many of the uninsured.”

The study he referenced was a short term analysis of the effects of the 2008 Medicaid lottery in Oregon, which selected 10,000 individuals to enroll in Medicaid via a random lottery. Source: http://www.nber.org/papers/w17190

The study revealed that individuals enrolled in Medicaid used more health care services of just about every kind except emergency room visits.

Medicaid lottery recipients reported that they felt better about their health. Does that mean they’re actually healthier? Not according to the data which showed no statistically significant decrease in mortality following the program’s introduction.

The Oregon Health Insurance Experiment is evidence of the psychological effects of health coverage: Peace of mind as placebo for a sense of overall well-being.

But as doctors continue to abandon Medicare, and fewer well care options are allowed for a shrinking budget for the program, the notion to turn to government-run health insurance programs like Medicaid are less of a desirable option, and more a gamble for people who care about quality healthcare.

High deductible catastrophic health care plans + Concierge Medicine (SignatureMD) = Bases covered and dollars smartly allocated for health care cost management.

Simply put, controlling where you invest your health care dollars makes an enormous impact for budget conscious families.  Psychologically, for relief from worry that you will be denied a needed procedure. That a test will be overlooked or that your physician does not have the time or inclination to really know your medical history and needs.

With their patients being able to easily schedule well visits and benchmark tests (mammograms, colonoscopy, pap smears, blood work) and the ability to counsel patients with regards to diet, exercise and lifestyle recommendations, SignatureMD physicians are given control once again to nurture and know their patients.

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.