Concierge medicine is an elevated level of care whereby you pay an annual retainer fee to a primary physician or medical practice for a more personalized and enhanced doctor-patient relationship. The level of access to care that Peachtree Corners concierge medicine offers is impractical in a traditional doctor-patient arrangement. Read on to learn the benefits of concierge medicine.

Better doctor-patient relationship

Concierge medicine gives you more access to your physician, making it easier to develop a more trusting and familiar relationship. The personal bond between you and your physician may make you more willing to follow recommendations for preventive care. Additionally, you, a concierge doctor, make it easier to access care whenever you want, resulting in better outcomes. The relationship between concierge medicine and improved well-being is not clear but there are advantages to having a healthy relationship with your physician. Patients who regularly see a primary care provider are 19% less likely to suffer from premature death compared to those that rely solely on specialist visits to manage their health.

Access to same-day appointments

A new patient in a large metropolitan area takes an average of 24.1 days (more than three weeks) to see a family medicine practitioner. That is because a traditional primary care doctor can have a patient panel of up to 4,000 people. The long wait before you can see your doctor worsens your condition and may affect the type of treatment you need. On the other hand, concierge doctors limit the number of patients they accept, giving them more control over their availability. Being a concierge patient means you have aces to same-day appointments, so your doctor can address your concerns faster.

Quality time with your physician

Because of the large patient panel, traditional primary care physicians see patients for no more than 15 minutes at a time. This limited time puts the doctor under pressure to complete the office visit quickly. As such, patients may not have the opportunity for patient education or advice from the doctor. The need to attend to patients for only 15 minutes makes it hard to imagine that all the doctor’s focus is on you and not on the clock.  

Unlike traditional primary care physicians, concierge doctors spend about 35 minutes on a patient visit. The extra 20 minutes allows the doctor to do more than target your main complaint; it allows for a more thorough examination.

Immediate access to care

Immediate care is necessary for a medical emergency like a heart attack or stroke. However, conditions that cause vague or common symptoms make it hard to determine if one needs immediate medical attention. But with a concierge doctor, you have direct access to care and no barriers that can lead to negative health outcomes. With concierge medicine, you are sure your doctor is not more than a call or text away. Instead of second-guessing how to handle issues, you can quickly contact your doctor, avoiding losing time that can make a difference in your outcome.

Contact Dr. Leslie S. Gaskill, M.D., to learn more about the benefits of switching to concierge medicine.