How can I convince patients to pay me 40-80k/yr

[Strider_91]

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/06/03/business/economy/high-end-medical-care.html

For five-figure annual fees, boutique medical services offer the wealthiest Americans the chance to cut the line and receive the best treatment.

These people are charging like 5x what most boutique or concierge medical practices charge their patients.

What makes these guys/ girls so special that people are willing to pay them so much? There's no way they are that superior to normal physicians taking insurance. Also, these people can obviously afford the best insurance why would they be willing to pay so much just to keep a FP on call?

[Complete_newbie]

Marketing and Sales skills.

[Muaddib]

so they can brag about having their own private physician who can utilize "their relationships nationwide (quid pro quo $)" to get seen by specialists ahead of the joi polloi

[Zaphod]

They are also in SF, so it takes a certain clientele with a type of mindset and disposable income to desire/pay for this. There are relatively few places and limited number of people that have the kind of money, ego, and desire to enroll in this. Most probably know its not "worth" it, but they like the status, etc...as well.

[TheHappyPhilosopher]

These docs are willing to provide a level of customer service that the traditional medical model can't or won't. For the ultra wealthy this is probably worth it. Health is everything, and under this model you are buying access to whomever is the best. When your time is worth thousands of dollars per hour it doesn't make sense sitting in a waiting room. Per the article there is a big demand for this type of practice. If you are top tier in your field and don't have a problem with the model it should not be too tough to find.

[SValleyMD]

Not that crazy of a concept at all. I'm sure the Uber rich are paying a lot more for their lawyers on retention.

One of the reasons I did medicine is that it's comforting knowing I can navigate the medical waters for my family. If you're an outsider you are at the complete mercy of the system. Wealth elites will pay to bypass that.

If I was a PCP in those areas I think I would take my chances and do something like that.

Dress up, wear a pressed white coat, be fit, talk the lingo, and I'm sure you can get pretty "busy"..

[Antares]

I have had patients seek my help in locating such a practice. They tend to be quite wealthy, some of them are uncomfortable with dealing with a busy practice in which they will have to compete for services with other equally entitled patients. They want a special status that will free them of red tape and obstacles to care. It's those who buy a first class air ticket partly so as not to have to hassle with people. Or don't want to sit in an emergency room waiting their turn, but rather call their doc with VIP status to bypass the bureaucracy. They don't care about price; they care about getting what they want. A high price is good; it's a barrier most people can't hurdle. I don't say this critically. They have the money and they want to use it to buy a kind of ease and access to care they couldn't get otherwise.

[ticker]

I wouldn't do it.  I have taken care of two celebs this month who receive this sort of care.  Both were on the most asinine regimen of medications (heavy on the benzos and opiates, very light on the blood pressure and cholesterol control).  They both have 20+ doctors on speed dial, yet the lack of "real" medical care was the direct cause of one of their illnesses (and nearly death) and significantly exacerbated the other.  Both would have received far better care, I think, from the neighborhood PCP.

Could you really say "no" to the little requests of a patient paying you tens of thousands of dollars a year?   Especially if that patient runs in the same circles as several other patients paying you tens of thousands of dollars a year?  Just a little more Xanax wouldn't really hurt, would it?

[Strider_91]

So you guys are saying that their secret to success is actually the davtbhat they charge such an absurd amount that it creates a niche?

Can this model ever work for a specialist such as an orthopedist or an ENT physician? I imagine it would be much more difficult...

[Strider_91]

So you guys are saying that the secret to their success is actually that they charge such an absurd amount it creates a niche market?***

Edited for spelling.

[Strider_91]

Interesting point, I haven't thought of that. That extra fee certainly can taint the patient doctor relationship which can lead to sub- par care or straight up becoming a drug dealer.

The other end of the spectrum is sub- par care for those who are insured by companies that refuse to pay for anything.

What price range is a fair, happy medium?

[Muaddib]

see RE: Michael Jackson

[Craigy]

If you have money falling from the sky, why not?  Sitting in a waiting room for 2 hours for your appointment is for the plebs.

[ticker]

Haha Muaddib.  I almost signed my last comment  "Love, Conrad Murray".

[Zaphod]

Strider_91 wrote:

Interesting point, I haven’t thought of that. That extra fee certainly can taint the patient doctor relationship which can lead to sub- par care or straight up becoming a drug dealer.

The other end of the spectrum is sub- par care for those who are insured by companies that refuse to pay for anything.

What price range is a fair, happy medium?

Click to expand...

You'll find even reg/low/no pay pts can cause issues with dr/pt control. Some pts are simply inherently difficult and you'll be surprised how much they will get you to bend at first. Anything like this puts an even larger strain on that relationship and it is impossible and foolish to say it wouldnt change anything. These same people are just as apt to drop you the second you disagree or do not give in to their perceived take on the issue at hand. Incentives rule the world, and this would really make a good dr/pt relationship tough.