Why Concierge Cardiology?
The cardiology healthcare marketplace is changing rapidly, for the worse. Most physicians and their practices are owned by Insurance Companies, Corporate Private Equity firms, or Corporate Hospitals. These Corporate Hospital led cardiology practices attempt to manage ~3,000 to 4000 patients annually, adhering to unacceptable institutional mandates:
- Five minutes per patient
- Substitution of your cardiologist for health-care extenders OR other physicians without your permission
- New patient visits restricted based on corporate modeling
- Prohibition of same day add-on visits
- Institutional push for standardized pharmacotherapies, without discussion of patient-specific natural/alternative options
- Prohibition of in-office, cheaper cardiac diagnostics, in favor of higher reimbursement in-hospital facilities
- Complete inattention to office-patient communication
The truth is, these institutions can afford and even profit from worsening patient attrition rates and poor quality of care, because they have tens of thousands of patients from which to generate revenue. Corporate cardiologists working in these systems work via the fee-for-service model, incentivized to generate as much revenue per patient in the least amount of time. They are doing so without the burdens we face at RHS, declining Private Insurance and Medicare reimbursement, as well as significant overhead costs.
As an independent, private practice that chose to abandon this flawed system, in favor of patient-centered-care, we at RHS are restricted by and dependent upon these Private Insurance and Medicare reimbursement policies. Due to plummeting annual reimbursement policies and increasing overhead costs, we are now offering a Concierge Option. This option is being offered by our practice, but is not a requirement.