Concierge Medicine – Not Just For the Super Rich Anymore
A new drama on USA Network this summer has brought attention to a new trend in the practice of medicine. Royal Pains is the story of a concierge doctor in the Hamptons who treats the super rich in the privacy of their own homes.
But concierge medicine in not just for the super rich anymore. I became aware of one aspect of it recently in Orlando, Florida. Our daughter found a doctor that she liked. Despite having very comprehensive health insurance from a major carrier, her doctor advised her that in an effort to control the number of patients he would see, he was charging an annual fee for patients who wanted to continue to be treated by him. He was not accepting any new patients and current patients who pay a sliding scale annual fee would have more immediate access to him.
read moreAn Ounce of CAM
It’s easier to stick with the comfort of the old and familiar, change is always difficult. This attitude can prevent us from taking advantage of many wonderful therapies when it comes to health care. We’ve always gone to the doctor to take care of any illness or accident so we want to go to the doctor even after he’s told us there’s nothing more he can do. For most people being told to just learn to live with it is the turning point towards complementary and alternative therapies. There are very few who choose to open their eyes to new possibilities when they’re healthy and take advantage of the old saying about an ounce of prevention being better than a pound of cure.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has much to offer us. One of the newest trends in medicine today is Integrative Medicine which combines the best of both worlds, traditional medicine and CAM, to better meet the needs of patients. This open-minded perspective sees each person as a whole being of mind, body and spirit or energy and looks for the best method to treat the source of the health problem.
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