Concierge Medicine

Government insurance programs such as Medicare devalue the services
of primary care physicians relative to specialists, as many
physicians such as KevinMD.com have noted here.

http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/06/classic-post-shortage-of-primary-
care.html

As a result, it is entirely natural that some of the more
entrepreneurial primary care doctors are switching into the field
known as "concierge medicine":

http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2008/07/23/20080723biz-
elitedocs0724-ON.html

Concierge medicine is an appealing option for some primary-care
doctors who want to break free from the assembly-line method of
patient care that they say they are forced to adopt.

Primary-care doctors say this limited practice is appealing for many
reasons.

They cite the drumbeat of threatened pay cuts from government
programs such as Medicare and the red tape and restrictions of
private insurance companies.

Other factors include the rising cost of malpractice insurance and
the expense of hiring assistants and office managers who must push
paperwork.

The trend underscores the fact that the role of primary-care
practitioner is a less appealing option for young doctors who see
more lucrative career paths in specialized areas of medicine such as
dermatology or plastic surgery.

Both the patients and doctors benefit from this option.

Physicians are able to spend more time with their patients and
practice their craft according to their best medical conscience, for
reasonable reimbursement.

Patients get the benefit of improved quality care for a fair price.
Both parties benefit from the exchange, because in essence it
represents a shift towards a partially free market."

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