What are the basics of concierge or personal physician practices?

Patients directly pay their personal physician to be members in the practice. This annual fee is in addition to the costs of medical services provided, which are billed the usual way (insurance, Medicare, etc.) In exchange for the fee, the physician limits the number of member patients so he or she can be available to them 24/7. This restores the incentives for doctors to become better partners with their patients, providing individual attention and better service. A stronger patient-doctor relationship means better medicine.

2.

Why do concierge practices charge patients a membership fee?

Doctors in standard practices have around 3000 patients and see 20 or more each day, yet they still have difficulty making a profit due to low insurance reimbursement. So standard clinics employ lower cost providers (NPs, PAs) to share the work. They also use “gate-keepers” to shield physicians from patient calls and hire nurses to take calls after hours. All these changes separate physicians from patients and weaken the patient-doctor relationship.

Personal or concierge physicians believe a strong patient-doctor partnership is the key to good medicine. Doctors must know and respect their patients. They must commit to good communication and earn their trust. This takes time—there are no shortcuts. So they limit the number of patients in their practices, have longer appointments but fewer each day, and are available to them 24-7. So concierge physicians have much lower income from billable medical services. The membership fee pays for their availability and better, more personalized services. In short, the membership fee means that concierge doctors are paid for patient access to higher quality care rather than for the number of patients they can see in a day.

3.

What is EoMed’s membership fee and why?

Across the country, concierge practice fees vary based on how many patients are allowed in the practice, whether or not the doctor accepts insurance and Medicare reimbursement, and other factors. Generally, the larger the practice the lower the fee. Larger practices have more appointments each day, so they earn more from billable services, like standard practices. But they have shorter visits, less flexible and personalized service, and therefore charge a lower membership fee. Smaller practices make less from billable services but charge a higher fee for more flexible, personalized care and better access. Large practices (1000 or 1500 patients) may charge just a few hundred dollars a year. Smaller practices (50 or 100 patients) may charge $5000, $10,000 or more. EoMed limits the number of patients to 200 and charges $3400-$3800 / individual or $6200-$7200 / family, and Dr. Dan Koster accepts Medicare and most private insurance reimbursement for billable services.

4.

Does the EoMed membership fee cover the cost of medical services patients receive?

No. EoMed patients are responsible to pay for office visits, vaccines and other medical treatments, just like in standard medical practices. EoMed does bill insurance and does accept Medicare reimbursement, also just like standard practices. Patients are responsible for deductibles and copays according to their policies.

5.

What does “EoMed” stand for?

“EoMed” stands for “Evolution of Medicine”. Doctors serving patients has always been the heart of medicine as it evolved for thousands of years and saved millions of lives. Over the last 50 years, we took an evolutionary detour, separating doctors from patients. We have paid the price in wasted resources and unnecessary suffering. EoMed’s mission is to return medicine to its rightful evolutionary path by restoring the traditional, trusted patient-doctor relationship and refining it to provide the most powerful, up-to-date information and technology By doing this, we can achieve our evolutionary destination where individual patients create their own best health care.

6.

Who should consider joining EoMed?

EoMed may be the right health care solution for you if:

• You are frustrated by rushed doctor visits, impersonal treatment by clinic staff,
  “gate-keepers” preventing you from talking with your doctor, minutes waiting
  on hold or hours waiting for a call back from your doctor.
• You have serious or complicated health issues that require extra care and attention.
• Your schedule requires quick, convenient healthcare access from anywhere, any time.
• You want the highest confidence that you are healthy and have done all you can to stay well.
• You want to optimize health and quality of life for yourself, your family or your employees.
• You want to achieve peak performance at work, in athletics or in all of your life.

7.

What do EoMed patients get that conventional practices don’t provide?

• Same day or next day appointments at their convenience, usually with no wait.
• Walk-in visits—no waiting, no appointment—for brief or urgent matters.
• Longer visits with their doctor for thorough explanations and answers to all questions.
• Direct 24-7 access—office, cell and home phone, pager, email—to the doctor who knows them.
• Personal health system navigator to find the right specialist, surgeon or therapist for them.
• Detailed nutrition advice including supplements, weight loss and exercise.
• The latest updates on medical topics provided individually or via periodic newsletters and lectures.
• Their doctor accompanying them to important specialist appointments.
• Travel medicine consultations (vaccine requirements, malaria prevention, etc.) for foreign travel.
• A trusted, old-fashioned doctor partner who brings patients the amazing healing power of modern medical science.