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“Concierge medicine,” now known as direct medicine, is emerging as one solution for physicians to escape the broken health care system. Over 1,000,000 patients across the country are in a direct practice and, according to a Physicians Foundation study, 17,000 primary care doctors intend to transition to a direct practice in the next five years. Direct practice is a way to get back to practicing medicine without the interference of insurance companies and other third parties. Direct medicine offers an alternative to “assembly line medicine,” allowing physicians to provide quality care while enjoying being a physician healer.
Seventeen percent of past attendees of NPI’s Concierge (Direct) Medicine course report the ability and desire to immediately transform their practice. Another 50 percent reported a gradual implementation in the transition to a concierge/direct practice. That means there is a 67-percent chance your practice can join the growing movement!
So what are you waiting for? Concierge (Direct) Medicine is only available once this year, coming up Sept. 22-23 in Chicago, Ill. Register a month in advance so you can take advantage of the discounted $700 registration fee!
2012 schedule now available
The 2012 schedule for January through May has made its debut! For immediate access, please see the conference calendar page of our website.
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The DVD of the Month for August is Patient Counseling for the Colonoscopy Procedure. This short DVD reviews the entire procedure including preparation; the procedure itself; what might be done with polyps, complications, and post-operative care; and appropriate follow-up. Save yourself the time-consuming and redundant practice of counseling every patient individually, while providing the patient with the information they seek and protecting your practice’s liability. Patient Counseling for the Colonoscopy Procedure is on sale this August for $62.95, a 10-percent discount!
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NPI Faculty Spotlight: Dr. John Blanchard
3 Questions with NPI’s Concierge (Direct) Medicine course instructor
Q. What made you select the field of medicine you are in?
A: I became a family physician because I value the physician-patient relationship. It’s the relationship with the patient that forms the foundation of excellence in health care delivery. Unfortunately, as primary care doctors struggle to see more patients in today’s dysfunctional system, it’s the relationship with the patient that suffers.
Q. How has the transformation to a concierge-style practice change the way you do medicine?
A: Transforming my practice to a concierge (direct) practice has allowed me to spend time with the patient. It’s having time with the patient that promotes communication, which in turn promotes the physician-patient relationship. Having time, communication, and a relationship with a patient allows the doctor to achieve truth in medicine. Arriving at a true diagnosis and treatment plan is, after all, our primary goal as physicians.
Q. Where do you think the future of procedures in the concierge-medicine setting is headed?
A: Unfortunately, the powers that be, those making the rules, don’t have a clue about what it takes to deliver excellence in health care. We will continue to see decreasing reimbursement, increasing regulation and oversight, higher patient volumes, and a continued degradation of the physician-patient relationship. The only way to escape this nightmare is to go back to our roots and contract directly with patients for our service. It is our responsibility as primary care physicians on the front lines to draw a line in the sand to protect the physician-patient relationship. If we don’t, who will?
John A. Blanchard, M.D., is recognized as an expert and national leader in the concierge medicine movement. He speaks and lectures nationally, advocating the improvement of health care quality and service through a direct financial relationship between physicians and their patients. Dr. Blanchard is the co-founder and president of the Society for Innovative Medical Practice Design. He is board certified by the American Academy of Family Physicians in the specialty of Family Medicine. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians, the Michigan State Medical Society, and he served on the Legislative Committee of the Oakland County Medical Society. Dr. Blanchard is a practicing concierge physician and managing partner of Premier Private Physicians, P.L.C. in Michigan. Their primary goal is to re-establish the direct communication and interaction between patient and doctor, making the physicians more accessible to their patients. They have found that this method of practice dramatically improves the quality of health care and service they are capable of delivering to patients. Premier Private Physicians is regarded as one of the first concierge practices to open nationally.
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