Thoughts on concierge medicine?

Creekland
Thu, 28 Jun 2018 12:01:35 +0000

But does concierge medicine get you a better physician, or just a more “luxury class” experience with one, for the higher cost? Seems like the self selection process of choosing specialties is baked in by the time physicians are practicing and deciding whether to go concierge.

@ucbalumnus I envision it being a bit more like an expensive restaurant. If the quality (or perceived quality) is not there, it won’t stay in business long. It seems anyone can say they want to go concierge, but they need to have the following to pay for it. I doubt a doctor with a poor reputation would succeed as those spending money usually want quality with it in the same way a pricey place is (usually) better in quality of food and/or ambiance than the local burger joint.

Folks can choose the local diner or burger joint if that’s all they are looking for - and many of those ARE quite tasty, so well worth it - but for those who want/need more, it’s nice that there are options. Some people choose to spend their extra $$ on fancy cars, restaurants, travel, sports, home appliances, the perfect house, clothing, shoes, or a host of things. There’s nothing wrong with opting for a preferred better medical care too. It’s our differing choices of where our $$ go that keeps a good bit of the world running. Personally, I don’t condemn others for whatever they choose even if getting those oodles of pairs of shoes (or whatever) isn’t my choice. Someone is earning a living off making/selling those shoes.