
Boutique Clinics Offer Alternative for Patients Who Pay
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Frustrated by the harried pace of most clinics and hospitals, some doctors and patients are opting for an alternative that offers better, but pricier, service.
30-Second Summary
Some patients who feel like “they’re just a number in line at the butcher’s shop” when they go to the doctor are turning to concierge, or boutique, practices, reports Time magazine.
Boutique clinics charge patients an entry fee for care and limit the number of patients that they accept. They also offer extra fee-based services such as longer office visits and e-mail and cell phone availability.
Patients say that this alternative, also called the direct primary care model, creates shorter waits and more personalized attention, and doctors say that they appreciate the flexibility and fulfillment the arrangement offers.
Insurance companies reward doctors who see more patients in less time, affecting their ability to get to know their patients and make nuanced diagnoses. “Today, people who really want their doctors to get to know them have to pay for that investment of time,” writes Time magazine.
Some criticize the boutique system for being elitist, as it is only available to wealthier individuals.
“There’s something unseemly about doctors saying, ‘You know what, this system is so broken, the only way I can practice is to set up a cash-based practice and exempt myself.’ We need to fix the system,” says Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania.
But WebWeekly, a publication of Harvard Medical Community, reports that as the system evolves it holds some promise toward widening its customer base.
Boutique clinics charge patients an entry fee for care and limit the number of patients that they accept. They also offer extra fee-based services such as longer office visits and e-mail and cell phone availability.
Patients say that this alternative, also called the direct primary care model, creates shorter waits and more personalized attention, and doctors say that they appreciate the flexibility and fulfillment the arrangement offers.
Insurance companies reward doctors who see more patients in less time, affecting their ability to get to know their patients and make nuanced diagnoses. “Today, people who really want their doctors to get to know them have to pay for that investment of time,” writes Time magazine.
Some criticize the boutique system for being elitist, as it is only available to wealthier individuals.
“There’s something unseemly about doctors saying, ‘You know what, this system is so broken, the only way I can practice is to set up a cash-based practice and exempt myself.’ We need to fix the system,” says Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania.
But WebWeekly, a publication of Harvard Medical Community, reports that as the system evolves it holds some promise toward widening its customer base.
Headline Link: ‘Giving Patients the VIP Treatment’
Under the current system, insurance companies reward doctors who see more patients in less time. A few decades ago physicians had the time to really get to know their patients and make nuanced diagnoses, says Dr. Robert Brooks, associate dean for health affairs and professor of family medicine at Florida State University College of Medicine.
Source: Time
Background: ‘A new brew in Seattle’
The boutique medicine trend started in Seattle in the mid-1990s and has recently made a comeback, reports WebWeekly, a publication of Harvard Medical Community. There are now more than 1,000 doctors working in boutiques, according to the Society for Innovative Medical Practice Design.
Source: WebWeekly
The primary care system in the U.S. is plagued by problems such as long wait times, and “could be headed for serious trouble,” says the AARP. “The system is broken,” says Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Source: AARP
Opinion & Analysis: Boutique medicine ‘nothing new’
Blogger Geosmythe at Geopolar Health Care Experience blog says that boutique medicine is “nothing new,” as wealthy individuals have always received better treatment than others within the mainstream health care system.
Source: Geopolar Health Care Experience
Reference: Health Web Guide
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Source: findingDulcinea
The SIMPD is a group that advocates for a direct financial relationship between patients and physicians to “restore the integrity” of the arrangement.
Source: Society for Innovative Medical Practice Design

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