Questions About Concierge Medicine

Concierge medicine in the United States began in the early 1990s. In Seattle a company called MD² began offering what at the time was a rare and expensive form of primary care that became the standard for ‘concierge medicine.’ Their philosophy is ‘We didn’t take the bureaucratic oath.’ Soon, other concierge medicine practices began to spring up around the country. In 2002 Dr. Michael O’Neal and Dr. Dorota Matusewicz started the first concierge medicine practices in Tampa Bay, and they are still in operation today. Echelon-Health Concierge Medicine was established in 2013.

A concierge medicine practice provides patients with personalized medical care and convenient service in exchange for a membership fee. Practices such as Echelon-Health that are completely insurance-free include all services in the membership fee. Insurance is not required, but can be utilized for labs and diagnostic services ordered by the physician. For patients without coverage or high deductibles, Echelon-Health provides affordable cash pricing on labs and some prescription medications.

In an insurance-free concierge medicine practice, all office visits and office procedures are covered. That means when the patient pays the membership fee, the patient has paid for all services including visits and procedures. No matter how many times the patient needs to be seen, the fee doesn’t change. We treat everything from rotator cuff tendonitis to strep throat including diabetes, hypertension, low testosterone, lacerations, and sprained ankles.

One of the greatest advantages of concierge medicine is the ease of communication. Typically the doctor will provide his patients with his cell phone number for urgent after-hours concerns. Patients can also communicate non-urgent matters via text message, e-mail, or regular telephone. Video conferencing is another useful tool for when patients don’t need to come to the office, but require more interaction than a phone call or text.

Another advantage of concierge medicine is the lack of long waits. If the patient has an urgent concern, they are usually seen the same day, or next day at the latest. Since concierge medicine practices are low volume practices (often seeing less than 8 patients a day) the schedule allows for ease of scheduling for all patients.

Insurance-free concierge medicine practices work best with high-deductible plans and PPO plans. Prescribed medications and tests ordered by your concierge medicine physician should be covered without any issues. Patients who have HMO insurance will need to have an HMO physician approve any referrals or prior authorizations, but may still join and will likely have coverage for routine medications and labs.

If you have “straight Medicare” or a Medicare PPO you can join without any restrictions. If you have a Medicare HMO plan, you can still join but may have difficulty with referrals and prior authorizations. Important: Echelon-Health does not bill Medicare or any third-party payer. The membership fee is paid directly by the patient. Read more about Concierge Medicine and Medicare at Echelon-Health.

The membership fees for concierge medicine practices vary. Fees are generally between $2,000–5,000 yearly, although some practices may be priced significantly higher. At Echelon-Health the annual membership is $2,520 for adults and $360 for dependent children.

While concierge medicine is considered ‘controversial’ by some, mainly due to cost, the reality is that differences in prices of products exist everywhere in life. Whether it is an automobile, a hotel, a meal, or a basketball, the price of products varies considerably. At Echelon-Health we believe that not only is concierge medicine ethical, but a valuable service that is both affordably and transparently priced. No person has ever been forced into joining a concierge medicine practice, just as no one has ever been forced into eating a fine meal or driving a nice car.

We encourage those interested in Echelon-Health to schedule an informational consult where we can delve further into what we do and how it may fit into your lifestyle. To schedule a consultation please contact Echelon-Health at 813-415-2319.

We do not have a waiting room.