Conciege Doctors

The New York Times reports on a recent trend in health care - the conciege doctor.  It seems a far cry from universal health care and doesn't seem to be the medical profession at its best.  According to the Times,

Last October, Barbara L. Allan, 57, received a letter from her family physician, Dr. David Rosenberg, asking her for $1,500 annually to remain a patient. He would be offering longer appointments, with no waiting, and giving out his cellphone number for after-hours calls. Ms. Allan would be one of just 400 patients, the letter said, and she would have his help navigating the local health care system. Dr. Rosenberg said he was switching to a concierge practice to maintain the highest quality of patient care.

Barbara L. Allan, president of a research company in Florida, tried using a concierge doctor to save time, but switched because he didn't offer some routine services.

To her, it was an attractive pitch. "I was tired of going in for routine things and waiting an hour and a half," said Ms. Allan, who is president and chief executive of SRA Research Group Inc. in Jupiter, Fla. She recalled walking out of the doctor's office two or three times when he made her late for a meeting.

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