In response to the growing dissatisfaction with the current healthcare system, an increasing number of doctors and patients alike are turning to a new trend in medicine: “concierge” or “boutique” medicine. “The concept is that the patient has special privileges and receives special attention, usually from their primary care physician,” says Dr. Julie Silver, assistant professor in the Harvard Medical School’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Those special privileges include longer exam times, shorter waits, better emergency services, and even same-day appointments.
The cost of ‘concierge’ care
The only downside to concierge care is the cost. Patients pay physicians annual retainers for this specialized care. According to an article in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, those retainer fees range anywhere between $900 and $20,000 per year.
For older adults, the cost of concierge care can be even greater. Since older adults often have multiple medical conditions, they generally pay higher fees. One Miami practice was caught charging $1,500 annually to patients under age 45, while charging up to $3,000 for people age 65 and older.
An answer for older adults
Fortunately, there’s a way for older adults to enjoy all of the benefits of concierge care without the high price tag. The type of patient-centered care for which some people are paying as much as $20,000 per year comes standard with Erickson Health, the nation’s largest and most completely integrated health care and wellness system for America’s aging population.
“Taking care of patients is what doctors want to do,” says Dr. Elliott Kroger, full-time physician at Sedgebrook. “In my previous practice, I spent too much time fighting insurance companies and filling out paperwork.”
With Erickson Health, the doctor to patient ratio is five times better than the norm: 400 patients per doctor rather than the average 2,000. At Erickson Communities like Sedgebrook, Kroger and other experts in the on-site Medical Center call residents back within ten minutes to confirm appointments or answer questions.
Enjoying the benefits
“Knowing that Dr. Kroger is right on the premises is really something that is unbelievable,” says
Don Hahn of Sedgebrook. “It’s possible to walk in the medical center at any time. He’s here every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m..”
After meeting Dr. Kroger, Kathryn Lord chose to make him her primary care physician. “Previously, I didn’t like the fact that I was driving 14 miles each way to see the doctor I had in Grayslake,” she explains. “So, I now go to the Sedgebrook Medical Center, and it’s a state-of-the-art center. They have features that are not ordinarily in any other doctor’s office.”
Features like an electronic medical records system are important to Gene Golemo. “With the electronic medical records, my history goes into the computer, so if I ever go to the hospital, my records will be there. I also love that Erickson Health has specialists in geriatric medicine.”
Making lives better
A general internist for 24 years, Kroger has devoted the past 15 to geriatric medicine. “I take care of a variety of medical concerns including diabetes, hypertension, and arthritis.” Kroger has even been recognized in
Chicago Magazine’s “Best Doctors” edition.
Since he sees significantly fewer patients at Sedgebrook than the average physician, Kroger says he now gets to spend more time doing what drew him to medicine in the first place: building relationships with his patients. “Erickson Health has returned to the fundamental principles that drove me to medicine,” he explains.