Concierge medicine

Concierge medicine consists of the patient paying an annual fee to reserve access to a physician throughout the year. It is analogous to joining a club, or making a dinner reservation at a good restaurant to ensure there will be a table for you on a busy night.

Concierge medicine has several advantages over the ordinary type of access to medical care:

• there is no waiting list or rationing of access, which is an increased risk given the planned government control of medicine
• both the patient and physician can better budget and allocate their annual needs and commitments
• it creates a steady relationship that is more collegial, like a club
• physicians and patients have more of a vested interest in each other’s well-being
• third-party interference is minimized