Patient concierge services are hospital-sponsored errand management and convenience services designed to make the hospital stay more comfortable and convenient for patients and their families. These services can include everything from performing laboratory tests and annual physical exams to providing diagnostic tests and minor urgent care services, such as stitches or treatments for mild skin conditions. However, they cannot provide many specialized treatments or important medical procedures, such as surgery. Pay-for-care concierge services, also known as concierge medicine or direct primary care, offer an alternative to health insurance.
Medical providers directly charge their patients a fixed fee (monthly, quarterly, or annual) that covers routine office visits, laboratory tests and simple diagnoses. Patients do not receive health plan assistance for these routine office needs, but they still need health insurance to cover specialist visits, hospital services, prescriptions, and catastrophic health events.In response to the challenge of providing patients with the time and care they need in “volume-driven” healthcare environments, several organizations are establishing concierge health care services aimed at the most vulnerable populations. This trend also creates professional opportunities for nurses and nursing professionals due to the growing range of health services now included in the field of concierge medicine.The main benefit of concierge medicine for all healthcare providers is the opportunity to develop closer relationships with their patients, which leads to better health outcomes. The main benefit of concierge health care for both caregivers and patients is the additional time and care that patients receive.Massachusetts General Hospital, Cleveland Clinic and Inova Health System are just a few of the organizations offering concierge programs.
However, a common misperception among caregivers is that concierge health care allows them to earn more money. One of the criticisms of concierge healthcare is that it limits access to care for underserved populations, especially the poor and the elderly.A patient concierge service (sometimes referred to as “health care concierge services”) is an errand management and convenience service sponsored by a hospital for patients and their families. To overcome this challenge, many health systems invest in patient-centered programs such as concierge services that improve the patient experience without burdening clinical staff.As more healthcare providers choose to follow the concierge model, the shortage of doctors worsens, especially in primary care areas such as internal medicine, family medicine and pediatrics. Much of the growing demand for concierge services is due to patients' desire to have more convenient access to their primary caregivers.The biggest benefit of concierge care for both patients and providers is the improvement of the quality of care since caregivers can spend more time with each patient.
Ultimately, this type of service offers an alternative to traditional health insurance plans while providing additional time and care for those who need it most.
