THE PROBLEMS: 
MANAGED HEALTH CARE
GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE
     Falling insurance and Medicare reimbursements plus soaring overhead costs have forced most doctors to take on far more patients than they should.  In order to remain solvent these days, a typical primary care physician must be responsible for an average of about 2,500-4,000 patients which obviously means being less available and having too little time with each patient. 

     Most Primary Care doctors are, in fact, in such desperate straits that the 15,000 member Primary Care Coalition has stated, "If Texas does not take steps to reinforce its primary care networks, our health care system will crumble, drowning the state’s economic health in a flood of debt and disease." (click any blue text on this web site for more information)

     Even today, struggling to keep their practices solvent, many highly competent doctors have been left with no alternative but to offer offbeat but profitable "quasi-medical" sideline services to their patients. As doctors become ever more involved with their non-medical sideline services just to try to remain solvent, they will have even less time to spend on real medical care.

     It's no wonder it's often impossible to speak directly to the doctor by phone, why it's difficult to schedule an appointment, and why patients with real medical problems often end up being examined and treated by a staff member who is not an MD.  

     Patients often feel they are not receiving the prompt, on–time, attentive, individualized, proactive, concerned, preventive care they want and deserve... because they aren't.   When doctors are forced to see overwhelming numbers of patients every day just to survive, they have very little time or energy left for such "luxuries" as basic as good service and TLC; and their patients have had no choice but to tolerate what might well be termed "Assembly Line Medicine" (or better yet, "Hamster Health Care"). 

     There is already a dire shortage of primary care doctors in the US, and with the coming federal government takeover of the entire health care delivery system older doctors will immediately begin retiring in droves.  There are not nearly enough younger primary care doctors in the educational pipeline to take up the slack, and it will soon become extremely difficult to find any doctor willing to accept new patients when they're already overworked.  Patients of Medicare age will find the system ever more daunting.

     Under government health care every American, rich or poor, young or old, is going to have only two choices with regard to the indifferent, impersonal, homogenized, mediocre health care being offered: "Take it or leave it."

     We are pleased to offer our patients an alternative...

 

THE SOLUTION:   
CONCIERGE FAMILY MEDICINE
A "RETAINER" MEDICAL PRACTICE

     At Concierge Family Medicine (CFM) we accept no money from insurance companies or the government. We are employed directly by the wonderful patients we serve; so we are able focus all our energy on them.  The doctors and every member of our staff are committed to providing each patient with an involved, exclusive, and overwhelmingly positive health care experience.  We concentrate on early identification of potential health risks, aggressive management of those risks, wellness planning, and patient education.

     Our unique approach at CFM makes it possible for us to provide the highest-quality, individualized patient care:

  • One fixed yearly "retainer" fee guarantees our patients immediate access to excellent care at any time and as often as they wish throughout the year.

  • We offer comprehensive and personalized medical care at a fixed annual cost... and nothing more. We do not market any "sideline" services to our patients for an added charge.
     
  • Because patients know they have "prepaid" for everything and that there will be no additional charges, they are more likely to utilize all the services available, that is, they are more likely to do what's best for their own health:
  • The fact that CFM accepts only a limited number of patients guarantees that we will always have ample time to give each one the VIP attention they deserve.
     
  • Everyone at CFM realizes we are "employed" directly by the patients we serve, and we understand that in order to remain successful it is essential that we maintain the highest possible levels of patient service and satisfaction

 

WHAT WE OFFER
     Every one of our patients is a VIP to us; so we believe every one of them should receive:

  • VIP TREATMENT at all times
  • Ample time with the doctor
  • Prompt, thorough, and enthusiastic staff attention to all requests
  • Same-day Appointments
  • On-time Appointments
  • Immediate cell phone access to your own doctor 24/7
  • Immediate cell phone access even to every staff member 24/7
  • Our active involvement to facilitate prompt access to specialists and state-of-the-art care
  • A complete Physical Exam every year
  • No added charges for routine lab work and immunizations
  • Concentration on PROactive health risk management rather than merely REacting after a crisis has already occurred

 

IT'S ALL ABOUT TIME
     What is so special about the medical experience received by CFM patients?   Are CFM doctors any more highly trained or more intelligent than other doctors?  Of course not.  All MD's have successfully completed similar medical training programs and all must pass the same licensing examinations.  

     But after all their superb training most doctors, unfortunately, enter a practice environment in which they are forced to see an average of one patient every 7.5 minutes, typically 30-50 patients per day.  If they do not see that many patients, they will simply go broke, unable to pay their overhead (rent, staff, insurance, etc.)

     What makes CFM doctors unique is that we have ample time to spend with each patient, as much time as the patient may require:  

     Obviously all this time is simply not available if a doctor is restricted to 7.5 minutes per patient and is seeing 30-50 patients every day.

     Our CFM patients are encouraged to come in to see their doctor often and early, even with what may seem like minor concerns; so that these can be addressed before they can become major ones.   Although we usually do not schedule individual appointments longer than 30 minutes (except for physical exams), patients are free to schedule additonal 30-minute appointments as often as they wish.

     CFM patients can almost always schedule a same-day appointment at a time convenient to them.   They are always seen right at their appointment time.   They can reach our doctors and even every staff member at any time, 24/7, by cell phone.

     At CFM we all enjoy spending time with our patients; so no one ever feels pressured or rushed.

     Is your time valuable to you?  Then perhaps this is the right time for you to consider joining CFM.

 

MEDIA COVERAGE OF OUR UNIQUE MEDICAL PRACTICE

• KEYE Evening News
                

• AustinWoman Magazine

• Texas Medical Association Journal

• KXAN TV News
                 

 
• KUT-FM Radio Interview

 

A YEARLY PHYSICAL EXAM IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF
A COMPREHENSIVE WELLNESS PROGRAM
     Clearly, if a doctor is forced to be responsible for 2,500+ patients there are simply not enough working hours in a year to allow him to perform a thorough one-hour physical exam on each of them every year (or even every two years for that matter).

     Our doctors strongly encourage all patients over age 40 to have a thorough physical examination every year.   The full cost, of course, is included in your annual fee.   This important exam includes:

     Your doctor will spend at least an hour with you during this yearly exam which allows him to develop and expand his in-depth understanding of your current health status and any potential health risks.  

     Following the exam you will receive all the information you need to safeguard your most precious resource - your good health.

 

"Since most of us spend our lives doing ordinary tasks, the most important thing is to carry them out extraordinarily well."
                                                         Henry David Thoreau

   

SPECIALIST REFERRALS FOR SPECIAL PATIENTS
     Not only do our patients receive VIP attention from our own doctors and staff (24/7), but we also serve as their enthusiastic advocate, helping facilitate their care throughout the entire complex health care system while making the experience as pleasant, convenient, and understandable as possible.   For example, when we refer one of our CFM patients to a specialist colleague, our doctor will typically telephone the specialist directly to make certain the patient is able to schedule an appointment promptly, receive personal attention, arrange convenient testing, etc.  

     Merely being one of our CFM patients carries a special (but unspoken) "cachet" with our specialist friends.   Specialists understand that patients who come to them from CFM have already been thoroughly evaluated and are not likely to have any previously unsuspected and untreated health issues.   They know that CFM patients tend to be very responsible people who are seriously committed to maintaining their good health and who will therefore be strongly motivated to comply fully with the specialist's recommendations.  What's more, the specialist is able to concentrate fully on his own area of expertise because he knows that all other health issues are being actively managed by the CFM doctor.   This is exactly the kind of patient that every specialist is delighted to see.

"It's easier to maintain good health than to regain it once it's lost."
                                                             Kenneth Cooper, MD

CONTINUING PROACTIVE INVOLVEMENT IN YOUR HEALTH

     Between annual exams our staff will remain proactively involved with maintaining your good state of health.   We realize that our busy patients are preoccupied with many other aspects of their lives; so we make it our responsibility to monitor your health status closely and remind you on a regular basis when it is time for any sort of followup exam, lab test, immunization, or other care.

 

WE ARE CURRENTLY ACCEPTING A LIMITED NUMBER OF NEW PATIENTS

     With the recent addition of Dr. Mason Jones to our practice we are pleased to be able to accept a limited number of new patients.  However, in order to maintain our superior level of patient access, personal service, and highest-quality care, each doctor has agreed to accept only a certain maximum number of patients.  

     We do not intend to add any more doctors to our group; so we will soon stop accepting new patients.

     If you have an interest in joining our practice, please call or come in for a (no cost, no obligation) get-acquainted visit as soon as possible.

 

 

DISCLAIMER:
CFM IS NOT HEALTH INSURANCE

     Your membership in this medical practice guarantees you unlimited visits with your doctor, either in our office or by cell phone 24/7.   It also covers all routine exams, lab work, and other services performed within our office.  

     Membership in CFM does not cover any medical services you receive elsewhere.   Therefore it is important that you also maintain conventional (or government) health insurance to cover any medical expenses you may incur outside our office (for example specialist visits, x-rays, special diagnostic testing, emergency room visits, and hospitalization).

      You may find, however, that you can significantly reduce the cost of your conventional health insurance by changing to a high deductible plan that covers only catastrophic illness.   This cost savings alone may largely offset your annual CFM membership dues.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CFM FEE SCHEDULE