Dr. Dave speaks on the concept of Direct Practice Medicine.

Dr. Garrsion Bliss, one of the original founders of Concierge Medicine, speaks to Fox Business News on the signifcant gap that Concierge or Retainer Medicine can fill in providing cost-effective medical coverage for both insured and uninsured patients.  Dr. Bliss speaks to the ability of Concierge Medicine to reduce overall healthcare costs in conjunction with high patient satisfaction due to 24/7 coverage and personal relationships between physicians and patients.  To view the interview go to:

http://clipclip.co.cc/a-new-plan-for-health-care/

Dr Bliss has founded Qliance, a Seattle based Retainer Medicine clinic focused on a lower price point for uninsured patients.  His practice has proven to be an excellent source for high outcomes and low cost for patients struggling to have access to and afford medical care.  See his website at:

http://www.qliance.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/health/policy/11concierge.html

Click here to read Dr. Dave’s article about physician patient loads published in America’s leading practice manangement journal, Physicians Practice. Dr. Dave reflects on his former life of caring for 3,500 patients and compares this to the quality of care received by his current patient family of 300. He will be a regular columnist for this publication and we look forward to bringing you these articles on a regular basis.

Chris Ewin, MD briefly discusses the importance of primary care and recent changes in how this care is being delivered throughout the country.

Monday, January 12, 2004
By Holly Burns, Staff Writer
Of The Charleston Regional Business Journal Staff

The magazines are six months old and dog-eared. The music is tinny and irritating. The seats are uncomfortable, the walls are bare and everyone is looking at you wondering why you’re here.
Welcome to the typical doctor’s waiting room, the medical purgatory between the comfort of your car and the privacy of the physician’s exam room. (more…)

By Jill Coley
The Post and Courier
Monday, September 10, 2007

By Mike Norbut
AMNews staff
June 6, 2005

Cooling on concierge: Selling the service not so easy
Retainer practices were once touted as the hot new idea that would take over health care, but reality has not matched expectations.

When the idea first took shape, it sounded so promising: Charge patients a monthly or annual fee and offer extra services, such as same-day, extended appointments and 24-hour telephone access. Limit your patient panel to a fraction of what it would be under typical managed care parameters, giving you a chance to get back to the personal care that appealed to you when you first decided to be a physician.

Concierge medicine was touted by many as a viable alternative to the current health care maze when it started gaining popularity a few years ago, especially as monthly fees came down to a level that could entice the middle class. A few reports even projected a health care industry that relied on the membership concept, with patients having little choice but to pay above and beyond their normal insurance premiums for physician access.

While physicians knew it wouldn’t get as big as those predictions, concierge medicine also never took off the way it was expected. While a few businesses have sprouted out of the movement, doctors still are generally slow to make the transition, mainly because it’s a difficult model in which physicians can find success. (more…)