Chicago, IL, July 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A testament to the growing widespread appeal of concierge medicine, Specialdocs Consultants has partnered with 10 physicians across the country – from Westchester County, NY, to the Midwest suburbs, to the San Francisco Bay Area - to successfully launch their unique personalized care practices in 2023.
“What these highly respected doctors from every part of the country have in common is a passion for practicing medicine the way they envision, and an intense frustration at the impossibility of doing so in our current healthcare system,” says Terry Bauer, CEO of Specialdocs. “Since 2002, our concierge medicine model has offered a solution that fulfills the well-established but frequently elusive Quadruple Aim of value-based care: improving the health of populations, enhancing the patient care experience, reducing costs and improving provider satisfaction.”
Notably, according to Bauer, the Specialdocs practice model has provided a path to concierge medicine for physicians in a variety of settings, including hospital employment, physician groups, and independent, traditional fee-for-service practices.
“Ours is not a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather a carefully considered, customized model developed in collaboration with each of our affiliated physicians,” says Bauer. “Like concierge medicine itself, which allows for deeply personalized doctor-patient relationships, our model is grounded in a trusted and enduring partnership. It begins with our unique, proven process for practice conversion and continues with dedicated, long-term guidance to support our physician clients’ success in an ever-volatile healthcare environment.”
Carolyn Couture, MD, a Connecticut-based internal medicine physician practicing for almost three decades, reflects on her pre-conversion days: “The high volume of patients was becoming an insurmountable challenge. I was working hours at home every night to keep up, but there was never enough time. Even when out with my family, I always had the computer with me.”
She calls her change to concierge medicine earlier this year “truly life changing. Everything is more balanced now. It’s like night and day in terms of how I can care for and really know my patients. I can take the time needed to consider issues holistically, call promptly to discuss test results, advocate with specialists, and make hospital visits. And I have time for me - to keep up with medical journals, exercise, go to a meditation class or simply be present with my family. I’m finally able to shut off the computer at night.”
For internist John Bordiuk, MD, the switch to a concierge model this year has proven to be an ideal fit for his Massachusetts-based practice, Inner Balance, where he blends holistic primary care, functional and integrative medicine. “What’s become clear is the kind of treadmill I’ve been on for the last 35 years. It was very hard to find the time each day to accomplish all the things I wanted to accomplish. The change to concierge medicine absolutely gives me more time to focus on each individual patient. I love that I’m no longer looking at the clock, worried that the waiting room is getting stacked up. It’s a real pleasure to address each patient’s issues without waiting for their next appointment,” he says.
Although Dr. Bordiuk had considered concierge medicine for more than a decade, he is fully satisfied with the timing of his recent conversion to the model. “I had been approached by other concierge consulting companies in the past, but I found in Specialdocs a partner who respected my vision and helped me achieve it.”
According to Dr. Bordiuk, the other key to his success was the bond he had developed with patients over the years. “People often put doctors on a pedestal in appreciation for helping them live healthier lives. What patients may not realize is how much they mean to us. I am grateful now to be able to care for my patients in a less pressured way.”
He adds: “Unequivocally my quality of life has improved. I'm still trying to get my head around the fact that I’m enjoying the job and not feeling pushed to the limit every day.”
Patients’ response to concierge medicine has been positive and enthusiastic, confirming the power of a long-term relationship with their physician. Representative of many comments received by Specialdocs physician clients was patient W.B., who shared: “My wife and I have been patients of Dr. Couture for more than 15 years because she takes the time to genuinely talk through and work through medical issues. We signed up for her personalized medical care as soon as she made it available. I told her then ‘I’d been hoping for years you would start a practice like this. The approach to patient care is perfectly suited to the way you practice medicine.’”
The network of exceptional physicians affiliated with Specialdocs grew in the first half of 2023 to include:
- Endocrinologist, South Florida, FL
- Family practice physician, Naples, FL
- Integrative Medicine physician, Boston, MA
- Internal Medicine physician, Fairfield County, CT
- Internal Medicine (formerly Emergency Medicine) physician, Fairfield County, CT
- Internal Medicine physician, Westchester County, NY
- Internal Medicine physician, Northern VA
- Internal Medicine physician, Fairfax County, VA
- Internal Medicine physician, San Francisco Bay Area
- Internal Medicine physician, suburban Chicago
About Specialdocs
Since 2002 Specialdocs has worked to transform physicians’ professional lives with a change to its industry-leading, sustainable concierge medicine model, empowering them to deliver exceptionally personalized patient care.
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