More on concierge medicine

As regular readers know, I'm extremely happy with my new doctor and the concierge medicine program. It's worth every penny of the monthly fee ($125). Recently, he referred me to an orthopedist; I have an appointment at the end of the month. I made the appointment, let my doctor know, and he took the initiative to call up the orthopedist to have a lengthy, in-depth discussion about my health concerns and his goals for the appointment. Now I feel as though I can go into the office and spend the time talking about management options instead of having to go through the history.

Similarly, he sends me a copy of my medical records whenever they're updated. He made a point of noting in them that I displayed no drug-seeking behaviour. One of my biggest frustrations was feeling like I had to clear that hurdle with every specialist I saw, and I think having the notation in my chart will be a big help. It was done spontaneously too, I made no special requests.

If I were perfectly healthy, I wouldn't see this as a needed expense. But $125/month is a minor expense if it makes me feel not quite so alone in facing down my condition.