Concierge medicine, also known as boutique medicine, retainer medicine, or direct care, is a healthcare model where patients pay an annual or monthly fee directly to their primary care physician for enhanced access and personalized care. This model contrasts with traditional primary care, which relies primarily on insurance reimbursements.

Key Features of Concierge Medicine:

1. Membership Fee: Patients pay a membership fee. This fee can vary based on the level of service and the practice's location.

2. Enhanced Access: Patients receive direct access to their physician, often including 24/7 availability via phone, email, or text.

3. Longer Appointments: Physicians can spend more time with each patient, offering more thorough examinations and personalized care plans.

4. Preventive Care Focus: Emphasis is placed on preventive care and wellness, including comprehensive annual exams and proactive management of chronic conditions.

5. Limited Patient Panel: Physicians typically maintain a smaller patient panel (around 300-600 patients) compared to traditional practices, allowing for more personalized attention.

Benefits for Patients:

• Convenience: Same-day or next-day appointments, reduced wait times, and extended consultation periods.

• Personalized Care: More in-depth visits and tailored healthcare plans.

• Direct Physician Access: Easier communication with their physician outside of regular office hours.

• Outside of the box thinking with more time to leverage your insurance and get more out of your health benefits.

Sources:

• American Academy of Private Physicians

• Forbes: What is Concierge Medicine?

• Concierge Medicine Today

This model is increasingly popular among both patients seeking more personalized care and physicians looking for a more sustainable practice structure.

We understand that insurance coverage is important to avoid and or limit the financial burden from a major health problem. This is a concern.

While we accept some commercial insurances, your care and our commitment to you are not contingent on what insurance you have or don’t have when you are our patient.

Medicare & Medicaid: We don’t bill Medicare/Medicaid for our services (Office visit & in clinic tests such as EKG, Urine dip, flu, covid, strep tests etc…) . We do run all other services rendered outside of the clinic through your Medicare & Medicaid. These include imaging tests, labs done at Labcorp or Quest labs or other labs, referrals to specialists, etc…

Regardless of your insurance, our model allows you unlimited access to well-check visits, sick visits, and follow-ups. You can see your provider as often as needed for your health and peace of mind, all for one monthly or annual fee. This comprehensive approach emphasizes preventative care, reducing the need for costly emergency room and urgent care visits.

Additionally, we offer on-site prescription dispensing, including heart medications and antibiotics, ensuring you leave with the medications you need.

We believe our model provides excellent value and convenience. Please click on the Booking tab to enroll and schedule your consult to find out more.

All memberships include:

• 24/7 Access to PCP

• Preventive Care

  • Holistic Approach with emphasis on personalized preventive care and wellness programs.

  • Emphasis on early detection and prevention using wearable device data review, bio markers (lab) data analysis, and health coaching based on data.

• Chronic health management:

  • Varies depending on your type of membership.

  • Please look under the specific membership you are interested in.

  • Most memberships include:

    • In house labs (flu, covid, rapid strep, urine dips, urine pregnancy, etc…

    • Referrals to specialists as needed

    • Mental health (depression, anxiety, adhd, substance use disorder)

• Travel Medicine:

  • Going somewhere and not sure what meds or vaccinations you need? Whether you need to prevent malaria or worried about traveler's diarrhea, we got you!

  • Sea sickness

  • High altitude medicine

  • Traveler’s diarrhea

    We've got our traveling member's covered at Pacific Concierge Physician with a simple telehealth or in office consult.

• Telehealth/Virtual Membership

  • Our triple state license doctor will care for you in WA, CA and OR

  • Prescription drug management.

  • Health Coaching and chronic health management. This option is limited in evaluation of new conditions, but triaging can be offered.

This depends on the membership you sign up for. For instance, in clinic procedures are included in the Executive membership but not in other memberships. Furthermore, mobile labs and house calls are included in the Executive membership only.

List of Offered Procedures:

• Suturing.

• Skin Biopsies.

• Shoulder injections.

• Skin lesion resections.

• Knee joint injections.

• Bursa injections.

• Carpal tunnel injections.

• Phlebotomy (blood draw)

• IV Fluids and infusions in clinic

For Comprehensive membership: some commercial insurances can be billed for procedures or cash prices will be offered transparently (before the procedure) as follow:

Suturing  $ 69.99

Biopsies  $ 69.99

Each additional biopsy $ 49.99

Skin Lesion resection $ 69.99

Each additional resection $ 49.99

Joint Injections  $ 49.99

Bursa Injections  $ 49.99

Carpal Tunnel   $ 69.99

Cryosurgery 1st Lesion $ 19.99

Cryosurgery additional lesions $9.99

Blood draw/collection  $ 14.99

These prices are for members only. Regardless of the outcome of the insurance submission, patients are still responsible for all cost.

• Inpatient or in-hospital care.

• Emergency room care.

• Health insurance. This service is not a substitute for your health insurance. You are strongly recommended to carry health insurance to cover drugs, procedures, surgeries, subspecialist visits (e.g., cardiologist, hematologist), and hospitalizations.

• Subspecialist level of care.

• Osteopathic Manipulation ( OMM)

Concierge medicine is not a substitute for health insurance. While it offers comprehensive and personalized care, it does not replace the need for health insurance to cover major medical expenses such as hospitalizations, surgeries, and specialist consultations.

Yes, there is a non-refundable consultation fee of $99.99-169.99 for new patients.

Most initial consultation is done virtually for new patients.

The fee is applied to your membership fee if the consultation leads to an enrollment.

• First consult is to ensure we’ll be a good fit for you and that we’ll be able to meet your expectations.

• Consultation is not for urgent care needs or prescription refills without membership. If you need urgent/acute care and you are not a member, please go to an urgent care provider.

• No controlled substance prescriptions or refills.

There are no contracts. We ask that you give us a 3 month cancellation notice and we would do the same for terminating your membership. After your 3 month, you can cancel and obtain any applicable prorated refund. There is no obligation to stay if you are not being cared for the way you expect to be. We do believe, you will want to stay on your own free will.

All we'd ask of you is to provide feedback so we can continue to improve our services.

No for regular office visits but may be for procedures if in network.

• Consultation: 40-60 Minutes.

• Telehealth Members: 30 minutes.

• Comprehensive Members: 60 minutes

• Executive Members: up to 60-90 minutes.

• Regardless of your appointment duration, all members will have:

  • 24 / 7 access to our portal for direction communication

  • Unlimited number of appointments.

  • Direct phone line to your PCP.

We aim to see 6-8 patients a day but if urgent patient care needs arise, we place patient care above all and work patients in.

1-2 business day(s).

Call 911 immediately.

While I can guide you expeditiously, I don't want my accessibility to get in the way of your care. Simply put, if you are having a medical emergency, you're recommended to call 911 without any delay.

I will not schedule patients for their routine visits during my vacation time.

However, I'll be accessible via telehealth and I'll arrange for a colleague ( Dr Richa Uppal at RichaUppalMD.com) to provide coverage in my absence.

Yes, because life happens outside of regular business hours.

This is available to our executive members. See details under the services page.