It’s no secret there is a severe healthcare management crisis in our country. Patients are weary of the long wait to see a doctor about their chronic health conditions.
And dealing with insurance companies over hefty co-pays and what specific medical treatments are covered or not can cause financial hardship and lengthen chronic pain. Getting support to live a healthier, more active life should not feel like walking into a giant maze of turn-arounds and blocked pathways. And traditional medicine focused on ‘cures’ instead of thoroughly examining the reasons for an illness may not be the right path to the best long-term solutions.
Traditional hospitals and clinics are a business and have daily patient quotas to fill. That means packing a doctor’s schedule with patient visits, so the healthcare system maximizes its revenue by the end of the day. To patients, this means a longer wait and limited time with their medical provider. A provider who feels ‘rushed’ to get through all the questions, testing, and solutions within less than an hour isn’t going to be entirely present or their patients.
That’s why there’s a new trend in concierge medicine, which is considered a non-insurance-based option focused on patient needs instead of business needs. Indeed, we offer functional medicine here in Gainesville, Florida, which is an innovative approach that focuses on holistic health. It’s more about wellness, than about sickness.
Seven Things that Make Concierge Medicine in Gainesville, Florida, a Great Choice
The first benefit of concierge medicine is breaking through administrative red tape. This alone frees up the process to provide the following benefits.
- Quick same-day appointments.
- A pay-as-you-go model mitigating unnecessary healthcare fees.
- Concierge medicine uses a proactive instead of reactive approach to illness.
- A holistic focus on the mind-body connection to illness is considered.
- A preventative care focus helps encourage fewer doctor visits.
- Unrushed time with a doctor.
- Patients are in a partnership with their doctor to improve health outcomes.
The National Institute of Health has an article explaining when concierge medicine began and how it differs from insurance-based healthcare services.
Another thing many people ask is if concierge medicine is “worth it.” Typical complaints about traditional medicine center around the daily struggles men and women have with chronic disease management, thyroid, and hormonal imbalances. The health issues involved are more complex than taking a pill or avoiding sugar. A patient may be doing everything their healthcare provider tells them and still feel lethargic, anxious, and depressed. In past decades, these symptoms were seen by traditional healthcare as more of a “patient attitude” than a real physiological challenge. Many still believe that today.
Concierge medicine is designed to take a serious look at a person’s daily quality of life. And review the lifestyle changes and treatments to address health impacts traditional medicine tends to dismiss. The holistic approach taps into the connection between physical ailments and mental disposition. The result is a forward-thinking approach to one’s life, health, and complete well-being.