Dr. James Benoist was tired of pushing patients through. The internist was carrying 5,000 patients, usually seeing 35 or so a day, for just a few minutes at a time.
Today, he has only 200 patient files. He sees just five to seven patients a day, spending 45 minutes or so with each. Benoist, whose Englewood practice is called Higher Care, is part of a growing trend toward “concierge” medicine.
Patients pay $3,000 a year for a host of services beyond what medical insurance typically covers. Concierge doctors will make house calls, or even see patients at work. And they promise: no long waiting-room ordeals.
On a recent day, he saw patient Liz Mullervy, who has multiple health problems and is six years out from open heart surgery.
“I found a doctor who has time to sort through all my medical differences and medical records,” she said.
Higher Care helps patients like Mullervy with special diagnostic research, evaluating her family history and other factors. Benoist may not only refer her to specialists, he’ll go with her to those appointments. If she were to be hospitalized, he would continue to supervise her care there.
Dean Bonham, chairman and chief executive of The Bonham Group, a Denver-based sports marketing firm, described how Benoist was able to get him out of emergency surgery and off to a high-powered meeting in record time.
“I’m at a time in my life where the clock works against me,” said Bonham. “I can call the doctor at home, on the cellphone – then I’ve got a doctor I’m willing to pay a lot of money to, because he’s saving me a lot of money.”
Such premium care concerns others in the medical community, who say resources are already too scarce.
“You’re talking 2 to 3 percent of the workload of a practicing physician,” says Dr. Mark Earnest with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
Earnest said that doctors have a moral obligation to give back to society by practicing traditional health care because taxpayers have subsidized much of their training and research.
Currently, Benoist appears to be the only doctor offering the boutique service in metro Denver.
About 250 of the nation’s 850,000 doctors are entering the field, according to the Society for Innovative Medical Practice Design, a trade association for boutique medicine.
One of the larger providers, MDVIP, offers concierge care to 21,000 people in 14 states, according to its website, www.mdvip.com.
Across the country, legal and regulatory issues have surfaced with these kinds of practices.
Washington regulators contend that by accepting retainers, physicians were acting like an insurance company without the proper license. In Florida, regulators investigated discrimination against patients who couldn’t afford to pay the retainer fee.
9News reporter Gregg Moss can be reached at 303-871-1499 or gregg.moss@9news.com.
What you pay for
For $3,000 per year, “concierge” health-care services provide:
24/7 access to your doctor
Guaranteed same-day appointments
Guaranteed wait times of less than five minutes
45-minute appointments, on average
Primary doctor attends specialist appointments
Customized research, including alternative therapies
House calls or visits to your office
Extensive annual physicals
