Concierge Medicine

June 20, 2025

Dr. Waggoner transitioned from traditional family practice to Concierge Medicine after managing thousands of patients for 25 years, seeking to provide more personalized care. Concierge Medicine is a membership-based healthcare model where patients pay monthly or annual fees for enhanced medical services including extended appointments, same-day visits, and direct physician access. While fees typically range from $2,000-$5,000 annually (up to $10,000 in larger markets), Dr. Waggoner practices a hybrid model that incorporates insurance to reduce costs for standard services.

Who is affected

Traditional family practice patients
Patients who can afford concierge medicine fees
Patients who cannot afford concierge medicine fees
Physicians like Dr. Waggoner who transition to concierge medicine
Doctors like Dr. Chrisette Dharma who remain in traditional practice models

What action is being taken

Dr. Waggoner is practicing a hybrid concierge model that incorporates insurance to reduce costs for patients
Some concierge physicians in Dallas-Fort Worth are limiting their practices to as few as 50 patients
Dr. Chrisette Dharma and Southwest Family Medicine Associates are attempting to provide personalized care within an insurance-based model
Concierge physicians are offering extended one-hour visits, same-day appointments, and 24/7 direct access

Why it matters

Concierge Medicine allows physicians to provide more personalized care with longer appointment times
The model reduces physician patient loads from thousands to hundreds (typically 400-600 patients)
It creates a potential divide in healthcare quality between those who can and cannot afford premium services
The shift represents a response to what Dr. Waggoner describes as a "broken" healthcare system
Patients seeking more personal medical relationships have new options but at significant cost

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint