More about Concierge Medicine

In November’s first blog, we detailed some of the basics of Dr. Stevens’s concierge medicine program he now offers for residents across the Central Coast. Let’s get into more details here. 

What is concierge medicine again? 

Concierge medicine is a definite trend in healthcare. This type of care delivery model provides much more personal access to Dr. Stevens. For an additional fee to join, concierge medicine offers round-the-clock physician access, same-day appointment, and highly personalized, comprehensive care. 

The focus expands our patient care from the reactionary, fee-for-service model that dominates healthcare, allowing more focus on preventive care to keep patients healthier, rather than simply responding when they get sick. 

What areas are Dr. Stevens’s focus? 

Dr. Stevens is an excellent choice for this type of medicine thanks to his breadth of training, expertise, and experience. He is triple board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, and Venous and Lymphatic Medicine. This makes our concierge medicine program at Premier Heart & Vein the only hybrid concierge specialist on the Central Coast combining cardiology, phlebology, and internal medicine. 

What are the advantages of concierge medicine? 

You can think of this as a type of retainer model for healthcare. You’ve probably heard of retainers in the fields of advertising and law, where a business or company pays the firm a monthly fee. This replaces the job by job/case by case relationship a smaller firm or an individual would provide for the company. 

With concierge medicine, a patient can call Dr. Stevens whenever he or she needs to. Appointments are the same day or next day in most cases. This tends to keep the patient healthier, rather than avoiding appointments because the patient is worried about the possible cost of the visit. This kind of access is possible because our concierge medicine program at Premier Heart & Vein has a limited number of participants. 

In a nutshell, concierge is all about providing immediate access without the usual barriers. 

How much does Dr. Stevens concierge medicine plan cost? 

As discussed above, these are annual fees to participate in Dr. Stevens’s concierge medicine plan. The fee is $1800, which equates to less than $5 a day. This fee eliminates the charges for office visits. It eliminates the usual bottleneck trying to get an appointment with your doctor. Plus, it provides 24/7 access and Dr. Stevens also provides virtual telemedicine visits if you choose. 

Are you interested in our concierge medicine program at Premier Heart & Vein Care? Give Dr. Stevens a call at (805) 540-3333 and let’s discuss this in more detail.