The Primary Care Physician and the Patient

1. The Primary Care Physician and the Patient The primary care physician, previously referred to as a general practitioner in the US and still usually referred to as a GP in the UK and European countries, is the first contact in any illness between patient and physician and which maybe requires a full diagnosis, X-rays etc. The physician thereafter may contract with you to become a concierge doctor if he has opted for that practice. He is thereafter, paid a retainer either an annual or monthly fee. This physician we refer to as a concierge doctor will continue the treatment from a distance, i.e. over the telephone or by email etc. he will consult with the patient in the same way for the rest of the term and is in a way, employed by the patient. He may make house visits if required to do so otherwise communication is written or oral. In a way, the concierge doctor is a great help to senior citizens who may find it difficult to travel to and fro to a doctor's rooms. There are also senior citizens who are unable to visit a doctor for one or more reasons. They may be incapable of walking, may be permanently in a wheelchair which requires special transport etc. In this case some patient care by telephone is much more convenient. Take the case where a patient is in an old age or frail care home. Many of these facilities do not have permanent physicians on their staff and to get prescription or scheduled medication from a drug store without a prescription is impossible. The concierge doctor may visit the patient to ensure that a certain drug is required after which they communicate by email or simply by telephone. Besides all the plusses you can enumerate with the concierge doctor it is quite a comforting thought that you have your own personal physician. He will have all your history on tap in his computer these days, quite similar to a standard healthcare physician. To have these facilities brought to you by your own physician when an ailment strikes is more than a comforting thought, and what are the alternatives? Government healthcare is undergoing reform after reform and there is presently no finality in this program. Many people have signed up for federal health insurance (2018) which is a necessary program as it covers hospitals, MRI's X-Ray etc. and stays in hospitals. There is also a Children's health Insurance program. Just to recap, the concierge doctor, if necessary will make full use of the government facilities, hospitals etc if he deems it necessary. He is the first line health care physician and will remain your personal physician twenty-four per day once you have contracted to his services. He will make house calls, supply you with you scheduled drug prescriptions and generally attend to all your normal health needs. He is a telephone call away and will most probably attend to your requirements with twenty-four hours of a call. There are quite a few benefits using the concierge doctor which according to Forbes, is the future of high quality primary health care today. Source: http://www.yourwellness4life.com/the-primary-care-physician-and-the-patient/ ************