What Impact Will Concierge Medicine Have on NPs?

[Mijourney]

Lately, I have been reading about the increasing surge of physicians, particularly primary care physicians converting their practices into a concierge model. How does this impact nurse practitioners? It seems to me that if physicians are going to do this, they should stop their obstruction to NP efforts to expand your scope of practice. Many people will be left out with concierge medicine and I feel that NPs will be the only practitioners that can fill the gap. Perhaps with an expanded scope of practice, NPs can also participate in concierge medicine.

[dissent]

Lately, I have been reading about the increasing surge of physicians, particularly primary care physicians converting their practices into a concierge model. How does this impact nurse practitioners? It seems to me that if physicians are going to do this, they should stop their obstruction to NP efforts to expand your scope of practice. Many people will be left out with concierge medicine and I feel that NPs will be the only practitioners that can fill the gap. Perhaps with an expanded scope of practice, NPs can also participate in concierge medicine.

To be blunt, why on earth would someone pay extra money to see someone with less training than a physician?

I think with more doctors doing concierge medicine you will see more of a 2 tiered system coming out. Demand for NPs probably will increase.

[globalRN]

what is concierge medicine?

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

what is concierge medicine?

It's a relatively new concept that I think is becoming loosely defined as it evolves further. The original idea was to have a personal physician readily available, usually a primary care provider, whom a client sees in a "cash only" type of practice though some would accept insurances for covered services. This physician would be easily accessible by phone or any other means any time the client would need healthcare services. The face to face consultation happens without the client having to wait weeks for an appointment. It came about as an alternative to the frustrations brought about by managed care (HMO's in particular) that makes it hard for certain individuals to access care in an expedited manner. The physicians benefit from not having their practice dictated upon by insurance companies. As dissent implied in his post, the target market are those who have enough financial resources to pay for medical expenses out of pocket. Concierge medicine can be a group practice of physicians who could offer a range of services from primary care to specialty care in a centralized location. The original thought behind the model is obviously not new but the focus on customer satisfaction and enhanced patient care experience is what sets it apart as new. Some refer to the concept as "boutique medicine" which is actually another practice model that have elements similar to concierge medicine. As an NP, I would personally stay away from these types of practices as it goes against my ideal of healthcare delivery, but to each his own. I do see a potential role for NP's in these practice environments down the line.