Anyone familiar with a concierge medical practice in Houston? (Dallas: insurance, credit card)

[chris_ut]

As a guy I pretty much see a doctor once every couple decades. I have recently been needing to do so and am very unimpressed with the level of service at any if the doctors I have seen. I have been reading about concierge doctors where you pay a monthly fee and get same day appointments, consultation by email and even house visits. Does anyone know of a service like this in Houston or NE suburbs area. I checked Google but only saw one down in Sugar Land.

[colcat]

Originally Posted by chris_ut

As a guy I pretty much see a doctor once every couple decades. I have recently been needing to do so and am very unimpressed with the level of service at any if the doctors I have seen. I have been reading about concierge doctors where you pay a monthly fee and get same day appointments, consultation by email and even house visits. Does anyone know of a service like this in Houston or NE suburbs area. I checked Google but only saw one down in Sugar Land.

I don't know of any, but what a great idea!

[Bily Lovec]

if you find some post back with results, Ive also entertained the idea.

[ToyYot]

If you don't go to the doctor much, I doubt it's worth it. We asked around and got some references for doctors and it's worked out great. Try that before shelling out the big bucks.

[Johnhw2]

My former Doc in Houston (before I moved to Plano) was an MDVIP doc. He also is a super doc and many of his patients are Doctor's families. I paid $1650 per year for my wife and the same for me. He is an internal medicine doc and incredibly good. The fee I pay annually is for a preventive focused annual physical and not reimbursed by insurance. His other services (labs every three months and other visits) are reimbursable. The MDVIP concept also guarantees access to gread docs across the country if you need them. You get a copy of your medical records in a credit card sized disc to carry with you. You get more time annually and he can focus on you as he cut his practice from over 2000 patients to around 600. My wife has a very complicated medical condition and he was the best we could find taking care of her needs. He is a bit of a savant with incredible memory of things he has read and a patients medical history and reaction to things. You also get access to him via email and his cell phone with this option. I was very happy with the concept and value but dropped it for another great doc up in Dallas area who isnt an MDVIP doc.

[testmo]

on the news they covered this doctors story out in Katy. if you are the type of person that does not have chronic needs or the need to see/call a doctor for every little thing every other day it won't be worth it, unless you want to pay someone $5,000 a yr just in case.

im fit and healthy. ive never had a reason to complain about the annual physical process or any treatment I have ever needed. I have Baylor College of Medicine doctors. since I live close to the city it is a quick trip to the drop in clinic and the faculty on staff next door for regular visits and referrals are easy-peasy. try getting a new doctor first and help keep the practice of medicine about the practice of medicine

[houstonfan]

Originally Posted by Johnhw2

My former Doc in Houston (before I moved to Plano) was an MDVIP doc. He also is a super doc and many of his patients are Doctor's families. I paid $1650 per year for my wife and the same for me. He is an internal medicine doc and incredibly good. The fee I pay annually is for a preventive focused annual physical and not reimbursed by insurance. His other services (labs every three months and other visits) are reimbursable. The MDVIP concept also guarantees access to gread docs across the country if you need them. You get a copy of your medical records in a credit card sized disc to carry with you. You get more time annually and he can focus on you as he cut his practice from over 2000 patients to around 600. My wife has a very complicated medical condition and he was the best we could find taking care of her needs. He is a bit of a savant with incredible memory of things he has read and a patients medical history and reaction to things. You also get access to him via email and his cell phone with this option. I was very happy with the concept and value but dropped it for another great doc up in Dallas area who isnt an MDVIP doc.

My friends in the medical field say that super doc and super dentist is a marketting gimmick. In fact, if you see a plaque on their wall, it's probably a sign to run. Your doc was probably the excepttion, but a lot of bad docs are super docs. They have to pay for that plaque on their wall and for taking out ads in the paper. Which doctor/dentist is going to nominate their competition down the road as best doctor?

Super Lawyers under attack for their Super Doctors : Real Lawyers Have Blogs

Also, unless you are sick, why are labs ran every 3mths? Because insurnace will pay for it. Just like dental cleanings, the doctors recommend every 6 mths, regardless if you have a foul mourth or a super healthy one, because that's how often insurance pays for it.

[EasilyAmused]

I just heard about White Glove House call Health. Might want to look into them

[astrohip]

There is an excellent medical service as part of the Kelsey-Seybold clinic on Holcombe (yes, I know what you're thinking, Kelsey-Seybold is a joke, but stick with me here ). It's the Mavis Kelsey clinic, a separate practice inside the larger KS clinic. It has what they call an "executive level" service, but it's basically concierge service. It costs about $500/year extra to join, and beyond that, it's mostly covered by insurance (the $500 is not). You get one super-duper checkup a year, plus visits any time you need them. As another middle-aged male who rarely needs to see the doc, I value being able to get in when I want. The two times I have needed them in the last 5-6 years, I was able to get an appointment that very day, no questions asked. And the wait time once I arrived... about 3 minutes.

Bottom line is the $500 keeps the practice size small, so when you need to see them, their scedule has more availability than the usual medical practice. And the annual super-duper checkup is something we should all do--full stress test, chest x-ray, EKG, hearing, full blood workup, etc.

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. I've been using them 5-6 years, maybe longer, and am very happy. Yeah, the $500 is a waste for someone who rarely needs a doc, but my time is more valuable than my money, so it's worth it to me.

[Johnhw2]

Originally Posted by houstonfan

My friends in the medical field say that super doc and super dentist is a marketting gimmick. In fact, if you see a plaque on their wall, it's probably a sign to run. Your doc was probably the excepttion, but a lot of bad docs are super docs. They have to pay for that plaque on their wall and for taking out ads in the paper. Which doctor/dentist is going to nominate their competition down the road as best doctor?

Super Lawyers under attack for their Super Doctors : Real Lawyers Have Blogs

Also, unless you are sick, why are labs ran every 3mths? Because insurnace will pay for it. Just like dental cleanings, the doctors recommend every 6 mths, regardless if you have a foul mourth or a super healthy one, because that's how often insurance pays for it.

As with anything one must look at the process used to determine a super doc. Some seem to be for purchase, others seem to be based upon peer review. Wish we all had your friends so we could just ask them for the right solution.

Your simplistic approach to medicine tells me you dont have a wife with two chronic life threatening ailments nor heart problems requiring meds to avoid the heart issues but you must watch for side effects on kidney/liver etc.

Thanks for your 2 cents that is what it was worth