Media Contact: Angela Braden
310-309-7046
Concierge Medicine - The Health Care solution?
/24-7PressRelease/ - SNELLVILLE, GA, April 15, 2006 - Navigating the complicated world of medical care no longer need be hopelessly inconvenient, confusing and thoroughly disenchanting. Doctors, tiered of herding their patients through their office like cattle, have started asking some interesting questions: What if every ordinary person could receive the individual medical attention that a celebrity or the President received? What if medical care was personalized and attended to each individual patient's needs and doctors actually practiced preventative, holistic medicine the way they'd dreamed in med school they would? Some of these dreamers are beginning to adopt a new approach at their practices -comprehensive, life-long, "concierge" medical care.
Dr. Maria "Alex" Schiaffino, at South Gwinnett Primary Care, explains how she recently implemented this innovative variation on medical care: "I began with a clear vision of providing VIP-style service tailored to each patient's individual needs, enabled by the most advanced technology, education and specialized services."
Concierge medicine puts greater emphasis on coordinated, continuous care, by freeing up more of the doctor's most desperately needed commodity: time. A patient who participates in Dr. Schiaffino's Concierge Medicine Program can expect to receive a higher level of convenience with same day appointments, house calls, and one day testing. Patients are able to contact her directly, 24 hours a day, seven days a week with questions, concerns, and emergencies. For this level of service, they will pay a monthly fee, which can be taken out of their health savings account (HAS), tax-free. Thus, the insurance company is a much smaller part of the medical care picture and the time pressures they cause the doctor disappear.
In fact, the private-pay, concierge model can actually be less expensive than the average insurance plan. This model works well for patients who switch to a high-deductible, catastrophic insurance plan, with a low monthly fee. The extra monthly savings can be set aside in the HAS for use as the patient sees fit. Now, the patient is in control and the doctor works directly for the patient.
Dr. Schiaffino's medical practice, South Gwinnett Primary Care, in Snellville, Georgia, also employs the latest technology to ensure the most efficient and highest quality care possible for every patient. Patients can view all of their medical records and lab results online, whenever they choose. Prevention is another key element of Dr. Schiaffino's Concierge Medicine Program, since great attention is paid to family medical history, she is able to identify potential risks and prevent serious health problems from ever occurring. This also lowers the cost of her patient's long-term healthcare and curtails the need for emergency services.
Concierge medical care focuses on the overall health of the patient. Fitness assessments and wellness programs accompany the check-ups, routine blood work, and necessary testing patients receive. Dr. Schiaffino makes it a top priority to sit down with her patients to get to know the whole person and not just what she can read off a chart. With concierge medicine, the doctor truly is at the patient's service, or as Dr. Schiaffino explains, "the doctor no longer works for the insurance company or for Medicare, she now works directly for the patient. That's a powerful solution."
Concierge medicine is also heavy on coordination of services. For example, Dr. Schiaffino works with many highly-respected specialist and complementary and alternative providers to fulfill the precise medical needs of her individual patients. If a patient has a chronic illness, she will be there to manage the entire course of treatment, giving the patient an added sense of comfort and control.
Patients become mutual contributors to their own personal healthcare when they participate in the concierge medical approach. Who says VIP-style healthcare is only for celebrities or presidents? Now, with concierge medicine, it is possible for every patient to feel like the only patient and likely save money in the process.
-Dr. Maria Schiaffino is a Board Certified Fellow in Family Medicine. In addition to her Medical Degree, she has 3 years of residency training in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Minor Surgery plus one additional year to become a Fellow in Research and Education in Family Medicine from Case Western Reserve University. She has served as Associate Professor at the University of Texas, San Antonio and at Emory University in Atlanta.
For more information on Dr. Schiaffino's Concierge Medical Program or South Gwinnett Primary Care, please contact Angela at 310-309-7046 or angelkick@comcast.net.
South Gwinnett Primary Care is a leader in family and preventative medicine, offering concierge medicine, Geratric specialists, and the best lifestyle and cosmetic enhancements. For more information,contact Angela at 310-309-7046.
---
Press release service and press release distribution provided by http://www.24-7pressrelease.com# # #
- boutique, care, concierge, doctor, doctors, health, healthcare, medicine, medincine, pay, physician, private, private-pay, service, trends, vip
Other Press Release Headlines:
