Case study: Concierge Medicine and a Health System
How the right model works and why
Traditionally opposed to any kind of membership model, healthcare organizations have now become one of CCP’s fastest growing and most successful new markets.
This makes sense. More than 50% of medical practices are now owned by larger healthcare organizations, and the unique nature of our models allow for the kind of flexibility that is essential to the business structure of a vertically integrated system. In this article, we will explore one of our newest clients, and how our Hybrid Choice™ model made membership medicine possible. CLIENT: A regional provider of health care, including primary care, urgent care and specialty care. The not-for-profit group employs more than 1,700 physicians serving thousands of patients in various locations throughout a large, well populated, competitive region with varying demographics. They are a mission-driven organization with the goal of making their community as healthy as possible. CONCERN: Like most healthcare organizations, the group was exploring ways to boost revenue, patient loyalty, and physician satisfaction, particularly among their primary care groups.
HOW WE MET: The group leader for primary care, a practicing physician with a large and loyal base, was networking to explore ways to enhance their practices. He met our regional representative at an event, and was curious to learn more about how a membership model could fit into a large, not-for-profit health system like his. HOW IT WORKS: Like many people in the industry, the physician was under the impression that membership medicine was incongruous with a large healthcare organization, particularly a not-for-profit organization that served some of the most vulnerable people in the community. Would asking for a membership fee send the wrong impression? Would they need to relocate patients and providers to a new, exclusive office space? Fortunately, a Hybrid Choice™ program by CCP works differently. With the Hybrid Choice, select physicians in a network can offer a partial membership program, where only those patients who want more time and a closer relationship with their physician become members. The rest remain traditional members, as before. The physicians continue to accept insurance plans and referral relationships remain intact. No patients are dismissed, and no patients or physicians need to relocate. The program operates right alongside the traditional practice, in the same space. This means that the business structure of a healthcare organization does not need to change. This is just a service option patients can choose, if they wish to. HOW THEY STRUCTURED THEIR PROGRAM: The client selected physicians who had practices in key demographic areas that could support a membership model. They didn’t launch programs with all of their physicians, across the board. They started with just six primary care physicians to see how it worked, with the idea that, if successful, they would add more. They limited the membership in each physician’s program to just 100, so that there would be ample time to support members as well as traditional patients. The revenue generated by the program was divided by the practicing physician, the practice, and as a donation to the not-for-profit health system. This was an important point: the program was not just an exclusive service for wealthy people to enjoy. It was also a significant fundraiser to help the organization’s mission to provide much needed care to lower income populations. |
HOW IT'S GOING: Several of the six doctors reached their membership limit within days of launching. The others have nearly full programs, two months after the launch. Each physician’s program has generated between $120k-$200k.
TO QUOTE OUR CLIENT: “The overwhelming support for the program has been a validation of our work, allowing us to practice a satisfying style of medicine, while also supporting the mission of our healthcare system, something to which we are proudly devoted. With a Hybrid Choice™, the flexibility means everyone wins—our patients on both sides of the spectrum, our physicians, and our organization.” The participating physicians confirmed what they suspected all along: patients want more time, service and support from the physician they know and trust. As the healthcare marketplace has grown more complex, patients have felt the squeeze as well. Patients want to know they have a trusted physician who will be there for them when they need care. The pandemic has only highlighted this need. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT MEMBERSHIP MEDICINE AND HOW IT CAN WORK IN A HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION? As mentioned, healthcare organizations are now CCP’s fastest growing market. We are uniquely positioned to serve this market because of the flexible nature of our models. There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach. Medical groups, hospital systems and delivery systems vary in terms of their goals and demographics, and they need customized solutions that won’t disrupt their business model, while generating ample revenue, physician satisfaction, and patient loyalty. We serve physicians in some of the country’s largest and most prestigious medical centers, as well as large regional physician groups, including those with specialty practices, like cardiology, endocrinology and rheumatology. If your healthcare organization could use a boost, this is the right time to explore concierge medicine. Membership is growing faster than ever before. Patients want a personal relationship with the doctor they trust, and physicians want to practice a personalized, satisfying style of medicine again. FIND OUT MORE TODAY: Are you interested in learning more about membership medicine and how it can work in a healthcare organization? Get started by contacting CCP at (877) 888-5590, emailing [email protected] or by visiting our website at www.choice.md |