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Concierge Care Appeals to Stressed Docs

A male doctor in  a white lab coat uses a stethoscope to check a male patient's heart.
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The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

A growing number of primary-care physicians are choosing a less stressful form of medicine: concierge care. With concierge care, patients pay their primary-care physician a monthly retainer fee, usually between $100 to $200, in exchange for round-the-clock access to their doctor, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

A survey by a national physician-recruitment company Merritt Hawkins found that nine out of 10 Florida doctors were considering changing to concierge care, where they handle far fewer patients.  While patients who can afford paying the monthly retainer seem to like the benefits of concierge care, the trend has some concerned that it will exacerbate the growing shortage of primary-care physicians.

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.