MEDICINE OUTSIDE THE BOX
What Is Concierge or Retainer-Based Medicine ?
I could write a series of articles about what medicoeconomic pressures over 20 years ago caused this to even be a thing , but that is beyond the scope of this article . I was tasked with giving some insight into the practice and why I did it .
I worked for Norton Healthcare for
12 years , loved most of it but began to feel my life eroding into a series of algorithms and key strokes as I desperately tried to care for my patients , yet balance the challenges of my home life . As my children grew , I was seeing less and less of them due to the pressures of countless notes , online ordering and in-basket messages that had become a Sisyphean task . I found myself physically present at home , but mentally absent , still at work , trying to care for the multitudes of patients and tying up the loose ends related to that day ’ s visits . I soon realized that I needed a change or else I would burn out by the time I was 50 .
I luckily was offered an opportunity with a concierge practice in town and after a long look at my life , my family ( and their absent husband and father - knowing that this wouldn ’ t change unless I changed ), I accepted . To say it was life changing for me would be
by CHRISTOPHER MCCLELLAN , MD
an understatement . I now have the time and flexibility to care for my patients , something I felt I was quickly losing in my traditional practice . The “ Sophie ’ s Choice ” scenario , choosing between my patients and my family , was one I was glad to leave behind .
That being said , the choice was not without its downsides . I had to say goodbye to a practice I had handcrafted for over 12 years . I said goodbye to patients that I respected and cared for , knowing full well they would not be able to follow me to my new practice . I said goodbye to colleagues who were my friends and mentors , knowing I was leaving them to potentially absorb some of my patients , adding to their already full schedules , and asking them to be a little later coming home to their families . But in return I received peace : peace to be with my family , to go to their lacrosse games , school events and participate in the household jobs that had previously fallen to my overburdened wife . I found peace to practice the way I felt was best for me , where my sole attention was the patient in front of me , not the laundry list of check marks , mouse clicks or documentation requirements awaiting me at the end of every visit . While this decision was best for me , it is not ( nor would I encourage it ) for everyone . There is a Scarlet Letter placed upon those that abandon the traditional way of practice . Anger , frustration and a general
( continued on page 16 )
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