The American College of Physicians (ACP) recently released an informative policy position paper that assesses how “concierge” and similar direct pay health care arrangements between doctors and patients impact patient care. Our Georgia business and healthcare law firm follows developments in the healthcare industry that affect physicians, medical practices and other healthcare businesses.
“Direct Pay” refers to an important and evolving alternate payment model and health care arrangement between medical practices and patients. Rather than traditional fee-for-service reimbursement models that render physicians and medical practices dependent upon steerage of patients from insurers or other third-party payers, a typical direct pay contracting model utilizes a flat fee, often paid monthly or annually, which the patient pays out of pocket and “direct” to the doctor (as opposed to through an insurance transaction) to compensate the physician for access to a contractually-agreed menu of health care services. The hallmark of direct pay practices is, for the patient, greater access to the physician and, for the doctor, less red tape and a more rewarding professional experience focused on providing care. Direct pay physicians, of necessity, typically limit the number of patients they see, compared to a traditional, third-party payer based model.