Friday, August 28, 2009

What's cooking at Sermo these days?


In case you haven't noticed, Sermo has a blog. There, you'll find somewhat de-identified physician comments regarding certain medical topics. I say "somewhat" because sometimes within the comments, you'll see certain physicians named by their username. Some have arbitrary usernames like "radiologist" or "mcdreamy," while others have usernames that reflect their identity (like "billyjones" or "samsmith" - well, I made up these usernames, but they could be real)

One of the interesting discussions that's rated a "top post" on Sermo is a discussion regarding concierge medicine (also called boutique medicine and several other terms). Does concierge medicine have a role in the U.S. society? President Obama receives concierge medical care. Celebrities do too. Look at Michael Jackson. He had his own anesthesiologist who administered propofol (Diprivan) for him. Does concierge medicine meet an unmet need? It's so fascinating to read all the comments about this topic. What's an ethical amount to charge your patients when there's no clearly defined "market standard value"?

1 comment:

  1. I am pulling a program together on this very subject; yet, it's more than 'concierge medicine' per se; as this model is too ambiguous and is used to describe every new age medical model from retainer, boutique, personalized, direct practice or micro-practice iterations.

    Recent popularity of the 'Royal Pains' concierge medicine series has further underscored the need to differentiate one model from another. I had Jay Parkinson, MD on an earlier program, but tech gremlins intervened, and we lost the opportunity to complete the program. I am now outlining an updated broadcast for near term scheduling:

    http://www.blogtalkradio.com/2healthguru

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