Retainer Medicine: Why Not for All?
Authors: Bernard Lo
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2011)

Editorials1 November 2011Retainer Medicine: Why Not for All?Bernard Lo, MDBernard Lo, MDFrom University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-155-9-201111010-00016 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail What's not to like about retainer medicine? Patients and physicians both want unhurried visits, improved access, and better continuity and coordination of care. Physicians also welcome less stress and higher income per hour of clinical practice. In contemporary business parlance, retainer medicine is a win–win situation—as long as you're part of the "in" group.Critics charge that retainer medicine is unethical because it increases disparities and poor access to primary care. Furthermore, now that Medicare covers an annual wellness visit, retainer fees that cover an executive physical examination may run afoul of Medicare bans on double-billing (1). In defense of ...References1. Marquis JR. New Health Care Act Removes Legal Justification for Most FNCS (Fee for Non Covered Services) Concierge Practices. Holland, MI: Warner, Norcross & Judd LLP. Accessed at www.wnj.com/Publications/New-Health-Care-Act-Removes-Legal-Justificati on 8 August 2011. Google Scholar2. Huddle TS, Centor RM. Retainer medicine: an ethically legitimate form of practice that can improve primary care. Ann Intern Med. 2011;155:633-5. LinkGoogle Scholar3. Pellegrino ED, Thomasma DG. The Virtues in Medical Practice. New York: Oxford Univ Pr; 1993. Google Scholar4. Jonsen AR. Watching the doctor. N Engl J Med. 1983;308:1531-5. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Lucier DJ, Frisch NB, Cohen BJ, Wagner M, Salem D, Fairchild DG. Academic retainer medicine: an innovative business model for cross-subsidizing primary care. Acad Med. 2010;85:959-64. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Bernard Lo, MDAffiliations: From University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143.Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of the National Institutes of Health.Acknowledgment: The author thanks Laurie Dornbrand, MD, for providing insightful comments and helpful feedback on drafts of this article.Grant Support: By the Greenwall Foundation and by National Institutes of Health grant MH062246. The funders played no role in the design and writing of this article.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M11-2120.Corresponding Author: Bernard Lo, MD, University of California, San Francisco, Suite C-126, San Francisco, CA 94143; e-mail, bernie@medicine.ucsf.edu. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoRetainer Medicine: An Ethically Legitimate Form of Practice That Can Improve Primary Care Thomas S. Huddle and Robert M. Centor Can the Practice of Retainer Medicine Improve Primary Care? James Webster Can the Practice of Retainer Medicine Improve Primary Care? Thomas S. Huddle and Robert M. Centor Metrics Cited byDermatoethics: The Ethics of Concierge MedicineGatekeepers or Intermediaries? The Role of Clinicians in Commercial Genomic TestingPredictors of response to chronic hepatitis C treatmentCan the Practice of Retainer Medicine Improve Primary Care?James Webster, MD, MSCan the Practice of Retainer Medicine Improve Primary Care?Thomas S. Huddle, MD, PhD and Robert M. Centor, MD 1 November 2011Volume 155, Issue 9Page: 641-642KeywordsFoodForecastingHealth careHealth disparitiesMedicareMotivationPatient advocacyPopulation statisticsPrimary care physiciansVision ePublished: 1 November 2011 Issue Published: 1 November 2011 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2011 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...