by Susan Kaplan
It didn't occur to me to worry when Dr. Blumberg's* first letter arrived on a Saturday in October. I opened the envelope and was surprised to learn that Dr. Blumberg was doubling her concierge fees and cutting down on the number of patients in her practice. She said to let her know if we wanted to continue with her by November 15th, still a month away. "Well, that gives us plenty of time to consider what to do," I thought, fending off the vague anxiety generated by the phrases "increase in fee" and "reduced number of patients."
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We read a lot about concierge medicine, but rarely from a patient's standpoint. It seems wrong to specialize in "disease of the rich." It's enlightening to hear about concierge medicine from a consumer.
Susan Kaplan, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can reach her at: email.