Concierge Cardiology: podcast interview with Wayne Lipton

[audio src="https://healthbb.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/hbdew0052-david-e-williams-interviews-concierge-choice-physicians-ceo-wayne-lipton.mp3"][/audio]Wayne Lipton runs Concierge Choice Physicians, which converts traditional physician offices to "hybrid"concierge practices that provide new options for patients and increase physician income. While we typically hear about concierge practices in primary care, the model is expanding to other specialties.In this podcast interview, Wayne and I discuss the hybrid concierge model for cardiology:

• (0:11) What is a typical cardiologist's practice like these days and how has it changed?
• (1:01) How have the practice changes worked out for physicians and patients?
• (1:48) Do patients with cardiac issues use their cardiologist as primary care physicians or do they still maintain primary care relationships?
• (3:06) Within primary care we've seen a shift toward concierge models. Why haven't we seen that in the specialties?
• (4:22) What is a hybrid model like? Does a physicians have to remember when they are acting as a concierge versus the traditional hamster wheel model?
• (6:15) Are a lot of the cardiology concierge patients also concierge primary care patients?
• (8:26) How does a concierge cardiology practice differ from a concierge primary care practices? How do the economics compare?
• (11:08) What do health plans think of concierge medicine? What is the impact on new models of reimbursement?
• (13:37) Would a practice that added on a hybrid model be more or less attractive to an ACO? Would the practices want to participate?
• (15:50) How broad is the opportunity to add this model in cardiology? Are other specialties also ripe?
• (18:29) How do you implement?
• (21:35) How does your company get paid?

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By healthcare business consultant David E. Williams, president of Health Business Group.