Concierge Medicine Takes 3 Years to Show Return on Investment

However, it may take up to three years for population health programs, including pay-per-month concierge medicine models, to produce a meaningful return on investment (ROI) for the healthcare system,according to a new study published this month in the journalPopulation Health Management.

Patients enrolled in a personalized management program tended to incur higher initial costs for basic care services as they “caught up” withchronic disease management or addressed previously untreated health issues, but expenditures evened out by the third year of participation, researchers said...

A recent industry review by the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) found that experience and commitment were key attributes of the most successful providers focused on population health management.

“The latest research demonstrates that the PCMH – or comprehensive primary care – can control costs and promote the right care,” said Marci Nielsen, PhD, MPH, CEO of the PCPCC and lead author of the report.  Twenty-one out of the 23 studies included in the report found measurable cost savings from the PCMH model, and 23 out of 25 studies that surveyed service utilization found a reduction in unnecessary ED and urgent care visits.

“The medical homes that have been around the longest showed the most improvement,” Nielsen pointed out. “And those that participated in multi-payer collaboratives – where payers and providers align payment models and performance measures – showed the most impressive costs and utilization outcomes.”