Concierge Primary Care
“My reward from this profession comes from the relationships I form with my patients. I thrive on helping others.”
– Dr. Janet L. Blanchard
Questions and Answers about Concierge Primary Care
Who will benefit from Concierge Care?
- A person with a complex medical situation seeing multiple specialists, not clear in understanding all the medical issues.
- A person with a complex medical situation who has a difficult time obtaining satisfactory care in the typical 10-minute office visit.
- A person who has minimal or no known health issues, but who wants the comfort of knowing Dr. Blanchard will be their advocate and work with them to maximize and continue their good health. And, if they develop a serious issue, knowing they will have an experienced dedicated doctor helping them.
Please Note: Dr. Blanchard is currently not taking new patients.
What is Concierge Care?
Dr. Blanchard serves as your primary care provider for an annual fee of $2,155 per year (includes New Mexico gross receipts tax of $155).
What do I get for the “concierge” annual fee of $2,155?
- 24/7 access, via cell phone, directly to Dr. Blanchard.
- Extended office visits. Initial patient visit 1.5 hours, follow-up visit minimum 30 min.
- Ease of scheduling and obtaining appointments with Dr. Blanchard. Online scheduling. Call, email, or text if needed.
- Dr. Blanchard becomes your medical advocate. Making sure your care from your entire team of providers, whether they are cardiologists, endocrinologists, or naturopaths and homeopaths, is coordinated and works together. This means Dr. Blanchard serves as your “point guard”, communicating with the other team members and assuring you, as the patient, understand what your health issues are and what you need to do to maximize your health.
- In the event you need to be seen in an emergency room, by a new consultant, or are admitted to a hospital, Dr. Blanchard contacts the provider(s) who will be seeing you, to assure they are given verbal and/or written reports on your medical conditions and the acute situation as currently understood.
- When Dr Blanchard takes time off from the practice, she will arrange for coverage by a concierge physician colleague. In time of unanticipated absences, illnesses, or family emergencies, Dr. Blanchard will do her utmost to arrange coverage with a colleague. Such provision cannot be guaranteed, however.
How can any provider offer the above services?
By charging the annual fee, Dr. Blanchard is able to limit the number of primary care patients, thus giving her the time to provide the above services. Typical patient censuses in concierge practices are 100 to 600 people. Typical patient censuses in a standard internal medicine practice are 5,000 to 7,000 people.
Does medical insurance pay for the concierge fee?
No. The above services are not provided to patients by any government or commercial medical insurance plan. And with the membership fee, the gross receipts tax of $155.00 is added into the total charge.
Do concierge physicians work with medical insurance?
Yes. Your insurance policy is used for your office visits and testing ordered by Dr. Blanchard. Dr. Blanchard is currently credentialed with the following plans: Medicare, United Healthcare, Tricare, and True Health New Mexico.
Testimonial from Mary in Albuquerque, NM…
I am often asked “Why do you pay for a Concierge Primary Care Doctor; I just can’t come up with that kind of money!” My answer is “How much do you value your health?” Dr. Blanchard cares about the health of her clients and puts her clients first! She will do the research to get to the solution! She will not leave you in the dark; she makes sure you are understanding everything! Becoming a client of Dr. Blanchard is the best investment. I am investing in me and investing in my health.
(Please note: Dr. Blanchard is not taking new patients at this time.)