I.M.120 Helping you to BE YOUR BEST SELF

Better Medicine, More Freedom and Privacy with Concierge Medicine.

These are the primary reasons motivating the change in practice that we will be implementing on January 1, 2015

The change of pace in medicine has been breathtaking and unprecedented in its scope and impact.

Doctors and patients are being herded into large clusters of "accountable care groups." Small private practices are being marginalized and are targeted for extinction.

Soon, the days of having a personal physician who is accountable primarily to you will be largely a thing of the past. Doctors right now are being forced to put the insurance company, the Doctor's employer, even the federal mandates ahead of your personal needs.

The only way to escape this rush toward mediocrity and depersonalization is to create another way forward. It is for these reasons that effective January 1, 2015 I.M.120 will no longer accept any commercial insurance plans as a form of reimbursement for services.

A higher level of care

Sometimes referred to as "concierge" care, the new model will be based on a monthly fee that will give patients in the practice open access to an enhanced level and intensity of services such as:

·      Unlimited office visit with no added charge

·      Expanded care to include:

o   Anti-Aging services

o   Bio-identical hormone support

o   Fitness and supplement guidance 

o   House calls

o   Hospital visits if needed

o   Special telephone access to your I.M.120 physician

Simply put, the agenda for each encounter will not be constrained nor directed by outside forces such as the government or insurance companies. You and I will be able to decide what is important and how best to use our time together to optimize your health and well-being.

Privacy

Every insurance company and every government program reserves the right to look at your private medical record whenever they want without prior notification. These types of "audits" are happening with greater frequency and are exposing your medical records to review by nonmedical clerics.

How much do you trust that your sensitive information will be kept private under this circumstance?  It makes me uneasy when these individuals arrive at my office, commandeer a computer, close the door and spend the entire day looking through medical records. It should make you uneasy as well.

In the concierge practice, no one will be able to view your record outside of my office without a subpoena or direct written permission from you.

More information is coming

You should have received a letter from my office with more information about the upcoming change. Included in that information were specific dates for Town-hall meetings so that I may answer your questions and provide you with information on how to enroll.

Bare in mind, the new practice will be restricted to approximately 200 patients. This small practice will enable me to achieve the higher levels of care that I aspire to deliver.

We have structured this to make it affordable to most patients who are interested. However, I recognize that this style of practice may not fit everybody's need. Therefore I have made arrangements for board-certified primary care doctors at Kent Hospital's Affinity Practice to guarantee your continuity of care with a seamless transition effective January 1, 2015.

I hope many of you decide to join me in this enhanced style of primary care. Living your youngest, your healthiest and your longest life is not an accident. It takes time, planning and thoughtful effort. This new format allows us to deliver that style of care with no limits.

Always wishing you to live the best version of yourself,

Dr. Steve Petteruti