I am a sub specialist in Fort Myers. I don't know these physicians, but seems like a reasonable group. To me, the most important thing is that when the sh.. hits the fan and you are sick enough to be in the ER, they come to the ER and to the hospital to advocate for you. Hospitals are dangerous places. And I don't mean phone orders. I mean they come to you, examine you, explain to the ER doc your history and run the show. Because they are the ones who truly know you and your history. You need to be sure they have admitting privileges at the hospitals you may use. And that they themselves personally will see you every day in the hospital and write your orders. You do not want to have the in house doctors, the hospitalists, involved in your care. Scott
Ross , unfortunately none of my Dr. buddies know anyone personally in Naples. I'm sorry I struck out. Best , Kirk.
How can you not? Lets say you need a cardiologist. The cardio on call is whk you get in the hospital. Your concierge md might be right there but you get what you with the cardiologist on call don't you? So you are still at the mercy of the hospital.
The most important element of your team is the quarterback, and that is either the hospitalist or your personal physician, IF the personal physician actually goes to the hospital. These days, most do not. The hospitalist is a doctor who only works in the hospital and supervises your care while there. They work shifts and get assigned patients at random. Thirty years ago, things were different. Your personal physician was always your doctor when you were admitted to the hospital. Now most internists do not go to the hospital because it makes little economic sense. I can't blame them. My personal physician does supervise the care of patients while they are in the hospital. So he is there every day. That is why he is my doctor. And he is not a concierge doc. He's just a good guy. You are correct that once you are admitted, if your internist needs a specialist consult, you may not have control over which specialist you see. And in our area, that is fine. The specialists are all pretty good. But, if you have a smart internist, he may not even need to consult a specialist. For example, if you are admitted and it is noticed that your serum sodium is off, then then your personal physician should be able to correct that without having to consult a nephrologist. Sadly, many of the hospitalists here don't have the training to manage things like this, and they end up consulting every specialist in the hospital, and the result is disjointed, chaotic care. And lengthened hospital stays. And higher costs. Another caveat for care in southwest Florida is that the hospitals are overflowing in the winter season, and sick patients, who have been "admitted" to the hospital can't get a bed. So they sit on gurneys in the hallway of the ER for up to 36 hours while waiting to go upstairs. And it doesn't matter how much money they have or whether they have a concierge doc. This is routine.
I second the comment that hospitals are dangerous places. I don't think any type of hospital is immune to it. I've seen stuff at small community hospitals all the way to major academic referral centers by working at both through the years and some it if it is crazy. I would avoid hospitals as much as possible and if you need to go to one, try to find one that has the above admitting privileges for internists.
Dr Eugene Finan is a concierge doctor in north Naples and is fantastic. I spent two years in Naples taking care of my 90 year old parents and he was their concierge doctor. He specializes in geriatric care. He coordinated their care in the hospital and was there everyday for Mom. He may or may not be taking new patients. Dave T
