[YouNeverKnow]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Robinson

He has always taken our medicare and supplemental insurance. I am assuming he will continue to do so.

No -- the $500 is kind of like a membership fee. However, if you have insurance, as I said in the above paragraph, with supplemental insurance, things should remain the same.

Call his office for exact information. (352-750-6650)

I cannot seem to find any sites that show him as being board certified. Does anyone know if he is or not?

[dbussone]

Originally Posted by YouNeverKnow

I cannot seem to find any sites that show him as being board certified. Does anyone know if he is or not?

According to the Florida Board of Medicine, Dr. Martinez-Cruz is NOT board certified.

BAYOAN DEJESUS MARTINEZ-CRUZ

License Number: ME94977


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[dbussone]

Originally Posted by dbussone

According to the Florida Board of Medicine, Dr. Martinez-Cruz is NOT board certified.

BAYOAN DEJESUS MARTINEZ-CRUZ

License Number: ME94977


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I'd be very wary of paying for a concierge practice when the physician is not board certified.


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[dbussone]

Originally Posted by dbussone

I'd be very wary of paying for a concierge practice when the physician is not board certified.


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I'd be interested in Golfing Eagles opinion if he reads this thread.


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[tippyclubb]

You are correct Dr. Cruz is not board certified. I asked him and he said " No. " He is a great family doctor and for now suits our needs. We received the letter of charging patients an annual membership fee. $750 a year per patient. That would equate to $1,500 for my husband and I. We read the benefits of membership and do not think it is worth the money. We will be looking for another doctor soon. I like Dr. Cruz very much but am confident I can find another doctor which I can like and not have to pay $1500 for nothing.

I am wondering why others are being charged $500 when our letter states $750? Odd.

[Wiotte]

Originally Posted by tippyclubb

You are correct Dr. Cruz is not board certified. I asked him and he said " No. " He is a great family doctor and for now suits our needs. We received the letter of charging patients an annual membership fee. $750 a year per patient. That would equate to $1,500 for my husband and I. We read the benefits of membership and do not think it is worth the money. We will be looking for another doctor soon. I like Dr. Cruz very much but am confident I can find another doctor which I can like and not have to pay $1500 for nothing.

Common sense decision. I would have taken 2 seconds to make the same after reading his letter and then folding it up into a little airplane vectored into my trash bin.


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[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by dbussone

I'd be interested in Golfing Eagles opinion if he reads this thread.


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Well, here's an interesting topic in the new health care reality that I haven't seen much of on TOTV.

My personal opinion is that concierge practices are the unintended consequence of unbridled government and insurance regulation. Currently, it costs each primary care doctor about 55K/year to deal with Medicare, Medicaid, and insurances. We had 7 doctors and 6 NPs, so do the math. Yes, there was some economy of scale, but it still ran many hundreds of thousands of dollars/year to comply with all their garbage---and that's just what it is---GARBAGE. I'm sure someone will post how we need government regulation, and how doctors are ripping off patients and misdiagnosing them and blah, blah, blah----But at the end of the day, if it looks like garbage and smells like garbage, guess what?---it's garbage.

Concierge practices were started by solo practitioners, usually one of the best in the town, who had it up to their eyeballs with the garbage. They opted out of Medicare and Medicaid, stopped submitting bills to insurance, and charged essentially cash for the privilege of staying in his/her practice and then cash for any services rendered. I think the first was in West Palm beach and charged $5,000/year and limited his practice to 200 patients. Do the math again, that's 1 million before lifting a finger, all cash. but there's a catch---it's the type of patient he attracted---rich lonely hypochondriacs who would call just for companionship. I think he committed himself to the asylum after 2 years

You have no idea about the type of call you get at 2 AM when you are "on call". Medicaid patients who want a prescription of brand name Tylenol, not generic. A woman complaining about a 2 week old bee sting because people could see a red mark on her thigh (right about final call hour). People who didn't even know why they called, but tried to talk for hours. And these were the ones who paid nothing, imagine what you get from someone who laid down 5 grand???

Now, we have doctors hiring other doctors for big concierge practices, corporations getting into the game. This is akin to what happened in the UK after socialized medicine----doctors opting out of the system and taking cash only. The problem is that eventually no provider is accepting insurance and access to care becomes limited.

Sorry to be a downer, but this is the future our government has been working to bring us---single payer gov't healthcare once enough people have been forced away from their doctor and cannot pay for the concierge practice.

[dbussone]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

Well, here's an interesting topic in the new health care reality that I haven't seen much of on TOTV.



My personal opinion is that concierge practices are the unintended consequence of unbridled government and insurance regulation. Currently, it costs each primary care doctor about 55K/year to deal with Medicare, Medicaid, and insurances. We had 7 doctors and 6 NPs, so do the math. Yes, there was some economy of scale, but it still ran many hundreds of thousands of dollars/year to comply with all their garbage---and that's just what it is---GARBAGE. I'm sure someone will post how we need government regulation, and how doctors are ripping off patients and misdiagnosing them and blah, blah, blah----But at the end of the day, if it looks like garbage and smells like garbage, guess what?---it's garbage.



Concierge practices were started by solo practitioners, usually one of the best in the town, who had it up to their eyeballs with the garbage. They opted out of Medicare and Medicaid, stopped submitting bills to insurance, and charged essentially cash for the privilege of staying in his/her practice and then cash for any services rendered. I think the first was in West Palm beach and charged $5,000/year and limited his practice to 200 patients. Do the math again, that's 1 million before lifting a finger, all cash. but there's a catch---it's the type of patient he attracted---rich lonely hypochondriacs who would call just for companionship. I think he committed himself to the asylum after 2 years



You have no idea about the type of call you get at 2 AM when you are "on call". Medicaid patients who want a prescription of brand name Tylenol, not generic. A woman complaining about a 2 week old bee sting because people could see a red mark on her thigh (right about final call hour). People who didn't even know why they called, but tried to talk for hours. And these were the ones who paid nothing, imagine what you get from someone who laid down 5 grand???



Now, we have doctors hiring other doctors for big concierge practices, corporations getting into the game. This is akin to what happened in the UK after socialized medicine----doctors opting out of the system and taking cash only. The problem is that eventually no provider is accepting insurance and access to care becomes limited.



Sorry to be a downer, but this is the future our government has been working to bring us---single payer gov't healthcare once enough people have been forced away from their doctor and cannot pay for the concierge practice.

Thanks for your response, GE. One result I saw personally:

A physician friend of mine (solo internist) went the concierge route. One of the major insurers he was dependent upon cut him off about a year later. They refused to reimburse him for any of the patients they insured.


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[CFrance]

Originally Posted by dbussone

Thanks for your response, GE. One result I saw personally:

A physician friend of mine (solo internist) went the concierge route. One of the major insurers he was dependent upon cut him off about a year later. They refused to reimburse him for any of the patients they insured.


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Why?

[Mrs. Robinson]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

It is important to me that an MD is board certified. Dr. Felix Agbo takes the time and is board certified. He isn't in a plan like this but he is conveniently located near Lake Sumter Landing. BUT...sometimes you wait a long time. His PA who we saw for the first time after several years of being his patient is excellent as well. She conducted the Medicare interview for wellness and pointed out a number of things that we have changed or integrated into our lives. I like him. He is smart and he is up to date and he is kind and wears awesome ties too.

Originally Posted by dbussone

I'd be very wary of paying for a concierge practice when the physician is not board certified.

I truly don't believe that most people, including the above, understand what "board certification" means. I know for a fact that there are over 20 different "boards" that can "certify" physicians. If that doesn't bother you, it should.

Also, to be board certified, you obviously (already) have to be a physician. You then take a test -- written test. It's only a written test that makes someone board certified! That's it. Then, you are only certified in a single specialty, according to the test taken. If you don't realize that this has nothing to do with someone's ability to be a good physician, you should!

Sorry, but a written test has nothing to do with a doctor's ability to be a good physician. Because an attorney passes the bar, does that make him a good lawyer? No! Because a dentist becomes licensed, does that make him a good dentist? No! Because someone passes the test to be a licensed financial planner, does that make that person good at what he does? No!
No one should be under the misapprehension that if a physician is "board certified," he is a good doctor. Yes -- he could be a good doctor, however, being board certified goes not guarantee that a doctor is good. Period! Anyone who believes board certification is a barometer for excellent care is kidding themselves.

I've never met a doctor who wasn't smart. Smart still doesn't make him/her a good doctor. I've not known a doctor who was still in the dark ages and not up-to-date on medical things. I have never met or been to a mean doctor and I don't really care what kind of tie he wears or if, in fact, he wears a tie at all.

[graciegirl]

I like doctors who stay on the right side of the law and those who are not arrested for anything, even things not related to medicine, such as paying child support.

I wonder about those who frequently shift locations.

I like Doctors offices that are squeaky clean and furnishings that look like the owner is financially successful. I am interested that a doctor stays current and is aware of not frequently seen conditions and syndromes, and I don't really care if I agree with his/her politics, personality or whether they act warm and friendly, the bottom line is their medical knowledge and medical ethics and their emotional and financial stability makes points with me too.

Everyone can choose a doctor based on their own criteria. Choosing the right doctor can definitely make a difference in how long you live and how well you live, but that goes without saying.

And a nice tie makes me smile.

[CFrance]

I don't like it when people make passive-aggressive insinuations that could damage someone's reputation without supplying facts. Show me the facts. Name the doctor you're referring to.

The Dr. Martinez Cruz I go to has a clean, well-furnished office, a great staff, and the medical knowledge to early diagnose a strange condition in one of my relatives that saved him from extensive organ damage. He has worked at Mass General and seen everything that's come down the pike.

You just talked me into paying the $500/year to stay with him.

[dbussone]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Robinson

I truly don't believe that most people, including the above, understand what "board certification" means. I know for a fact that there are over 20 different "boards" that can "certify" physicians. If that doesn't bother you, it should.



Also, to be board certified, you obviously (already) have to be a physician. You then take a test -- written test. It's only a written test that makes someone board certified! That's it. Then, you are only certified in a single specialty, according to the test taken. If you don't realize that this has nothing to do with someone's ability to be a good physician, you should!



Sorry, but a written test has nothing to do with a doctor's ability to be a good physician. Because an attorney passes the bar, does that make him a good lawyer? No! Because a dentist becomes licensed, does that make him a good dentist? No! Because someone passes the test to be a licensed financial planner, does that make that person good at what he does? No!

No one should be under the misapprehension that if a physician is "board certified," he is a good doctor. Yes -- he could be a good doctor, however, being board certified goes not guarantee that a doctor is good. Period! Anyone who believes board certification is a barometer for excellent care is kidding themselves.



I've never met a doctor who wasn't smart. Smart still doesn't make him/her a good doctor. I've not known a doctor who was still in the dark ages and not up-to-date on medical things. I have never met or been to a mean doctor and I don't really care what kind of tie he wears or if, in fact, he wears a tie at all.

You have no knowledge about what I know or don't know. And I do know about board certification. Your understanding, however, is deficient.

Without going into the intricacies of the certification processes, I'll just say I would generally prefer a board certified physician/surgeon over one who is not. Having passed a certification exam provides one with with a certain level of understanding of the physicians knowledge base. This is, IMO, more true of the traditional boards than of some of the newer "vanity" boards.




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[dbussone]

Originally Posted by CFrance

Why?

The insurer's rationale was that their contact with the physician did not permit him to charge a fee that was not covered by their contract. And this particular insurer (a subsidiary of United Healthcare) accounted for almost 50% of the practice's patients.


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[PJackpot]

Very interesting read on this entire thread. I had no idea this kind of service existed.