What would it look like to get concierge medicine for your heart?
Even in a modern context, it might seem too good to be true. Especially since most of our thoughts surrounding ‘heart health care’ conjure images of hospitals, metal tables, and waiting rooms.
But as someone who’s been running the nation’s largest metabolic health-centric concierge telemedicine practice for the past four years, I can tell you it’s the future of cardiovascular care. And for the hundreds of clients I’ve worked with over the years, it’s one of the most life-changing forms of care you could invest in for your metabolic health.
In this article, I’ll explain why.
Article Overview
- Traditional heart healthcare is reactive by design, so most patients don’t discover they have a problem until after a cardiac event.
- Concierge medicine offers more personalized care, including personalized lab interpretation, direct specialist access, and transparent cash-pay pricing without the limitations of traditional insurance.
- There are in-person and telehealth options available for concierge heart health support, which you can evaluate yourself to choose the best option.
What is concierge medicine for your heart, anyway?
You may already be familiar with the term ‘concierge.’ In a modern sense, this refers to an industry specialist who supplies you with information or completes simple tasks. At a hotel, for example, a concierge might help you secure restaurant reservations. Or you might retain a personalized concierge to help with day-to-day tasks or questions.
No matter the industry or setting, you’re getting the same benefits: personalized attention, from someone who knows their subject matter well, and who is available to help you quickly.
Concierge medicine is an agreement in which medical professionals can offer enhanced or specialized care in their field of study, with benefits you can’t get from a traditional doctor’s office. This includes longer time commitments per appointment, direct phone, text, or email access, and the ability to get personalized advice on labwork, routine, and more.
You may have also heard ‘concierge medicine’ referred to by other terms, like ‘retainer-based healthcare,’ ‘boutique medicine,’ or ‘direct care.’ Either way, they all typically refer to a healthcare arrangement that’s designed to help you personally see better health benefits, often within a hyper specific area of your health.
So, what does concierge health look like for your heart?
The benefits of concierge medicine for heart health
Patients with severe heart issues often discover their problems by unhappy surprise. Roughly two in three adults with hypertension, for example, have no idea they’ve got it. Worse, a study performed by Mount Sinai found that “current cardiac screening tools used to prevent heart attacks fail to identify nearly half of the people who are actually at risk of having one.”
In other words, a large number of people have no idea their hearts are at risk until after something happens. That’s one of the main issues with modern heart health care: it’s primarily reactive rather than proactive, which has led many patients to consider heart health care as something you get post-heart attack.
If this is you, and you’ve already suffered from a cardiometabolic event, concierge medicine is a great way to get clarity around your health. You’ll have the opportunity to dial in specific therapies, have your blood work interpreted thoroughly, and work alongside professionals with decades of experience with heart health patients.
Now contrast this with the more traditional American way of dealing with cardiometabolic problems:
- Your PCP or the hospital where you recover refers you out to a specialist.
- You’re prescribed medications to keep your heart ‘healthy’ after an incident, such as statins (which may or may not have worsening effects on your health).
- You might get some pamphlets about what to do next for your heart health, like ‘exercising more’ and following a ‘heart-healthy diet’ with low-fat and low-protein foods. But you likely won’t get more than 15 to 20 minutes with your doctor. And if you’re familiar with new research around high-carb, low-fat diets, you might be confused about where to go from here.
Now, what if you aren’t someone who’s experienced a major cardiometabolic event? Maybe you’ve taken a CAC scan that came back above zero, or maybe you’re starting to notice the alarming signs of a weak heart.
You may not necessarily need an emergency room visit — yet. But upon conversations with your doctor (and maybe a specialist), you’re told to take statins, eat fewer eggs, and think about medications for high blood sugar or blood pressure. That may not feel like very proactive healthcare to you. And to me, it sounds like many missed opportunities to help you reclaim your metabolic health.
The good news is that concierge medicine takes an entirely different approach to your heart. You don’t have to be an existing heart health patient, or have a history of heart attacks, to work alongside a specialist.
In contrast to the traditional American approach, you’ll receive:
- Clinical support such as testing for key metabolic biomarkers, usually separate from the boilerplate tests assigned in most hospital settings (think advanced lipids or inflammation markers).
- Personalized advice from decades of heart health practice, including customized reviews of your labs, lifestyle, medications, and personal goals.
- The opportunity to speak with a specialist in your specific area of need. In my practice, for example, you can speak with me if you’re dealing with advanced metabolic risk, or Dr. Aseem Malhotra if you want more conversations surrounding preventive care.
- A cash-pay price, without insurance serving as an intermediary. This prevents your network from dictating which tests you can take, how long appointments can last, or which treatments you receive. You’ll also know your care costs before signing any paperwork. No need to worry about surprise claims or bills.
Where do I find concierge heart health medicine near me?
There’s an increasing number of concierge medical providers to choose from these days, including those for heart health. One of the main advantages of our modern connected world is that we’re no longer tethered to only local services.
Ovadia Heart Health is a medical practice that delivers our care through telehealth, so we can work with patients from further afield. Below are some testimonials from our patients.
You can learn more about what we offer at ifixhearts.com/talk.
