Web Company Seeks to Revolutionize Medical Care for a Price

Disclosure: This is a paid post, which means this company gave me money to check out their website and tell you guys what I think about it. Here we go…

MDVIP is kind of a health country club. It’s not an HMO or PPO. Their website reminds me more of Diner’s Club or something than a health care plan. Basically, they’re trying to save health care from the terrible mess of litigation-fueled red tape and bureaucracy it’s become for patients and physicians, for an (undisclosed, at least online) price. A noble and lucrative cause, to be sure.
It seems like a good plan. You sign-up and pay your yearly dues, and in exchange you receive personalized (MDVIP physicians have only 600 patients per practice), prevention-focused health care that works with insurance and Medicare. I really like their emphasis on preventive health care.

All MDVIP services are compatible with FSA’s (Flex Spending Accounts), which is a great tax dodge. It also comes with personalized service perks like a medical history mini-CD to carry in your wallet/purse, quick access to your MDVIP doctor in emergencies, your own “personal MDVIP website” and an “executive physical”, which includes, but is not limited to:

• an extensive risk factor assessment that incorporates family history, patient history and lifestyle analysis
• screenings related to mental status
• screenings related to exercise, nutrition and sleep
• screenings related to vision and hearing
• pulmonary function testing
• comprehensive laboratory testing
• EKG

I think programs like this are great for people that can afford them. It’s also good for Doctors who’ve been systematically locked into a system that has them spending more time navigating regulations and lawyers than honing their bedside manner and diagnostic skills.

I’m all for something like this, except… What’s it cost? I can’t even get a ball-park figure of their annual fee off their site. But I’ll bet it’s not cheap for the customer, er, patient, and I’m sure it’s a boon for the doctors who can find 600 MDVIP patients within their operating area.

MDVIP is an organization that charges a premium for premium health care. Not a bad idea if you’re the kind of mercenary doctor it’s perfectly within your rights to be. Or if you’re a patient with the kind of pockets to fund this thing. (Hey if I could afford it, I would consider it, except the closest MDVIP to me is in St. Louis, which is 5 hours away from Kansas City.)

I filled out their “we’ll get back to you” style contact form to save you guys the trouble of an unwanted sales call just to get pricing. They called me a few hours later. Their yearly fee ranges from $1500-$1800 and set by the doctor in their network you sign up with. Honestly, it’s not as much as I thought it would be, but it still would have been nice had they listed that range on the site.

If anyone has any sort of experience working with or paying for one of these programs, let us know about it.