What Is Concierge Addiction Medicine?

Concierge addiction medicine is a relatively new way of treating patients. In the earliest years of addiction treatment, doctors did not truly understand the nature of substance abuse. In fact, researchers, scientists and medical practitioners are still making breakthroughs every day. As a result of this lack of information, many addiction treatment plans were a one-size-fits-all routine that all patients were subjected to.

Not surprisingly, relapse rates were high, compounding over time into the current opioid crisis America is faced with. As more clients sought personalized and discreet services, doctors began to provide concierge addiction treatments, often to high-end clientele. In more recent times, however, this treatment has been made more affordable to the general population.

Pros and cons of concierge addiction medicine

Because of the personalized nature of concierge services, clients receive care that is suited to their preferences, lifestyle and schedule. Keep in mind that when it comes to addiction, people are drawn to certain substances for different reasons. Therefore, to cure the root of the problem, doctors must first understand the trigger. Personalized care provides a more effective way to do so.

In addition to this, withdrawal symptoms for different substances vary. By providing a personalized treatment plan, the doctor is better able to reduce the intensity of these symptoms. This, in turn, helps to increase the likelihood of the patient following through with the detox plan to the end. This is especially important in home detoxes, as the person may still come in contact with drug users from their social circles.

In order to make time for these one-on-one sessions, doctors in this field limit their workloads to focus on a small group of clients. As a result, the hourly or individual rate for each client may be higher than a doctor may charge at a center. This is the primary criticism of concierge addiction treatment.

Many people see it as a case of reserving the best treatment for the wealthy. For this reason, it is often called luxury addiction treatment, even by those who provide it. However, as previously mentioned, there are concierge services now available at a much more affordable cost.

Another disadvantage of concierge treatment is loss of a community. For many addicts, living in a sober community helps them to maintain a drug-free lifestyle. Hearing other people’s stories and knowing they are not alone in their struggle can also be therapeutic. People who receive care at centers also typically have a large team of professionals to pull from, such as medical doctors, nurses and psychiatrists. Concierge patients often only have one practitioner tending to their needs.

Bottom line

Concierge addiction medicine is arguably one of the most effective methods of treatment available. However, premium treatment comes at a premium cost, putting it out of the range of lower-income and some lower-middle-income patients. Even so, because there is often no real estate cost, as is often the case with centers, this is not always as expensive as many people assume. Additionally, insurance companies have sometimes been able to step in to further lower the cost.

Are you considering concierge addiction medicine in the New York area? Get more information at https://www.joelnathanmd.com.

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