Iron County Human Services Department and Associates
(715) 561-3636
300 Taconite Street
Suite 201
Hurley WI 54534

Rehabilitation Services

Primary Focus: Mix of mental health and substance abuse services
Services Provided: Substance abuse treatment
Type of Care: Outpatient

Concierge Medicine

Concierge medicine goes by many names, boutique medicine, retainer medicine, executive health, VIP medicine, and personalized medicine. By any name, concierge medicine is the solution for doctors trying to maintain their integrity and independence in today’s difficult healthcare environment.Concierge medicine is a new style of practice with old roots, in which doctors limit their patient base in order to provide patients with personalized service, high quality care, 24-7 availability, and other amenities. In exchange for this enhanced personal attention, patients pay physicians an annual fee. This concierge fee enables physicians to increase their compensation while managing their workload. In addition to receiving an annual fee, most concierge physicians continue to receive reimbursements from health plans and private pay clients. Concierge medicine is a relationship between a patient and a primary care physician in which the patient pays an annual fee or retainer. This may or may not be in addition to other charges. In exchange for the retainer, doctors provide enhanced care. Other terms in use include boutique medicine, retainer-based medicine, and innovative medical practice design.The practice is also referred to as membership medicine, concierge health care, cash only practice, direct care, direct primary care, and direct practice medicine. While all concierge medicine practices share similarities, they vary widely in their structure, payment requirements, and form of operation. In particular, they differ in the level of service provided and the amount of the fee charged. There are an estimated 5,000 concierge, or membership medicine doctors throughout the U.S. Concierge physicians care for fewer patients than in a conventional practice. All generally claim to be accessible via cell phone or email at any time of day or night or offer some other special service beyond the normal care provided. The annual fees vary widely, from $600 to $5,000 per year for an individual, with the lower annual fees being in addition to the usual fees for each service and the higher annual fees including most services. Some concierge practices do not accept insurance of any kind. These are as cash-only or direct primary care practices. By refusing to deal with insurance companies, these practices can keep overhead and administrative costs low, thereby providing affordable healthcare to patients. They become concierge only if the practice assesses an annual or monthly fee instead of or in addition to a fee for each medical service. Other concierge practices do take insurance, even Medicare, but ask for an annual fee for additional services exclusive of insurance plans. This annual fee is not a substitute for medical insurance, and generally does not cover consultations outside the practice, laboratory procedures, medicines, hospitalizations, or emergency care from other providers.

Do You Think You Have a Sleep Disorder?

At various points in life, almost everyone suffers from a lack of sleep. People can easily repay these sleep debts by later on getting enough sleep. However, if a person spends enough time in bed and still wakes up tired or feel very sleepy during the day, this may be a sign of a sleep disorder.
One of the best ways to determine a good quality of sleep and the signs of a sleep disorder is keeping a sleep diary. Use the "Sample Sleep Diary" to record the quality and quantity of sleep; any use of medications, alcohol and caffeinated beverages; exercise patterns; and the levels of sleepiness felt during the day. After a week or so, look over this information to see how many hours of sleep or nighttime awak­enings relate to being tired the next day. This information will provide a sense of how much uninterrupted sleep needed in order to avoid daytime sleepiness.
If a sleep diary reveals any of the following, see a doctor:

• Consistently taking more than 30 minutes each night to fall asleep.
• Consistently waking up more than a few times or for long periods of time each night.
• Taking frequent naps.
• Feeling sleepy during the day, especially if falling asleep at inappropriate times during the day.