Concierge Medicine Directory

The complete directory of Concierge Medicine in the United States is online. Concierge Medicine goes by many names, boutique medicine, retainer medicine, executive health, VIP medicine, and personalized medicine. Finding the right Concierge Doctor is the most important step for patient considering the best care. Concierge Doctor 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 Medicine 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 Medicine 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.

Cosmetic Treatments

Being a grown-up does not have to be as difficult as it used to be. All adults long for the flawless skin they took for granted as a youth. As we age, the elements of our environment including the sun and air pollution affect the skin. The collagen fibers in the skin break down and lose their elasticity. Over time, the skin essentially becomes thin, dry, uneven in color or tone, wrinkled, and more sensitive. Based on years of research in scar formation and the effects of aging on skin, doctors have developed a unique multidisciplinary approach to treat aging skin. Each patient has different skin and a doctor evaluates its thickness, pigmentation, complexion, pore size, degree of sun damage, and hair density, among other variables. Doctors design individualized treatments based on general skin type and the anatomical area of concern. Treatments are best suited for individuals who seek a refreshed complexion without the recovery time associated with more extensive skin-resurfacing procedures.

Dermatology

Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails. Dermatologists have been leaders in the field of cosmetic surgery. Some dermatologists complete fellowships in surgical dermatology. Many train in their residency on the use of Botox, fillers, and laser surgery. Some dermatologists perform cosmetic procedures including liposuction, blepharoplasty, and face-lifts. Most dermatologists limit their cosmetic practice to minimally invasive procedures. Mohs surgery, developed in the 1930'a y Dr. Frederic E. Mohs, focuses on the excision of skin cancers using a tissue-sparing technique that allows intraoperative assessment of 100% of the peripheral and deep tumor margins . Physicians trained in this technique must be comfortable with both pathology and surgery, and dermatologists receive extensive training in both during their residency. Physicians who perform Mohs surgery can receive training in this specialized technique during their dermatology residency, but many will seek additional training either through preceptorships to join the American Society for Mohs Surgery or through formal one- to two-year Mohs surgery fellowship training programs administered by the American College of Mohs Surgery. Procedural Dermatology is concerned with the study, diagnosis, and surgical treatment of diseases of the skin and adjacent mucous membranes, cutaneous appendages, hair, nails, and subcutaneous tissue. Dermatologic surgical procedures are minimally invasive and may be performed safely in outpatient settings without general anesthesia or other intravascular physiologic alteration. An especially important technique is Mohs micrographic surgical excision, which treats cancers of the skin and incorporates training in clinical dermatology and dermatopathology as they apply to dermatologic surgery. Laser resurfacing is a technique used during laser surgery wherein dissolution of molecular bonds is by laser. It is for the treatment of wrinkles, solar lentigenes, sun damage, scars, stretch marks, actinic keratosis and telangiectasias or "spider veins". It can be with liposuction to remove excess fat from the chin and jaw area. Laser resurfacing can help tighten and smooth over the new contours.

Detoxification is the process by which the body clears itself of drugs. Unpleasant and sometimes even fatal side effects caused by withdrawal accompany detoxification. Passages Malibu Detox Detoxification is medically managed withdrawal. Detoxification is a precursor to or the first stage of treatment because it manages the acute and potentially dangerous physiological effects of stopping drug use. Medications assist in the withdrawal from opioids, benzodiazepines, alcohol, nicotine, barbiturates and other sedatives. Passages Malibu Detoxification Drug addiction treatment seeks to help addicted individuals stop compulsive drug seeking and use. Treatment can occur in a variety of settings, in many different forms and for different lengths of time. Passages Malibu Drugs The specific type of treatment or combination of treatments will vary depending on the individual needs of the patient and, often, on the types of drugs a patient uses. The severity of addiction and previous efforts to stop using drugs can also influence the approach to treatment. Passages Malibu Drunk Medication and behavioral therapy, especially when combined, are important elements of an overall therapeutic process that often begins with detoxification, followed by treatment and relapse prevention. Passages Malibu Intervention One of the most powerful aspects of the Passages treatment program, in addition to all the one one-on-one therapy, is that we work as a team. We call it the Passages Team Approach. Passages Malibu Pax For many, treatment is a long term process that involves multiple interventions and regular monitoring. Clinical research suggests that there are many approaches to treating addiction. Drug treatment can include behavioral therapy, like individual or group counseling, cognitive therapy or contingency management, medications or a combination thereof. Passages Malibu Recovery The best programs provide a combination of therapies and other services to meet the needs of the individual patient. Specific needs may relate to age, race, culture, sexual orientation, gender, pregnancy, other drug use, other existing morbid conditions, parenting, housing and employment, as well as any history of physical or sexual abuse. Passages Malibu Rehabilitation A continuum of care that includes a customized treatment regimen addressing all aspects of the life of a patient with addition, including medical and mental health services and follow up options like community or family-based recovery support systems, is crucial to the success of a patient in recovery because it helps the patient achieve and maintain a life free of drugs. Passages Malibu Rehabs Easing withdrawal symptoms can be important in the initiation of treatment. Preventing relapse is necessary for maintaining its effects. However, episodes of relapse may require a return to prior treatment components. Passages Malibu Sober

Fake v. Real

The question of the difference between real vs. fake breasts has become common in celebrity media. The quality of the surgery results in much of the difference between real looking and fake looking breasts. A poor boob job can introduce an unnatural looks. Breast implants are silicone rubber sacs filled with either saline solution or silicone, which increase the size of the breasts. Saline implants are the most commonly used form of implants in the United States. Implants come in different sizes, shapes and textures and a surgeon may place them under or over the chest muscles. Breast implants often sit higher on the chest than real breasts, and they appear fuller and rounder on top than real breasts. Breast implants often have a noticeable gap between the breasts, while real breasts tend to be closer together. Real breasts also fill out more at the bottom and not at the top. When in motion, breast implants often do not move much and will appear to keep their round shape, whereas real breasts will jiggle, bounce or shift depending on movement. There is mostly fat in real breast tissues and is therefore soft, whereas breast implants are more firm and less pliable. Silicone breast implants are generally softer than saline implants because they are made of a thick, gel-like substance that feels similar to fat. Saline implants feel more like muscle instead of fat. When women with breast implants do not wear bras, their breasts tend to stay firm and round. Natural breasts will hang lower and will not jut out much without a bra. Real breasts are mostly fat, which gives them a jiggle quality, if breasts look more like solid muscle, they may fake. One often can identify if breasts are fake by comparing them to the rest of the body. Although there is the rare woman who has a hot body and unusually large natural breasts, more than a few women make the mistake of going too large and getting very big fake breasts. Fortunately, these women are easy to spot: if she has the body of a dancer and breasts like a porn star. Check breast shape and alignment with her movement. Fake breast do not follow body movements as well. Many people associate breast implants with a large cup size, such as a D or DD. However, many women who opt for breast implants choose more natural-looking sizes such as a C or B cup. It can be harder to determine whether a woman has natural or implants at these sizes. In addition, padded bras create a similar effect to breast implants by lifting the breasts and making them appear larger. It can be hard to tell the difference between real breasts and implants when a woman wears a bra.