ABC-7 Special Report: Exclusive medical care available in El Paso

With office visit fees, co-pays and deductibles, health care is expensive.

But some El Pasoans, like thousands of Americans across the country, are opting to pay more for exclusive care from their doctors.

The so-called concierge care concept is growing in popularity.

MDVIP, a program that offers personalized care, has recently expanded to El Paso.

According to the MDVIP website, it “is a personalized health care program that empowers people to reach their health and wellness goals through in-depth knowledge, expertise and one-on-one coaching with some of the finest primary care doctors in America.”

A Bloomberg Business article published in 2012 said the service began in 2001.

An MDVIP representative told ABC-7 that the first doctor in El Paso signed onto the program in 2010, the same year as the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

Three doctors in El Paso are now affiliated with MDVIP.

ABC-7 asked Nancy Udell with MDVIP’s office in Florida to speak with any of the El Paso doctors about why they transitioned to the program and its benefits.

Udell responded to our request in an email, saying the doctors are not available at this time to be interviewed.

A viewer sent ABC-7 a letter from Dr. G.E. Martin, who said he is going to be affiliated with MDVIP starting in October 2015.

Martin said in the letter, “It is important now more than ever to have a physician partner who can put you and your health care first. MDVIP will help protect our doctor-patient relationship and allow me to continue providing you with the personal, proactive care and service you deserve.”

Martin also stated that in order to provide this care, he will be significantly reducing the size of his practice, as well as charging an annual fee for the wellness program.
The MDVIP website states that memberships average about $1,800 per year.

PBS News Hour profiled MDVIP in 2012, and interviewed Mark Murrison, MDVIP’s president of marketing and innovation.

“Our doctors are primary care doctors and doctors who have really become frustrated with what has become conveyor belt medicine,” Murrison told PBS. “They’re seeing 30, 35 patients a day. They’re spending less and less time with their patients.”

MDVIP limits practice size to 600 patients.

The small size is a perk for Dr. Ramon Solis, a doctor based in Katy, Texas, who was also interviewed by PBS in 2012.

“With the reduced number of patients that I can see, I am able to return those calls and those labs in a shorter period of time than the typical doctor,” said Solis.

The concept of concierge care did not go over well with El Pasoans who spoke with ABC-7.

“I think any good primary care physician should do that stuff no matter what,” said Brad Kinyon. “You shouldn’t have to pay the extra $1,800.”

Ivan Enriquez said, “In a capitalistic society, it’s discrimination through economic means.”

MDVIP offers participating patients 24/7 telephone access, expedited specialist referrals and access to other MDVIP physicians when clients travel.

They are some benefits that hundreds of El Pasoans conclude are worth the price.