OUR PHILOSOPHY OF CARE

At Rockville Concierge Doctors, we want you to be sure that our practice is right for you. We want to be upfront with you about our beliefs as physicians and the principles that guide us as we practice medicine. We want you to have every confidence that the membership fee you pay is worth what you will get in return. Please take a few moments to read our philosophy of care so you can get to know us better.

• Through reading medical journals, attending continuing medical education conferences, and consulting specialists, we strive to stay abreast of the latest advances in medicine and to evaluate those advances critically. Sometimes the “latest and greatest” in medicine turns out to be not so great over time.
• We appreciate that medical studies, no matter how extensive and well-performed they are, did not involve you. Sometimes the medical guidelines may not apply to your medical situation or philosophy of healthcare.
• We believe our role as primary care physicians is not only to be experts in preventive medicine and the diagnosis and treatment of disease, but also to get to know the unique personality and circumstances of each patient. Having medical knowledge is only part of being a great physician. Knowing how to apply that medical knowledge on behalf of a specific patient is equally important.
• We strive to handle as many of your healthcare needs as possible and to minimize referrals. By spending time with you, we can often get to the diagnosis and treatment faster while preventing unnecessary testing and referrals. That being said, we know our limits and consult specialists when needed or requested.
• We believe that less is more in diagnosis and treatment. We start with a careful history and physical exam and order tests judiciously. We appreciate that tests can have risks, including financial cost, anxiety, and false positives. If we’re not sure what’s causing your symptoms and there are no “red flags,” sometimes the wisest approach is to wait and see what happens next.
• We appreciate the risks, both in terms of monetary cost and potential side effects, of medications. We prefer to try lifestyle interventions before medication, if appropriate. We’re also open to “natural” treatments, although we believe that just because they’re “natural” doesn’t mean they can’t have risks.
• We believe that you know your body best and that illness can present in unusual ways. When you express a concern, no matter what it is, we take it seriously and approach it nonjudgmentally, with an open mind.
• We believe that you should be notified of all test results, even when normal. We do not subscribe to the “no news is good news” approach.
• Except in the case of a clear-cut medical emergency, we want to be the first people you call and we always want to be kept in the loop.
• We believe that the healthcare system, in its complexity and compartmentalization, can often inflict just as much, if not more, suffering than your actual illness. Toward that end, we believe that sometimes the most important thing we can do for you is to advocate for you.
• We view ourselves primarily as educators and advisors. In sickness and in health, our role is to present you with options, the pros and cons of each, and a recommendation on which to pursue as well as an explanation of our reasoning. We believe that there are often many right ways to approach an issue, and as long as you understand your options and the potential risks and benefits of each, we respect when you decide on a different path than what we recommend.

This is our philosophy of care in a nutshell. But don’t take our word for it! Check out what some of our patients have to say about how we practice medicine.