Some doctors' offices now charging membership fees for primary care

You might pay a monthly or annual fee for things like your gym membership, Netflix subscription, or Costco membership. But would you do it to see your doctor?

That's the dilemma some Chicago patients face, after they found out their primary care physician is moving to a membership model. 

Patients at a Chicago primary care clinic said they're facing a tough choice after receiving a message this week telling them they'd need to pay a $250 annual fee per patient starting on Feb. 1.

The letter outlining the cost said it is meant to combat "declining reimbursement rates from insurance companies combined with increasing administrative requirements."

"Over the past few years, there's no question that the administrative tasks that doctors' offices and/or doctors seeing people in outpatient hospital settings has skyrocketed," said Rebecca Kirch, executive vice president of policy and programs at the National Patient Advocate Foundation.

Kirch said more doctors' offices are getting creative to cover the costs of coordinating with insurance companies – things like checking benefits, running pre-authorizations, or filling out insurance paperwork. But she worries that membership fees to pay for those additional man-hours could force some patients to delay care.

"Affordability is the name of the game in a way we've not seen in a good long while. It's an everyday word now, instead of an us-them word," Kirch said. 

One clinic trying to balance access and affordability is Bridge Family Health in Evanston.

Panzer said their office now charges an $85 monthly fee for unlimited doctor's visits in-person and on the phone.

"Family medicine and primary care has been under a crisis recently, for probably more than a decade," said founder Dr. Jeff Panzer.

Panzer said direct primary care offices like his max out at about 500 to 600 patients, a third of what many traditional primary care physicians would see. He said their membership fee – which is lower than many concierge clinics – allows them to cut ties with insurance companies and focus more time on patients.

"I think it's really appealing for people who live in the area, who really want to know their doctor, want a quick response, and are used to paying you know potentially more to go to a gym to just have the peace of mind," patient Katie Smith said.