Back in 2005, Dr. Ferd Crotte was a man ahead of his time.
Or maybe he was just going back to an earlier time when doctors made house calls, spent a lot of time with their patients, and were reachable at all hours.
It was early in that year when the board-certified internal medicine specialist converted his Toledo-area medical practice to a “concierge” model, a practice where doctors charge patients a significant fee over and above their regular medical charges and in return provide a more personalized style of care.
Those concierge fees were not covered by medical insurance but were paid out of pocket by his patients.
Concierge practices can differ from one another just as conventional practices do, but many of them stress prevention, wellness, and a holistic approach to health.
At the time he founded his concierge practice, the average medical practitioner had around 3,500 patients. Dr. Crotte significantly reduced the number of patients he saw. He made house calls. He accepted same-day appointments. He followed his patients wherever they went for hospital care. And he focused on preventive medicine.