Concierge Practices Gain Hold in Birmingham

“The definition of concierge medicine is that instead of allowing a third party to decide how the relationship works, we — the doctor and patient — define it,” says David DeAtkine, Jr., MD, boarded in endocrinology and internal medicine. He’s one of about 20 concierge physicians in Birmingham.

DeAtkine began his endocrine-based concierge practice in 2003 when he saw the third-party payer structure making it difficult for doctors to spend time with patients. “The system doesn’t put value on time or complex decision-making, and I had a lot of complicated and sick patients that needed time or expertise,” he says.