Concierge medicine comes to college campuses

The big picture: Many college students are already on their parents' insurance. But concierge arrangements can reassure nervous parents that a student gets quick access to a vetted professional without the wait times and other shortcomings associated with campus health clinics.

• "The market is the parent," said Marcus Hester, who plans to launch concierge medicine service College-Docs next year. "They feel like they have somebody there ... to help out if need be."

State of play: Concierge physicians charge an upfront retainer fee. Those who pay get shorter waits, more face time with the doctor, special cellphone numbers for help, and other conveniences. Providers typically bill insurance for the office visits.

• The setup is increasingly common in primary care for the general population, especially in wealthier parts of the country. The concierge market could be worth an estimated $38.9 billion by 2032, according to Data Horizons Research.
• It's also becoming a popular option for overworked physicians who get to serve a smaller group of patients who are typically in better health.

Doctors and entrepreneurs in college towns across the country are betting this model can work on college campuses.

• Andy Hooper, an Austin-based anesthesiologist, started UniversityMD in 2022 after noticing his kids and his friends' kids weren't getting the health care they needed while away at college.
• For $595 per semester, students get essentially unlimited access to a physician for anything from cold and flu symptoms to mental health concerns to sexual well-being questions.
• Students average 0.7 visits per semester with their concierge doctor, Hooper said, and contracted doctors can continue to see patients outside of their UniversityMD population.

Zoom in: The direct care market for college students is growing.

• UniversityMD currently serves five colleges, and Hooper hopes to expand to 20 schools by next fall. He says it's best suited for large schools with many out-of-state students. The affluence of the student body factors in, too.
• Lisa Markman, a pediatrician in Ann Arbor, Mich., just started a direct primary care practice targeted to University of Michigan students. Direct primary care is similar to concierge medicine but doctors do not bill to insurance.
• On a campus where nearly half of undergraduates come from out of state, Markman offers dorm visits, guarantees appointments within 24 hours, and dispenses drugs on acute-care visits — all for $375 a month.
• Some concierge providers like Hester are looking to eventually partner with universities and develop alternate offerings to school-sponsored student health coverage.

Yes, but: Concierge medicine increases patients' health costs without keeping them healthier compared to traditional primary care, according to a study published last year in the Journal of Health Economics.

• It can also exacerbate primary care provider shortages and create an even more unequal health care system in America, said Adam Leive, a co-author of the study and health policy professor at the University of California-Berkeley.

Between the lines: These services might keep parents overly involved in their kids' health care at a time when young adults should be developing more independence, said Jewel Mullen, the associate dean for health equity at the University of Texas Dell Medical School.

• "Once you go to school and you're part of student health services, one of the things that your parents have to abide [by] is that they don't get access to all your information," said Mullen, who previously cared for students at the University of Virginia's health services.

But direct access to a doctor can also empower college students to make their own health care decisions, Markman said.

• While all of Markman's patients so far have signed releases allowing her to talk to their parents about their health information, she anticipates interactions will stay between her and the student unless there's a serious physical or mental health issue.
• Markman also refutes the idea that parents who pay for her services are overprotective. It's natural to be worried when your kid gets sick and lives hundreds of miles away, she observed.
• "It's hard to imagine until you've actually experienced it yourself," she added.