He’s a concierge doctor. Most think that means a fancy doctor with an exclusive clientele. But Dr. Greg Keifer understands and practices it differently.
“I call it ‘direct primary care.’ In most doctor offices, the relationship is between the doctor and the insurance company, or the patient and the insurance company,” said Keifer.
He founded Florida Keys Concierge Medicine in the Middle Keys in 2018, modeled on his mentor’s practice.
“My mentor worked at a hospital with a 6,000-patient roster. He had eight minutes to see each patient — none of which whose name he knew — and three minutes to write up his notes. He quit and began building a private practice that made house calls.”
Keifer’s mentor had two important pieces of advice: One, about 250 patients is the “sweet spot” for a concierge doctor, and he’s almost reached that number. Two, do the residency in a small community hospital in order to learn a specific skill set.
“I graduated medical school from Marian University, a private Catholic school in Indianapolis, and did my residency at Westchester Hospital in Coral Gables, Florida,” Keifer said. “Because I was going to be practicing in the Keys, a rural area, I had to learn hands-on skills. If you line up 10 doctors, I bet only two or three are used to drawing their own blood. I hang IVs and draw my own blood.”
Keifer’s fiancée, Monica Barrett, is a Florida native and Realtor in Marathon. When researching locations to live in Florida, Keifer recalls he said, “If we are going to live in Florida, we need to live in the best part!”
Here’s more about Keifer, or as the locals call him, Dr. Greg.
Do you come from a family of doctors? No, but my great-great-grandmother owned a nursing home that my uncle operates today. I fell in love with general medicine following the house doctor around. He knew everyone’s name, all about their family. I knew I wanted to do something similar.
So you lived the real life of “Say Anything,” the movie starring John Cusack and Ione Skye from 1988? (Laughing) Pretty much. Although I have an affinity for the television show “Royal Pains,” about the fictional concierge doctor in the Hamptons.
Is concierge medicine expensive? My plans start at about $80 per month for an individual, and that includes one visit per month with no additional co-pay. If I haven’t heard from a patient in three or four months, I am going to call. I truly believe that it is much easier to prevent an illness than treat it.
Have you found any surprises in the state of the Keys health? You know, I think I expected it to be bread and butter, but I have run across some pretty rare illnesses, the things that in medical school the instructors say, “You are never going to see this.”
The pandemic has revealed a lot about how our health care system operates. What has operating a concierge practice taught you? I find that treating people in their own homes, people tend to be very honest. And I can see the dynamics that play into their care. For example, I can point to a loose rug in the living room for a patient that suffers frequent falls.
Do your patients have insurance? I would say it’s about 50-50. Of the ones who have insurance, some have Medicare and some have private insurance. For the ones with private insurance, they often just have catastrophic insurance and just use me for primary care. Others, with Medicare, don’t want to wait in a crowded waiting room. The uninsured tell me, “I can’t afford insurance, but I can afford you.”
Tell us about one of your patients who’s had a positive outcome? Soon after I set up my practice, I was contacted by the family of an elderly woman who had a spinal injury and paralysis living in a stilt home. She knew she had high blood pressure and high cholesterol, but it was going untreated because she couldn’t leave the house. I was able to come in and straighten out her medical regimen.
What concerns you about the pandemic? How many people are delaying medical treatment because they don’t want to be exposed to the virus in a doctor’s office or a hospital.
Who covers for you if you’re on vacation? I let my patients know well in advance if I am going to be away.
Now for the fun stuff.
What do you love? My fiancé and I love to travel. My top three spots are Ireland, Alaska and Vail, Colorado for the skiing.
What else do you love? Our two dogs — shetland sheep puppies — named Dublin and Phoebe.
What do you love about the Keys? If you work hard and show up, your income in the islands is limitless.
Are you a reader or a watcher? I like to read biographies. Steve Jobs’ book made an impact, but probably not in the way he intended. He was a brilliant guy, but he worked himself to death.
What’s your guilty pleasure? Rum tasting. I especially love Paul Menta’s Key West’s First Legal Rum Distillery. He’s a great guy that gives so much to the community.
What was in the last Amazon box delivered to your house? Probably something for the dogs — treats, toys.
Besides email, what’s the most used app on your phone? Music. I like country music and am a big fan of Chesney and Buffett.
Are you prepared for your first hurricane? Yes, we bought an RV. In the meantime, we’re doing as much camping as we can, because travel isn’t happening.
