Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

A concierge medical practice is similar to how medical care was provided before the advent of the health insurance industry – a direct relationship between you and your doctor. Our physicians Dr. Paul Abramson and Dr. Deena Neff come from lineages of physicians extending back generations, and they aspire to provide the same level of personalized care that was possible in the “old days,” while still using the most advanced technology of today.

Our membership-based practice model allows us to provide more time and attention to a smaller number of patients. We have designed our three tiers (Member, Priority and VIP) to allow each individual to choose a level of engagement that suits their individual situation.

By establishing this direct relationship we can provide you the very best medical care and focus our attention on your needs and wellbeing. We have no conflicts of interest or contracts with third-party payors, greatly streamlining your care and allowing us to provide you the most appropriate treatment without distraction.

Concierge medicine allows us to treat each individual as a unique person, attending to all aspects of their health including proactive preventive care as well as coordinating multispecialty teams for complex cases. We carefully get to know you, your worldview and your preferences, and customize your care with an aim of improving functional lifespan, or “healthspan.”

For Priority and VIP tiers we can also make house calls in San Francisco and directly admit you to the hospital if needed at California Pacific Medical Center.

You can read more about concierge medicine here: Concierge Medicine at MDMG

• We work directly for you, not for insurance companies or any other third parties, which allows us to provide the best possible medical care, with attention to customer service and privacy. This arrangement allows the doctor to really listen to your concerns and customize the treatment plan to your individual needs and preferences.
• No more long waits or rushed visits. The doctor takes the time to listen to your concerns and you will not feel rushed during your visit.
• We are available when and where you need us. Same-day and next-day appointments are often available. We can make house calls when needed. Dr. Abramson can direct admit patients to the hospital in many situations, without the need for an ER visit. We can also be flexible about providing services (when medically appropriate) via telephone, secure e-mail, and secure video, at times preventing unnecessary ER visits and hospitalizations. This can save you time and money while improving the quality of your care.
• We are cost effective. We know the health care system and can help you avoid paying more for services than is necessary. By taking the time to get to know you, and by being available to you when you need us, we can get you healthy faster and target tests and treatments to your actual needs.

A doctor house call is when a physician conveniently brings medical services to you. House calls are available, but not limited, to homes, hotels, and the workplace. The doctor can dispense many medications to you directly, eliminating the need to wait in line at a pharmacy, or transmit a prescription directly to your pharmacy of choice. Our service area for house calls is usually limited to San Francisco, but we can sometimes accommodate extraordinary requests for out-of-area services. Fees are based on time spent including travel time. Read more about house calls here.

Yes. We can virtually transport our office in a doctor’s bag, including laboratory equipment for testing. Certain simple tests can be completed on site. For others, the doctor can draw your blood or collect specimens and send them to the lab, or we can give you a lab slip to go to a lab’s patient service center. We can also often arrange for mobile x-ray and ultrasound services to be brought to you as well if needed.

Absolutely. Office visits can be more cost-effective than house calls, and allow us to see you in a comfortable, modern setting with all of the latest tools at our disposal. We are located close to Union Square in downtown San Francisco. Convenient parking is available and we are near transit.

What most people aren’t aware of is that almost all doctors in San Francisco no longer take care of their own patients in the hospital. Rather, they outsource this service to a type of doctor called a “Hospitalist” – who neither knows you nor has any responsibility for making sure your transition in and out of the hospital is smooth. Hospitalists also work for the hospital, meaning that they often have a conflict of interest that keeps them from being your best advocate.

Happily, we are the exception to the rule.

Our doctors are on staff at California Pacific Medical Center where they can often admit you directly without needing to go through the Emergency Department. We are independent and work only for you. We can also coordinate your care at other hospitals throughout the region as needed to make sure you get the best and most expeditious treatment.

And when it’s time to return home from the hospital, we will see you at home or in our office, ensuring a seamless transition.

Yes, after you are seen and evaluated by one of our medical providers, we can arrange expedited consultations with top specialists in any area of medicine, locally or even internationally.

Payment is due in full at the time services are rendered. We accept Cash, Travelers Checks, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flex-Spending Account (FSA) cards, and debit cards. For membership fees we can also accept bank transfer/ACH payments. Personal checks are not accepted. We’re also one of the first doctors to accept Bitcoin and other digital currencies.

If you have PPO insurance, we can help you submit claims out of network for potential reimbursement directly to you. Please also refer to the “out of network” FAQ section.

As a direct medical practice, we are considered an out-of-network provider for all commercial insurance. Our patients pay us for services at the time we render them. Our biller can then submit a claim electronically to your insurance company “out of network” on your behalf, or give you an itemized receipt to submit yourself.

Importantly, most lab tests, imaging, specialist consultation and hospital services that we order can be at in-network vendors for those with PPO insurance. So it's just our visits and other time spent by our doctors on your behalf that are out of network. We know how much the “real price” is for medications and tests, and can help you get the best value from your insurance and limit out of pocket costs.

Patients with PPO insurance can recover a percentage of the amount allowed (by the insurance company) for each service/code, after deductibles and coinsurance. Patients with Kaiser or HMO insurance will typically not get reimbursement for out of network services. International travelers insurance for Europeans often reimburses patients quite well.

While this can seem daunting, our patients find the value of our services to be so great, and our practice to be so responsive and responsible, that it's worth going out of network to assure the best possible health care and outcomes for themselves and their loved ones.

We are happy to help patients without insurance with transparent prices that are often a good value compared to going to larger institutions without insurance.

We also know the “real price” for labs, tests and specialist consultation and can frequently arrange these services at a much lower price than you would otherwise be able to obtain on your own.

Please call us on (415) 963-4431 for full details or submit a request electronically.

We are opted out of the Medicare system, which does not support direct practices like ours.

However, most things we might order, like labs, tests, specialists and hospital services are covered by Medicare and our doctors are allowed to order them even though we are opted out.

Our concierge medicine services offer a level of access and responsiveness that is unique in San Francisco.

We have many Medicare patients in our practice who have decided they value optimal health care, a responsive and personalized practice, and access to Dr. Abramson and our world-class team. We offer a unique value proposition and our expertise in medical risk management is second to none.

Please contact us for further information.

We are extremely conscientious about the privacy of our patients, and frequently cater to high-profile individuals with unusual needs for privacy and discretion. Please contact us if you have specific needs or concerns.

Please read our Notice of Privacy Practices – My Doctor Medical Group (MDMG) – a federally mandated document that describes how we comply with HIPAA privacy regulations.

We generally go far beyond the legally required privacy guidelines, and are used to working with people with particular privacy needs.

For our web site’s Online Privacy Policy, see click here.