Direct Medicine
More than 40 years ago, Dr. Kenneth Cooper proposed what was at the time a revolutionary concept: the idea that you could live a better, longer life by simply maintaining good health. Just as Dr. Cooper pioneered preventive medicine then, Cooper Clinic continues to forge new territory by reinventing health care today.
Cooper Clinic is taking prevention to the next level; a level so personal and so complete, we call it Platinum.
“It’s a philosophical shift,” says Dr. Cooper, founder and chairman of Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas, where Cooper Clinic and seven other health and wellness companies are located. “Cooper Clinic has never entered the acute care arena—until now. Our patients have been asking us to provide this level of service. After all, we are the ones who say to invest in your health. Well, this is the ultimate investment.”
Cooper Clinic Platinum provides direct medicine, also known as concierge, boutique, or retainer medicine, to patients who choose to bypass traditional primary care systems for individualized, personalized treatment for medical problems for an annual fee.
The unique aspect of Cooper Clinic Platinum is patients receive the preventive care that they have come to know and trust. Now, they can expect the same level of expertise for acute and persistent health issues.
While Cooper Clinic added its direct medicine practice in 2009, concierge medicine has been in existence since 1996. Although still in their infancy, with the first concierge practice opening in Seattle, today the America Academy of Private Physicians, a professional association of concierge physicians, estimates that there are 5,000 concierge medicine doctors across the country.
The niche medical industry is typically consistent in offering increased time and attention by a dedicated physician overseeing a limited practice size. But practices are varied in services offered—ranging from basic to elaborate—and in policies.
“We are unlike other direct medicine practices,” explains Dr. Michael Chapman, the 24/7 personal physician for Cooper Clinic Platinum. “No existing Cooper Clinic patients will be affected. And we have always been a private-pay clinic. Our practices are tried and true, and have been for 40 years.”