Tried this practice/doctor for a year. As of this writing, I believe the annual individual fee is…read more$10,000. I do not recommend them and did not renew for several reasons:
* Dr. Donahue is not terribly responsive. There were several occasions where he said "I'll get back to you" and then never did.
* Relatedly, I would have to call and follow up every time test results came in-he/the practice never reached out to me. Even the boring ol' dermatologists and ob-gyns of the world (in non-concierge practices) let you know your test was negative/positive/whatever. For $10k a year...can't Dr. Donahue or his staff do the same?
* Inability to schedule online (every time I emailed to ask about an appointment--even for telehealth--I was told to call in to speak to someone live just to schedule the appointment). Every time they wanted to see me, they would email me and say "please call in to make an appointment." Couldn't you just have...sent some appointment times in that very email? Or call ME? For this (alleged) level of service and fees, I'd like the ability every hairdresser and nail salon has had since 2010: let me schedule online! Offices can certainly review and reject appointment requests, as these other professions do.
* Dr. Donahue is relatively scatter-brained, to put it politely, to the point that it will affect your care. I experienced this a few times across my year in his practice, including in minor ways (e.g., promising to get back to me after he reviewed an article I'd sent him), but the most egregious example is that we had a entire appointment (reviewing test results and recommending actions for me) that he subsequently forgot about. I checked in with him about a month after the appointment to follow-up, and he emailed me to ask me to take a variety of tests before we met...which tests I'd already taken and discussed with him the prior month. When I mentioned the date of our prior meeting and the lab results, he sent an email apologizing. Still: if I were less meticulous--or forgetful myself--I'd have undertaken a whole new round of tests (not covered by insurance, natch). At various points throughout the year, I actually wondered if he might have early-onset Alzheimer's.
* Dr. Donahue runs a LOT of tests--many of which are not covered by insurance--the results of which are not terribly helpful. For example, one relatively expensive test for 'food sensitivities' revealed some for me...I asked if I should eliminate those items that showed up in red on the test, at which point he told me the test could be revealing a sensitivity OR just picking up on stuff I'd been eating a lot of lately. That....would have been helpful to know before the test, when I might have modified my diet; when I mentioned this, he said that I could always eliminate something concerning me and then retake the test in a few months.
* Dr. Donahue would frequently say things--especially early on, going over my medical history, etc.--like, "now THAT'S interesting!" if I presented a medical quandary or something bizarre or troubling. This language happened a few times, when I presented new issues or we got new test results in. Conversely, I got the sense he was a bit zoned out when we talked about your regular 'run of the mill' medical issues (e.g., high cholesterol), and that overall, the only way to keep his interest would require an ongoing litany of unusual troubles...like he's "House" or something.
*At our first meeting/physical exam appointment, he cheerily pointed out a few times that he could do my ob-gyn work, too! I have a great gynecologist, which I mentioned--and he re-mentioned, again, later, that he could do it, too. I thought it was odd that he mentioned it first (I hadn't brought up ob-gyn work because I already have that taken care of) and more than once.
I was attracted to the practice because I felt that Dr. Donahue's experience as a doctor in a more rural community may have given him the knowledge/wisdom a kind of old-timey house call doctor would have. Instead, what I got was part absent-minded practitioner, part woo woo medicine dude. No, I don't want to order oregano oil from your Personal Health MD dispensary at Fullscript.com, where you make a commission (and where everything you prescribed costs more than from GNC, Amazon and other online stores). Jeez Louise. That kind of stuff makes you feel like you're in a multi-level marketing scam rather than a pricy concierge medicine practice.
If you definitely want to be part of a concierge medical practice, you can find several others in the area for much less money and with more responsive, professional doctors. If you're still on the fence about signing up for concierge medicine at all, I'll say this: you're in the Boston area, and there are no shortage of awesome physicians to choose from who are just part of the regular ol' conglomerates we have. Whichever way you decide to go, this guy ain't it.
