Doc for Wealthy ‘Concierge’ Practice Says Customers Have Been Pestering Him 3 Times A Day for Covid Vaccine

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Amid concerns over possible line-jumping, Dr. Bill Lang says that since Thanksgiving, patients at his wealthy “concierge” practice have been texting and calling him three times a day asking when they can get a COVID-19 vaccine.

STAT News investigative reporters Olivia Goldhill and Nicholas St. Fleur spoke with Lang and other doctors about the potential for abuse, and Lang revealed that demand is already sky-high among patients at his practice which “charges members $10,000 to $250,000 a year for 24/7 care”:

Almost every day last week, the medical director at a high-end concierge medical practice, WorldClinic, heard from clients asking when a Covid-19 vaccine would be available.

Two patients even texted on Thanksgiving day. “Since then, I’ve had at least three texts or calls every day just asking, ‘When do you think I can get a vaccine?’” said Lang, who is based in Washington, but also speaks with patients across the U.S. and internationally.

Dr. Lang went on to say that no patients have asked for preferential treatment, and his clinic would not accommodate such a request, but told the reporters that others will inevitably cut the line at other points in the distribution chain. He predicted that an elastic definition of “essential workers” would be a major contributor to line-jumping.

Other doctors and bioethicists predicted to STAT News that fudging high-risk medical conditions, and even “outright theft and bribery” are in the offing. And several of them said the greatest weapon against all forms of line-jumping will be shame.

“Everybody has to condemn them: the media, your neighbor, your boss, everybody,” said NYU bioethicist Arthur Caplan.

Although not approved yet, vaccinations are expected to begin some time this month.