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Beth Hanlon tackles the grocery store like she’s on morning rounds.

With nurses and a receptionist in tow, the Salt Lake City internist surveys nutritional labels, pointing out serving sizes and the sodium and fat content of cereals, protein bars and popular snack foods.

“We’re going to be more involved in our patients’ lives and their diets, and I want my staff to also be a resource,” explains Hanlon.

If consumers are disenchanted with modern, assembly-line medicine — long waits for hurried visits with harried health professionals — doctors are, too. And a growing number like Hanlon, 18 years into her career, are exploring ways to revive their craft.

She and another internist at Alpine Medical Group, Yong Hui Ahn, are the latest physicians in Utah to embrace “concierge” or “boutique” health care. On Tuesday they’ll close their traditional practices and reopen at the same location under the banner of MDVIP, a concierge company based in Boca Raton, Fla.

Patients who want to continue to see them will pay a $1,500 membership fee on top of their regular insurance. In return the doctors will each cut their patient loads from about 2,500 to 600, grant same-day appointments and round-the-clock access.

It’s an attractive arrangement for primary care doctors, who are reimbursed at lower rates than specialists, because it allows them to focus on fewer patients without hurting their income. A $1,500 retainer from 600 people adds up to $900,000, minus the third that goes to MDVIP.

And it’s a win for patients who want more from their doctor than a disease pamphlet and a prescription.

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