Hi, Finch Health - Why the Doctor–Patient Relationship Really Matters

One of the most important parts of medicine isn’t a test, a scan, or a prescription.

It’s the relationship between a physician and a patient.

That relationship has always been the foundation of good medical care. Yet in today’s healthcare system, it’s often the first thing to be sacrificed — limited by short visits, fragmented care, and lack of continuity. Over time, that loss affects both patients and physicians.

Recognizing this gap is one of the main reasons I decided to build a concierge medical practice.

Medicine works best when people are known

Good medical decisions depend on context. They require understanding a person’s history, goals, family background, and how their health has evolved over time.

When a physician knows a patient well, care becomes more precise and more efficient. Subtle changes are easier to recognize. Conversations are more productive. Recommendations feel collaborative rather than transactional.

Without continuity, care becomes reactive. Each visit starts from scratch. Important details are missed. Patients are left navigating advice from multiple providers who don’t know them — or each other.

What’s been lost in modern healthcare

Most people can feel this shift, even if they can’t always put it into words.

Appointments are short. Access is limited. Follow-up is inconsistent. Questions that arise between visits — after reading a headline, hearing about a study, or noticing a new symptom — are often delayed or never addressed.

Even routine medical issues can become unnecessarily burdensome. A cold, a urinary tract infection, or a medication question may require hours spent in urgent care, seeing someone unfamiliar, and retelling your story from the beginning.

This isn’t because individual clinicians don’t care. It’s because the current system doesn’t leave room for relationships to develop.

Why Hi, Finch Health concierge medicine offers a different path

Concierge medicine creates the space for a different kind of care — one built around access, continuity, and trust.

It allows for:

• Ongoing communication rather than episodic visits
• Questions to be addressed when they arise, not weeks later
• Thoughtful interpretation of labs, studies, and health information
• Care that evolves over time instead of reacting to isolated problems

Sometimes that looks like a telehealth or text-based visit instead of an urgent care trip. Other times it’s guidance on whether a new study or health trend is actually relevant to you.

Importantly, it also allows time for research and follow-up. If a question doesn’t have an immediate answer, it can be looked into carefully — and revisited in context.

This kind of care simply isn’t feasible in a high-volume, time-limited model.

Why this matters medically

Strong doctor–patient relationships aren’t just more satisfying — they’re associated with better outcomes.

They support:

• Earlier identification of health concerns
• More appropriate use of testing and referrals
• Better adherence to care plans
• More nuanced, individualized decision-making

When patients feel known and respected, they’re more likely to ask questions, share concerns, and engage actively in their care. That partnership improves both experience and outcomes.

Why this matters to me as a physician

One of the most fulfilling parts of medicine is building long-term relationships — earning trust, thinking through decisions together, and being present through different phases of health and life.

Over time, it became clear to me that this level of relationship isn’t possible within the constraints of traditional care models. That realization is what led me to pursue a concierge approach.

Building a practice around time, access, and continuity allows me to practice medicine in a way that aligns with why I entered the profession — and to provide the kind of care I believe patients deserve.

A different kind of doctor–patient partnership

The goal of Hi, Finch Health is to create a care model where patients feel known, heard, and supported — and where decisions are made collaboratively, with a long-term perspective.

This approach emphasizes mutual respect, open communication, and trust. It’s not about doing more medicine. It’s about creating the conditions for better medicine.

That kind of partnership takes time to build. But it’s one of the most powerful tools we have for preserving health, function, and quality of life— especially for people looking for a more personal, relationship-based approach to care.