Tired of the average 8-minute doctor visit? Be sure to check out Carolina Journal’s latest on the appeal of concierge medicine:

Dr. Octavian Belcea thinks of himself as a medical throwback, the friendly family doctor who practices old-fashioned, comprehensive treatment of his patients and their families.

He’s doing so using advanced medical technology in the state’s first-of-its-kind hybrid “concierge” Wakefield Family Medicine practice in north Raleigh. Just over a month ago Belcea joined Concierge Choice Physicians, the nation’s second-largest, full-service, concierge medical service provider.

Concierge care is an alternative catching on across the country. Through CCP’s trademark Hybrid Choice program, Belcea’s patients may maintain their traditional model of insurance-based health care. Or they could opt for concierge medicine, under which patients pay an annual retainer fee and in return receive longer consultations during their office visits, along with Belcea’s promise to track patients’ medical conditions more closely and follow up as he or they see a need to do so.