1. Using the Buyer’s Perception of Value presented in Figure 6.1, discuss the value provided by the MDVIP business model. Do you believe that MDVIP offers a good value to patients?
2. Based on the 10 factors that influence price sensitivity described in the text, select five of these factors and discuss whether patient demand for health care is elastic (patients are typically price sensitive) or inelastic (patients are typically less price sensitive).
3. If Dr. Ray reduces his practice to 600 patients, discuss the pros and cons of three possible strategies for making arrangements for his 2400 patients that will no longer be his responsibility.
4. Discuss the ethical or social responsibility issues that Dr. Ray faces as he considers signing on with MDVIP.

Faced with the mounting pressure of practicing family medicine, Dr. Charles Ray knew something had to change with how he was running his medical practice. Dr. Ray’s current practice consisted of nearly 3,000 patients that he normally saw only when they were already sick. Trained in the areas of preventative medicine, Dr. Ray felt he never really had the opportunity to use his training effectively to prevent illness and promote a healthy lifestyle for his patients before they fell ill. Moreover, due to the increasing number of patients, the average time for each visit was approximately eight minutes, and the appointment schedule was often booked out nearly a week in advance. As a result, sick patients were often waiting seven to 10 days to actually get an appointment.