Concierge Medicine: Costs, Factors, and Considerations

As you decide whether concierge medicine is the right fit for you and your family, you will consider the price tag. 

You know how concierge medicine works. You want the more personalized and convenient care that concierge doctors offer, but you also want good value for your money.

Since our founding in 2003, we have helped thousands of members decide to move towards concierge medicine.

We have explained the value, benefits, and payoff of this model. And the number one question we get is about the cost of concierge medicine. 

In this article, we'll explain what you should expect to pay for a concierge medicine membership, what factors into the cost of concierge medicine, and how to manage a membership to make an informed choice.

Hopefully, by taking a deeper look, you'll be more informed so you can make the right decision for you and your family. 

How much does concierge medicine cost?

Let’s answer the most common question: how much will this cost?

The average cost of concierge medicine is usually between $2,000-$5,000 per year. You can find plenty of great practices in this range. 

In major markets, you will find more expensive memberships. For instance, Sollis Health has offices in New York, the Hamptons, Los Angeles, San Fransico, and South Florida, and their membership cost ranges from $3,500 per year to $10,000 per year. 

In slightly smaller markets, like Charlotte, NC, a practice like Wood Healthcare charges $4,800 per year. At PartnerMD, our annual fee is $2,500 per year. The point being, there are plenty of excellent concierge practices available without paying VIP prices near $10,000. 

Along with the membership fee, patients are also responsible for the same clinical care provided in traditional healthcare practice. However, insurance covers clinical care the same way it would in a traditional practice.

What goes into the cost of a concierge medicine membership?

Your concierge medicine membership cost is based on several factors. These include:

• Access to care: Concierge doctors see fewer patients, so they have time to offer more personalized care and guarantee longer visits without waiting. Traditional primary care physicians maintain a patient panel of 2,000+ and see 20+ patients a day. 
  
  A concierge physician has a panel of 400-600 patients and sees 6-10 patients daily. The cost of membership helps them afford this unhurried pace.
  
  Most concierge practices also offer some form of 24/7 after-hours access to a physician. However, some may only offer access to a nurse line, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant, not your primary physician. 
  
  
• Advanced physicals: Concierge medicine physicals go well beyond a traditional physical and allow you to customize your physicals to suit your needs best. This method simplifies discussing health goals with your physician for the upcoming year.
  
  
• Services and perks: Memberships can also include additional services and perks factored into your cost. These vary by practice but could include things like coordination of your specialists, wellness programs and health coaching, emergency help, unlimited visits, events and seminars, and more.
  
  However, it's best to consider potential additional concierge costs/fees. Some concierge memberships charge extra for wellness programs or specific health coaches, while others charge for the number of office visits you make in a particular time frame. 
  
  
• Office location: Leases and overhead are two reasons concierge practice rates vary from one location to the next. There’s also a supply-and-demand factor with physicians at your site. If their specializations are unique to your area, then your membership likely costs more.

How can you manage the cost of your concierge medicine membership?

Whatever your membership rate ends up being, there are several ways to manage the membership cost. These include:

• HSA/FSA options: Health savings accounts (HSA) and flexible spending accounts (FSA) might cooperate with concierge care. Check with your plan provider, but medical services generally apply the same way that a copay or prescription at a traditional practice would. 

• Employer benefits: Your company might be willing to cover or offset membership and physical costs. There’s a rise in workplaces offering more services, like executive physicals and executive memberships, to all employees for a low fee or none at all.
  

What other items about the cost of concierge medicine should you know? 

Beyond the cost, there are a few more things to consider as you find the right care for your health goals. Do your research now so you can find the right fit for your care.

Contracts

As with any contract, it’s smart to read the fine print. Learn when you have to schedule payments and how to stop paying if you want to move on. 

Some practices let you out of your contract immediately, while others lock you in through the end of the year or charge a termination fee and no refunds. 

Insurance Coverage

Most concierge practices do accept traditional health insurance, and health insurance at a concierge medicine practice functions the same as it does at a traditional primary care practice.

You're responsible for co-pays and deductibles, but the practice bills your insurance to cover the cost of medical expenses.  However, double-check that a concierge office works with your specific carrier.

See if they take government plans, such as Medicare, Medicaid, or TRICARE, that you might use now or in the future. 

Model of Care

This may sound simple but double-check that the care you’re considering is a concierge practice. 

Direct pay primary care, for example, follows a membership model but doesn’t work with insurance and government plans for ongoing care.

Other models resemble hybrids between concierge and traditional care. Doctors might see a combination of concierge and non-member patients or work in an office where only a fraction of the staff follows a concierge model. These offices tend to offer reduced membership rates for a limited concierge experience.

Cost of Concierge Medicine at PartnerMD

As one of your options for concierge care, we’re happy to give an honest explanation of how PartnerMD memberships work.

We offer the same features of convenience and access available at almost any concierge practice — same-day or next-day appointments, little to no waiting, 24/7 access — but we also take it a step further by offering customizable advanced physicals, unlimited health coaching, our online members-only wellness platform, coordination of specialist care, and more. 

We are also proud to be upfront and honest about the cost of concierge medicine. Here are our membership rates:

• First adult member: $2,500 per year or $208.33 per month
• Young adults & children (ages 16-25): $1,250 per year or $104.16 per month

Ready to learn more? Get an instant quote for the cost of a PartnerMD membership for you and your family via our online cost calculator.