Concierge Medicine: What Are the Pros and Cons?

When you’re feeling sick or have a pressing question for your doctor, the last thing you want to do is wait for their office to get back to you. But that’s just a given in healthcare today — unless you’re a member of a concierge medicine program.

So, how can you avoid waiting rooms and gain instant access to medical care? Internal medicine physician and concierge provider Stephen Avallone, MD, explains what concierge medicine is and what services it can offer.

What is concierge medicine?

Concierge medicine is sometimes called membership medicine. Members pay an annual or monthly fee that gives them access to a dedicated team of healthcare providers who typically offer services like:

• Same-day and next-day appointments
• Longer appointment times
• 24/7 physician access
• Direct access via email, phone and an online portal
• Coordination of care with other providers

Concierge medicine membership fees don’t typically include things like specialist appointments, hospital stays or emergency services (like ambulance rides or emergency department visits). Some concierge medicine programs bill insurance for certain services, like lab tests, but the specifics vary from program to program.

Dr. Avallone says some concierge medicine programs are offered through private, independent clinics, while others are associated with large academic medical centers.

But in all cases, concierge medicine is built on the ability for providers and patients to really get to know one another.

“It allows us to build one-on-one relationships,” he continues. “Concierge medicine is a return to the personalized, small-town approach of old, but with innovative, high-quality, technology-driven care.”

Benefits of concierge medicine

A 2024 review of studies on concierge medicine showed that it’s associated with:

• Patient contentment
• Active patient engagement
• Preventive care
• Early identification of illnesses

Dr. Avallone shares what likely contributes to these positive concierge medicine outcomes.

Personalized care

In addition to asking about your full medical history, concierge medicine providers will ask about your social habits, hobbies and more. Getting to know you better allows them to better tailor your care.

“Concierge medicine is time plus relationship-building,” Dr. Avallone says. “We're able to really get to know one another so we can best tend to your needs.”

Extra time with your providers

Where a traditional provider might see 25 to 30 patients per day, a concierge medicine provider sees just a few. Having a smaller panel of patients means they have more time to spend with each person.

“Every visit is an extended visit — usually about an hour,” Dr. Avallone says. “So, we have time to deal with the issue they came to us for, as well as any other issues that pop up.”

An older study found that concierge medicine patients were more likely to report that their doctors allocated enough time for their appointments.

Extended availability

Concierge medicine makes it easy to reach your providers when you need them. You can reach your care team — often, 24/7 — by phone, email or an online portal like MyChart. They typically offer both in-office visits and virtual visits so you can get appointments when and where you need them.

Direct access to providers

Members of concierge medicine programs can reach out to providers directly, rather than going through all of the usual steps of outreach and scheduling.

“If a patient calls us at 2 in the morning, we’re the ones answering the phone and helping them address that urgent need,” Dr. Avallone explains. “It’s reassuring for people to know that they don’t have to wait until the next day or leave a message with an answering service and wait for someone to call them back.”

Care coordination

Concierge medicine typically provides primary care, which includes acute care (like if you have the flu or a minor injury), preventive care and chronic disease management. But the staff can also help you navigate other types of care, and oftentimes, they’ll even coordinate it for you.

They may, for example, schedule other appointments for you, like if you need to see a specialist or have imaging done. Plus, Dr. Avallone says that if you’re traveling and away from your healthcare team, they can help connect you with care in your location.

Less physician burnout

Doctor burnout is a growing problem in the U.S., and internal medicine physicians are at higher risk for it than colleagues in other areas of medicine. Some reports speculate that switching to concierge medicine, with its smaller patient load, can help doctors restore a sense of work/life balance.

“Just as concierge medicine is a great environment in which to be cared for, it’s also a great environment in which to care for people,” Dr. Avallone notes.

Are there issues with concierge medicine?

Not everyone has positive feelings about concierge medicine. Critics point to a few specific concerns:

• Financial barriers: The fees associated with concierge medicine make it unaffordable for many people.
• Unequal access: Membership medicine means different levels of healthcare access for people of differing income levels, potentially widening the gap between “the haves and the have-nots.”
• Doctor shortages: The Association of American Medical Colleges reports that the U.S. will face a physician shortage of 86,000 doctors by 2036. Critics of concierge medicine point out that having more doctors treating fewer patients may contribute to this crisis.

Right now, there’s not much research into the possible impact of concierge medicine on the U.S. healthcare system.

While Dr. Avallone acknowledges these concerns, he likens concierge medicine to other aspects of society — say, public versus private schools. And, he says, the growing popularity of concierge medicine programs shows that there’s rising demand for it.

“Many academic medical centers have started offering this type of healthcare delivery model because they know it appeals to people who are looking for more availability and better navigation of their healthcare journey,” he points out.

A final word

Concierge medicine programs vary widely in both cost and logistics. If the idea appeals to you, look into what options are available in your area. If you seek better access to healthcare providers and a more tailored healthcare experience, it may be just the ticket.

“Concierge medicine offers more direct connectivity to your healthcare team and the opportunity to build stronger relationships with them,” Dr. Avallone reiterates. “It promotes an environment where we can practice good medicine in a comfortable and welcoming manner — with ample time on our side.”