Have you heard about concierge medicine and are curious if it may be right for your situation?
With concierge care in Los Angeles growing in popularity, more patients are investigating this personalized approach to healthcare.
But between office fees, add-on costs, and variability between providers, finding the ideal concierge doctor poses challenges.
What is Concierge Medicine?
First, a quick primer.
Concierge medicine provides VIP healthcare focused on service. For an annual fee, you gain:
- 24/7 access to your doctor
- Little to no wait times
- Longer, less rushed visits
- Personalized care planning
Unlike insurance models, your doctor works directly for you—not a health system. This facilitates:
- Streamlined care
- Greater physician availability
- Less frustrating bureaucracy
Now, let’s explore the key intel to gather from prospective concierge practices.
Question #1: What is the Full Cost?
The first thing to clarify is fees—both upfront and hidden. Ask:
- What is the yearly retainer cost?
- What does it include and not include?
- Could my overall costs rise? If so, how?
- Do I need insurance too?
Pricing varies hugely, from $60 to $25,000 per year. Lower cost practices of $100-$300 monthly provide lighter amenities.
Full health coverage through high-end practices reaches ≈$25k yearly. Most fall between $2,000-$5,000 annually.
Beyond the base fee, confirm added costs. This may include:
- Insurances
- Prescription medication
- Specialist referrals
- Testing like imaging, labs
You want full transparency on total expenditures.
Question #2: How Accessible is the Doctor?
A driving perk of concierge care is gaining substantial access to your physician—24/7.
Ask:
- Can I reach the doctor directly whenever needed?
- Will they answer during off-hours?
- What response time is guaranteed?
Many services advertise immediate access. But realities differ. You may wait hours for a callback or get an on-call nurse instead.
Look for under 60-minute response times during business operations—and definite doctor communication after hours.
Also, understand how appointments work. Are same and next-day bookings guaranteed? If the doctor serves 400 patients, will they reasonably accommodate them?
Get clear on *ensured accessibility before committing.*
Question #3: How Individualized is the Care?
Concierge medicine’s main advantage over traditional practices is highly tailored care. Evaluate if a provider actually delivers this.
Ask:
- Will you create a customized care plan based on my health profile?
- How often will this plan be updated?
- What lifestyle interventions may be included like nutrition, exercise, stress reduction?
Also, confirm they offer proactive support between visits like:
- Health education
- Preventative diagnostics
- Wellness coaching & tracking
Ideally, your doctor will serve as an ongoing partner invested in your long-term well-being—not just a symptom treater.
They’ll provide strategic direction plus accountability to execute tailored self-care plans.
If a concierge practice simply offers friendlier office visits, you may not gain additional value over insurance models.
Question #4: How Long are Appointments?
A typical doctor’s visit lasts 15 minutes. That’s often barely enough time to handle chief complaints, much less big picture prevention.
Compare visit length among concierge options. Times range from 30 minutes up to 2 hours.
Obviously longer is better to address:
- Multiple health issues
- Wellness planning
- Open dialog
With insurance models, extending appointments costs hundreds extra. Concierge practices include generous face time built into yearly fees.
Still, durations vary hugely. Seek at least 30-60 minutes to avoid feeling rushed. Confirm if patients hogging time compromises your share.
Question #5: What Specialty Care is Included?
While concierge doctors handle primary care, investigate their specialist networks as well.
What referral options for secondary care are accessible? Is the spectrum narrow or wide?
Common areas covered beyond family medicine include:
- Cardiology
- Dermatology
- Orthopedics
- OBGYN
- Mental Health
Ideally, affiliated specialists offer comparable service levels to your concierge doctor. That means:
- Direct contact
- Prompt visits
- Long appointments
If referred out to regular insurance networks, you lose continuity. Avoid this bait and switch!
For complex conditions, access to premier specialists makes concierge care particularly life-changing.
