How to Find a Concierge Doctor Near You

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Key Takeaways

As you search for a concierge doctor to be your partner in health, start by defining and prioritizing your healthcare goals.
For listings of concierge doctors near you, do a concierge medicine search online or ask people you know, including current specialists, for recommendations.
To evaluate concierge doctors, view their website, pay attention to reviews and credentials, and ask important questions about how they approach care, communication preferences, what to expect at appointments and the services they provide.

You’ve considered your options and decided to pursue concierge medicine. Now, more personalized healthcare is right around the corner. Your next step — which is an important one — is finding a concierge doctor.

Discover practical steps to navigate the selection process with confidence and choose the right doctor to be your partner in health.

1. Consider Your Healthcare Goals

Before you search for concierge doctors near you, it’s helpful to think about your healthcare goals and preferences. What’s most important to you?

  • Having longer appointments, so you can spend more time with your doctor?
  • Scheduling appointments on the same or next day, if needed?
  • Reaching your doctor after hours?
  • Getting extra support with lifestyle habits or a chronic condition?
  • Feeling more connected to a doctor who cares about you?

Think about why you decided to switch to a concierge doctor in the first place. Then, list what you hope to gain from the experience. When you know your priorities, it’s easier to find the right concierge doctor for you.

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2. Complete a Concierge Medicine Search

Once you know what you’re looking for, you can begin your concierge medicine search. There are a few ways to find concierge doctors:
Search Online
Use Google or another physician search platform to search something like “concierge doctor near me.” You can also use other terms for concierge doctors, such as “membership doctor” or “retainer-based physician” or the MDVIP Find a Doctor tool to search a national network. MDVIP-affiliated doctors offer similar services to concierge doctors, but the focus on prevention sets them apart.
Ask friends, family or coworkers
A recommendation from someone you trust can be a reliable way to find a doctor. You can ask them about their firsthand experience with concierge care and their specific provider.
Ask your specialist
If you currently see a specialist, such as a cardiologist or neurologist, ask them if they recommend any concierge doctors. Since they know your health status and goals, and often have their own medical network, they can sometimes connect you with the most appropriate concierge care.
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3. Review and Refine Your List of Concierge Doctors

From your search process, you’ll have a list of local concierge doctors that you can start to narrow down. Look at general information about each doctor first, such as how close they are to you, patient reviews, their services and care model.

Not all concierge doctors offer the same medical services. One may offer more advanced screenings and take a proactive approach to preventive care. Another may provide the same services as your current primary care provider but with extended office visits. Make sure the services a concierge doctor offers align with your healthcare goals.

Additionally, it’s important to confirm a doctor’s training and credentials. Check where a concierge doctor went to medical school and where they completed their residency training. They should have board certification in internal medicine or family practice. You can also see if they have a hospital affiliation to work out of a specific hospital.

Ask the Right Questions

As you refine your list of concierge doctors, use the doctor’s or practice’s website to answer your questions. If you can’t find the answer, call the doctor’s office.

Here are some questions, organized by topic, that you may want to ask, depending on your healthcare priorities:

Approach to care

  • What is your focus when it comes to caring for your patients?
  • Do you have a specific care philosophy?
  • What’s your experience with managing complex or chronic conditions?
  • What guidance do you give patients to help with long-term health and disease prevention?
  • What does a typical day look like for you?

Appointments

  • How many patients do you see?
  • How much time do you spend with a patient during each appointment?
  • How do you manage patient care outside of office visits?
  • What do you recommend to patients when they need to see a doctor, but you aren’t available?

Availability and communication

  • How do you communicate with patients?
  • How can I reach you when I have a question or concern?
  • What is communication like after hours, in the evenings and on weekends?
  • Will I always speak to my doctor, or support staff?
  • What telemedicine services do you offer?

Cost

  • How much does membership cost?
  • When do I pay my membership fee — annually, biannually or monthly?
  • What is communication like after hours, in the evenings and on weekends?
  • What does my membership fee include? Does it include sick visits or medical tourism if I need specific treatment?
  • How do you handle health insurance navigation? When do you bill my insurance?

Specialist care

  • How connected are you with the medical community?
  • Do you help me schedule specialist visits, if needed?
  • Do you share my records directly with my specialist and communicate with them?
  • Do you follow up with me later to make sure I understand any results and next steps?
  • How do you help me when I have multiple providers?

Choose a Concierge Doctor

Hopefully, you can narrow down possible concierge doctors to select one who feels right for you. Ultimately, a concierge doctor should follow you throughout your healthcare journey, not just in the exam room. Make sure the doctor is credible, aligns with your values, understands your health goals, and will give you the attention and care you expect.

At MDVIP, we go beyond concierge care with a national network of doctors who provide personalized care. To see if an MDVIP-affiliated doctor is the right fit for you, use the MDVIP doctor finder to connect with a physician in your area.

People Also Ask

Physicians search platforms or online directories, including MDVIP's doctor finder, can be helpful when searching for a concierge doctor because they include a more complete doctor listing. Often, you can:
  • Filter a list of doctors
  • Find patient reviews
  • Compare health services

However, unlike MDVIP, some online directories prioritize doctors at the top of the list who pay them, instead of based on qualifications. Information can also be outdated, so verify detials on the doctor's website or with their office.

Even with a concierge doctor and membership fees, you need health insurance. Some concierge doctors still bill your insurance company for certain services, such as lab work. When choosing a concierge doctor, know what the membership fee covers and if or how your doctor works with your insurance.

There are different ways a concierge doctor might approach care. For example, they may focus on:
  • Prevention and early detection
  • Management of chronic conditions
  • Performance improvement in daily life
Some concierge doctors use conventional care models, while others also practice lifestyle or integrative medicine.

One of the benefits of seeing a concierge doctor is their smaller patient-to-doctor ratios. Concierge doctors seeing 300-600 patients total can devote more time to each patient. The result is longer appointments for you, the abiity to schedule same-day visits and more personalized, engaging care.