What Is Concierge Medicine? A Plain-English Guide

Concierge medicine is a membership-based model of primary care where you pay your clinician directly — usually a flat monthly or annual fee — in exchange for longer visits, direct access, and a relationship instead of a rotating waiting room. It's sometimes called direct primary care, boutique medicine, or retainer medicine. The details differ, but the idea is the same: a smaller patient panel so your clinician has time to actually know you.

How concierge medicine works

A traditional primary-care panel is often 2,000–3,000 patients per clinician. That volume forces 10-minute visits, reactive care, and portal messages that disappear into the void. A concierge panel is capped — typically 300–600 patients — and funded by a membership fee rather than fee-for-service billing. That single structural change reshapes everything else.

• Visits are longer. 30–60 minutes, not 10.
• Access is direct. Text, phone, and video with your clinician between visits.
• Care is proactive. Prevention, longevity, and planning — not just problem lists.
• Continuity is real. The same clinician every time.

What concierge medicine costs

Nationally, concierge fees range from about $100/month at the accessible end to $30,000/year at luxury practices. Most working families land in the $100–$400/month range. At Althera, our concierge membership is $110/month— see the membership page for full details.

Membership does not replace insurance. You still want coverage for hospital stays, imaging, specialists, and medications. Membership replaces the primary-care layer, not the whole safety net.

Concierge medicine vs. direct primary care

The terms overlap. In practice, direct primary care (DPC) is a subset of concierge medicine focused on affordability and transparency — flat monthly fees, no insurance billing for primary care, and pricing that fits normal budgets. Traditional "concierge" often carries higher fees and add-ons like same-day executive physicals. Althera runs a DPC-style membership with longevity and integrative care layered on top.

Who concierge medicine is for

• Adults tired of 10-minute visits and portal messages that go nowhere.
• People with complex or overlapping conditions that need real time.
• Families who want one clinician who knows everyone.
• Executives and founders with high-stakes schedules.
• Anyone building a real longevity plan.

Who it isn't for

If you're generally healthy, rarely need care, and just want annual labs and a flu shot, a traditional model may be enough. We'll say that out loud at a discovery visit — we don't enroll people who don't need us.

Try it before you commit

Book a free 15-minute discovery visit. If we're the right fit, we'll walk you through membership. If we're not, we'll point you somewhere better.