Many of us have experienced the frustration of trying to find a physician who’s accepting new patients, waiting a long time to see a doctor, and rushed appointments. Enter concierge medicine. “Concierge medicine is when people pay an annual membership fee for a more personalized approach to their health care,” says Bret Jorgensen, CEO of MDVIP , the largest network of concierge providers, with over 1,100 affiliated primary care physicians.
Given the rise in chronic diseases and the rapid growth in the older adult population, there’s an increased need for healthcare services. As a result, the global concierge medicine market is booming, with North America leading the way. While there is no national registry of physicians using a concierge model, one industry publication estimates there are between 12,000 and 13,000 physicians in the U.
S. offering a subscription-based medical program. That’s a drop in the bucket compared to the over 500,000 primary care physicians in the U.
S. , but the number of concierge physicians is growing at a rate of 3% to 5% annually. “Most of our members are aged 50 to 80, and are more focused on their health trajectory,” says Jorgensen.
“They want to get a more personalized relationship with their doctor and delay or avoid chronic illnesses, or manage them better.” All of MDVIP’s concierge physicians accept Medicare, and over half of its 400,000 members are on Medicare. The average cost of an annual concierge membership ranges from .
