The concierge medicine market in South Florida has grown fast, and for a reason. The region has a lot of patients who understand that traditional primary care wasn't designed to serve them well: retirees with complex medication regimens, executives with unforgiving schedules, and seasonal residents who need a doctor they can actually reach.
Not every concierge practice is the same. Some genuinely change how you experience medicine. Others are traditional practices with a membership fee and a slightly nicer waiting room. Here's how to tell the difference.
TL;DR: 5 things that separate a real concierge practice from a marketing one
- Panel size is the number that changes everything. Below 300 is meaningful. Above 600, you probably won't get the access you're paying for.
- Real 24/7 access means your physician's cell phone, not a triage line or a covering doctor you've never met
- Board certification + clean license in Internal Medicine, verifiable at flhealthsource.gov
- Transparent billing model (traditional concierge, DPC, or fully private-pay) the cleaner the better
- Geography + house calls a practice that only sees you in a fixed office still asks you to drive across Palm Beach County when you're sick
1. Panel size is the number that changes everything
This is the most important thing most patients never ask about.
Traditional primary care doctors carry 1,500 to 2,500 patients. That's why same-day appointments are nearly impossible, why visits feel rushed, and why your doctor doesn't quite remember your history from visit to visit. Concierge practices cut the panel dramatically. The typical concierge panel is around 300 to 600. Some practices (including mine) go further. I cap at 50.
Smaller panels are what make everything else possible: the same-day visits, the after-hours calls, the doctor who actually remembers you. It's also what makes a comprehensive executive physical the baseline of care rather than a premium add-on.
What to ask: "How many patients do you currently carry?" A confident concierge doctor will answer directly. If a practice hedges or won't disclose, move on. Below 300 is meaningful. Above 600, you probably won't get the access you're paying for.
2. Real 24/7 access, not an answering service
"24/7 access" appears in almost every concierge brochure. What it actually means varies enormously.
Some practices give you 24/7 access to a nurse triage line. Some give you a covering physician you've never met. The real thing is a direct line to your doctor, the one who knows your history, your medications, and your risk factors.
What to ask: "If I have a concern at 2 a.m. on a Saturday, who answers? Is it you?" Look for practices where the physician hands you their personal cell phone number and means it. If the answer runs through an answering service and an on-call physician, that's not 24/7 access. That's slightly better urgent care.
3. Board certification and training
Internal medicine is the right specialty for adult primary care. Internists train in the full complexity of adult health: chronic disease management, diagnostic reasoning, preventive care, coordination across specialties. The same depth matters when mental health concerns are part of the picture, since most depression and anxiety in adults is managed at the primary care layer rather than by a separate psychiatrist.
What to look for: Board certification in Internal Medicine (ABIM or AOBIM), an active unrestricted Florida medical license, a clean record on the state licensing board (searchable at flhealthsource.gov), and continuing education in areas relevant to your health. The DO vs. MD distinction matters less than people think; doctors of osteopathic medicine complete equivalent training and hold the same prescribing and practice rights. Certification and ongoing training matter more than the letters.
4. Billing model
There's a real distinction in how concierge practices bill. The right model depends in part on whether you're on Medicare, since each model interacts with Medicare differently.
Traditional concierge. Membership fee plus insurance billing. The retainer buys access and extra services; insurance is billed for the actual medical care.
Direct primary care (DPC). A flat monthly fee covers routine primary care. No insurance billing for covered services. Lower cost, more transparent.
Private-pay concierge. Membership covers the services I deliver personally. No insurance billing, period. You keep insurance for everything outside my office. This is how my practice runs.
Ask about the billing model and get it in writing. The cleaner and more transparent the structure, the better.
5. Geography and house calls
Traffic in Palm Beach County is real. A concierge doctor who only sees patients in a fixed office is still asking you to drive across town when you're sick. The best practices offer same-day or next-day in-office visits for urgent issues, house calls when office visits don't make sense, telehealth that actually works (video, not just portal messages), and geographic range that matches where you live and travel. For snowbirds and seasonal residents, that geographic flexibility (including telehealth from a northern home in summer) is often the deciding factor.
My practice: board-certified concierge medicine in Boca Raton
My practice is structured around the criteria above, not as marketing but as the actual operating model.
Credentials. Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), board certified in Internal Medicine, Florida Medical License OS13821, active and unrestricted (verifiable at flhealthsource.gov).
Location. 2901 Clint Moore Road, Boca Raton, FL.
How I work. I cap at 50 patients, deliberately, so every patient gets genuine access. You get my cell phone. You can text or call any hour, and you reach me, not a service. Same-day visits when you're sick, including house calls across Palm Beach County. Telehealth built in, not bolted on. Private-pay; I don't bill insurance.
Where I see patients. I'm based in Boca Raton and see patients throughout Palm Beach County, including Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Wellington, and Highland Beach, plus the northern edge of Broward County: Deerfield Beach and Parkland. House calls are standard across the service area.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the most important question to ask a concierge practice before signing up?
"How many patients do you currently carry?" Panel size determines whether everything else (same-day visits, after-hours access, longer appointments, real continuity) is structurally possible. Below 300 is meaningful. Above 600, you probably won't get the access the marketing promises.
Can I reach the actual physician directly, or is it through staff?
Ask explicitly: "If I have a concern at 2 a.m. on a Saturday, who answers? Is it you?" The right answer is that the physician hands you their personal cell phone number and means it. If the answer runs through an answering service to an on-call covering physician you've never met, that's not 24/7 access; that's slightly better urgent care.
What's the difference between traditional concierge, DPC, and private-pay concierge?
Traditional concierge charges a membership fee and also bills your insurance for medical care. Direct primary care (DPC) charges a flat monthly fee that covers routine primary care, with no insurance billing. Private-pay concierge (this practice) charges a membership for everything the physician delivers personally, with no insurance billing for membership-covered services; you keep your existing insurance for everything outside the office (labs, imaging, specialists, hospital).
How do I verify a physician's credentials and licensing in Florida?
The Florida Department of Health runs a public license lookup at flhealthsource.gov. Search by name or license number to confirm the license is active, unrestricted, and clean. Board certification can be verified through ABIM (allopathic internists) or AOBIM (osteopathic internists). Reputable practices will tell you their license number directly.
Does the practice offer house calls and telehealth, or only office visits?
A practice that only sees you in a fixed office is still asking you to drive across Palm Beach County when you are sick. Look for practices that offer house calls when office visits do not make sense, real video telehealth (not just portal messages), and geographic flexibility that matches where you live and travel.
What happens when the physician is on vacation or unavailable?
Ask. The honest answer should describe a small, named coverage arrangement (a colleague who has access to your records and is reachable) rather than a generic on-call pool. The physician should also be reachable for serious concerns even when on vacation, with delegated coverage for everything else.
How to evaluate any concierge practice
The right concierge doctor isn't necessarily the most expensive or the most heavily marketed. It's the one who has a small enough panel to actually give you time, will pick up when you call, knows your history and treats you as a whole person, has the training to manage real complexity, and is transparent about what you're paying for.
Take your time. Ask the hard questions. Visit the office. Trust your instincts about whether this is someone you'd want to call at 9 p.m. when you're worried.
About the Author
Dr. Ben Soffer, DO is a board-certified physician practicing concierge primary care in Boca Raton, Florida. He caps his practice at 50 patients, which is what allows every criterion in this guide to be the actual operating model rather than a marketing claim.
Ready to talk?
A no-obligation consultation for prospective patients. We'll talk about your health history, what you're looking for, and whether my practice makes sense for you. If it isn't the right fit, I'll tell you, and I'll try to point you somewhere that is.
- Call: 561-468-6981
- Email: info@drbensoffer.com
- Or reach out through the contact form
Serving Boca Raton, Palm Beach County, and the surrounding area.
