Joining a concierge practice is a real commitment. Before you sign, there are specific questions worth asking any practice you're evaluating. The answers tell you whether the practice is actually built around the access and continuity you're paying for, or whether it's a traditional practice with a premium retainer attached.
TL;DR, 9 questions to ask any concierge practice before you sign
- What is your panel size? below 300 = real concierge, above 600 = closer to traditional with a fee
- Real accessibility? direct cell, specific response time, not "we're always available"
- After-hours coverage when you're unavailable? specific named coverage, not "go to the ER"
- What exactly is included in the membership? get the list in writing
- How do you handle emergencies and hospital care? admitting privileges, direct involvement
- House calls and telehealth? both, included, with a real policy
- What technology do you use? modern portal, real telehealth, not legacy EHR
- Cross-state care coordination? for snowbirds: how the handoff with home-state physicians works
- Can I meet the doctor before committing? any reputable practice will say yes
Plus one to ask yourself: does this feel like a physician who wants to take care of me, or a sales pitch?
1. How many patients are in your panel?
The foundational question. Concierge medicine's entire premise is that a smaller panel enables more time, attention, and access per patient. But "concierge" is increasingly a marketing term, and panel sizes vary enormously. Some practices labeled concierge carry 600 to 800 patients, which isn't meaningfully different from traditional primary care. Real concierge practices typically cap at 150 to 400.
Why it matters: Panel size determines how quickly you get seen, how available your physician is, and whether appointments are actually unhurried. Ask specifically: "What is your current panel size, and what is your maximum?"
In my practice: I cap at 50 patients. That's smaller than most concierge practices, and it's what enables the level of access I offer. (How to evaluate any concierge practice in detail.)
2. How accessible will the doctor actually be?
This is the most important question after panel size. "Accessible" means different things at different practices. Get specifics.
Do you get the physician's direct cell phone number? How do after-hours communications work: truly 24/7, or with limits? What's the typical response time for non-urgent questions? When you call, do you reach the physician directly, or go through office staff first?
Be skeptical of vague phrases like "we're always available." Push for what that actually means in practice.
In my practice: Patients get my cell phone. Text or call any hour, and you reach me. Not an answering service, not a nurse triage line, not a covering physician you've never met. For non-emergencies I respond within an hour during waking hours; for clinically concerning situations, immediately. (What that 24/7 access actually feels like in real scenarios.)
3. How does after-hours coverage work when you're unavailable?
Even the most available concierge physician sleeps, travels, and occasionally gets sick. The real question isn't whether your doctor is always personally available; it's what the plan is when they aren't.
Ask: "If I have an urgent concern at 2 a.m. and you're unreachable, what happens? Do you have a covering physician? How do they know my history?"
What to look for: A specific, organized answer. Good practices have a formal coverage arrangement with a colleague who has access to records. Vague answers or "just go to the ER" are warning signs.
In my practice: I have a colleague arrangement for true unavailability. The covering physician has access to relevant records and knows the practice standards.
4. What exactly is included in the membership?
Concierge practices vary in what the fee covers. Before joining, get a detailed list of what's included and what generates additional charges.
Areas worth asking about:
- Annual comprehensive physicals and their scope
- Preventive screenings and wellness assessments
- Specialist coordination and hospital involvement
- Same-day or next-day appointment availability
- Telehealth and virtual visits
- Prescription management and medication review
- House calls, if offered
- Whether the practice also bills insurance for services
Also ask what's not included. Labs and imaging typically run through your insurance (or cash) regardless of the membership structure. Specialists usually aren't part of the membership. Hospital care isn't. Clarity on this upfront avoids confusion later.
In my practice: The membership includes comprehensive annual exams, all visits (office, home, or video), direct access, and specialist coordination. My practice is private-pay; I don't bill insurance. Labs, imaging, specialists, and hospital care bill through your insurance as usual. (How concierge medicine works alongside Medicare for senior patients specifically.)
5. How do you handle emergencies and hospital care?
Urgent situations don't schedule themselves. Understanding how your concierge physician handles them is critical.
Does the doctor have admitting privileges at the local hospital? If you're admitted, will they be involved in your care, or do they hand off to hospitalists? How quickly can they arrange specialist consultations when something urgent comes up? What's their response time for concerns that come up overnight or on weekends?
In my practice: I have admitting privileges at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. When a patient is admitted, I'm involved in their care directly: communicating with specialists, reviewing results, ensuring handoffs are clean. After discharge, I see patients promptly to catch problems before they generate readmission. (When ER vs urgent care vs concierge is the right call.)
6. Do you offer house calls and telehealth?
This question reveals a lot about actual commitment to accessibility. The best concierge practices treat care delivery as flexible: meeting you where you are, not just where it's convenient for the practice.
Ask: "Do you offer house calls? Under what circumstances? What about video visits for appropriate concerns?"
What to look for: A specific, thoughtful answer, not "we do our best." You want a physician who has a real policy and actually does it.
In my practice: House calls are the default mode of delivery and are included in the membership. I do them regularly throughout Palm Beach County. Telehealth is standard for many follow-ups, minor acute issues, and medication management.
7. What technology do you use?
A good patient portal lets you review results, message your physician, request refills, and access your records. Telehealth should be seamless rather than clunky. In 2026, the technology is part of the care experience.
Ask: "What platform do you use for communication and records? Can I message you directly? How do I access my results?"
What to look for: A modern system that's actually easy to use, not a legacy EHR designed for billing.
In my practice: A platform that supports direct messaging, easy record access, and straightforward telehealth. The technology enables the relationship rather than getting in the way.
8. How does care coordination across states work?
For snowbirds specifically, this is worth asking directly. Will the physician communicate with your home-state doctors? Will they maintain unified records? What does the handoff look like in the fall when you arrive and in the spring when you leave?
Traditional medicine handles this badly. Records get faxed into voids; phone calls don't get returned. A good concierge practice makes cross-state coordination a deliberate part of how it works.
9. Can I meet the doctor before committing?
Any reputable concierge practice will offer a consultation before you join. This isn't just the doctor evaluating fit. It's you evaluating whether this physician is someone you'd actually want to call when you're worried at 10 p.m.
Use the meeting to assess communication style, how they answer hard questions, whether they hedge or answer directly. Healthcare is personal. If the initial meeting doesn't feel right, trust that.
One more question, ask yourself
After going through the checklist, ask yourself: does this person seem like they genuinely want to take care of me, or are they primarily selling a service?
The physicians who do this well practice this way because they believe it's how medicine should work. If the conversation feels like a sales pitch, trust that instinct.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should an initial consultation with a concierge practice take?
30 to 60 minutes is a reasonable expectation. The consultation should give you time to ask the questions above, hear specific answers (not marketing language), and form a real impression of the physician. A 10-minute discovery call is a warning sign; that's what a sales process looks like.
Should I ask for references from current patients?
You can ask, but most practices won't share patient contact information for HIPAA reasons. A better proxy: check the practice's online reviews (with a critical eye for both patterns and outliers), search for the physician's name on the state medical board's license-lookup site, and trust your own initial-consultation impression more than third-party testimonials.
How do I tell if a practice is a real concierge model versus a traditional practice with a fee tacked on?
Panel size is the cleanest test. Below 300 = structural concierge; above 600 = traditional with extras. Direct cell phone access is the second test: if there's an answering service in between you and the physician, the model is hybrid at best. Same-day visit availability is the third test: if it requires a "let me check the schedule" rather than an immediate yes, the panel is too big.
Should I ask about pricing during the initial consultation?
Yes. A reputable concierge practice will discuss pricing openly and explain what's included. Be wary of practices that treat the membership fee as confidential until late in the process. Pricing transparency is a marker of practice quality.
What if I have multiple chronic conditions, are some practices better suited?
Yes. The criterion is whether the physician has time and structural ability to manage chronic conditions actively (CGM data review for diabetes, home BP monitoring for hypertension, between-visit medication adjustments, real specialist coordination). Below 300 patients makes this possible; above 600 doesn't, regardless of marketing claims.
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 and welcomes the kinds of evaluation questions above from prospective patients; the practice is structured to answer them clearly.
If you're evaluating concierge care in Palm Beach County
Happy to answer any of these questions, and any others you have, in a no-obligation consultation.
- Call: 561-468-6981
- Email: info@drbensoffer.com
- Or reach out through the contact form
Serving Boca Raton and greater Palm Beach County.
