The most common question I get from prospective patients is simple: what am I actually getting for the membership fee? Fair question. Here's the concrete answer in my practice, not a generic concierge-industry brochure.
TL;DR
- In the membership: direct cell access to me, same-day visits, house calls across Palm Beach County, 60-90 min comprehensive annual physical, 30-60 min routine visits, specialist coordination, hospital follow-up, snowbird cross-state coordination, real preventive work
- Not in the membership (insurance still applies): labs (Quest/LabCorp), imaging, specialist visits, hospital costs, prescriptions, surgeries
- The structural reason it works: I cap at 50 patients. The cell phone rings differently if you carry 300 or 500.
- The biggest change patients describe: medical care stops being something they have to chase
- To reach the practice: call 561-468-6981
Direct access to me
Every patient gets my cell phone number. That's not a nurse line, not an answering service, not a covering physician. It's me. Text or call; I answer directly, usually within minutes during the day and within a reasonable window overnight. If you wake up at 2 a.m. with chest discomfort, notice a concerning rash on a Saturday, or want to ask whether a supplement interacts with your blood pressure medication, you reach me.
This access is the cornerstone of the membership. It's also the thing that's hardest to replicate at scale, which is why the practice is capped at 50 patients. If I were carrying 300 or 500, the cell phone would ring differently. (What 24/7 access actually looks like in real scenarios.)
Same-day visits when you need them
In traditional medicine, getting an appointment for a new issue often means waiting two or three weeks. Acute problems either resolve or escalate before you're seen. In my practice, same-day visits are the norm when something is wrong. House calls across Palm Beach County are included; I come to you when that makes more sense than you coming to me.
Visits aren't rushed. Most run 30 to 60 minutes. That's enough time to actually talk through the concern, review medications, discuss sleep, stress, work, and anything else that turns out to matter, and leave with a plan.
A comprehensive annual physical
The annual wellness visit is 60 to 90 minutes. What that covers:
- A full head-to-toe physical examination
- A cardiovascular risk assessment that goes beyond a basic lipid panel: particle-size analysis, ApoB and Lp(a) when indicated, ASCVD calculation, coronary artery calcium scoring for patients whose risk picture warrants it
- Age- and risk-appropriate cancer screening, with coordination of any imaging needed
- Metabolic and hormonal labs matched to your clinical picture
- Cognitive and mental health screening
- A detailed family history update, which usually changes screening recommendations
- A real lifestyle conversation about nutrition, exercise, sleep, and stress
You walk out with a written plan: what we found, what we're watching, what we're acting on, and when the next follow-up is. (Full breakdown of what the executive-level physical actually includes.)
Specialist coordination and hospital care
When you need a specialist, I don't hand you a phone number and wish you luck. I connect with the specialist directly, share the relevant medical information, and stay in the loop on what they find. If you're admitted to the hospital, I know about it and I communicate with the admitting team. After discharge, I see you quickly to make sure the handoff didn't drop anything, which is where the majority of post-hospital complications originate.
For snowbirds who split time between Florida and points north, this coordination extends to your home-state physicians. One unified medical picture rather than two disconnected ones. (How concierge medicine works for snowbirds specifically.)
Real preventive medicine
Prevention is the part of medicine that gets squeezed out first when a physician carries 2,500 patients. With a 50-patient panel, I actually have time to do it: continuous glucose monitoring data review for patients who use it, personalized nutrition discussions, structured exercise planning, sleep troubleshooting, medication optimization. Tracking real metrics over time and adjusting based on what the numbers show. (Full age-by-age preventive screening framework.)
Generic advice doesn't change behavior. Specific, repeated conversations with a physician who knows your life do.
What's NOT included in the membership
It's worth being clear about this. The membership covers the things I deliver personally: visits, access, coordination, the physical exam, and the preventive work above. My practice is private-pay; I don't bill insurance.
What falls outside the membership:
- Labs (Quest or LabCorp) covered by your insurance the same way they always are
- Imaging (mammography, CT, MRI, ultrasound) billed by the imaging facility through your insurance
- Specialist visits billed by the specialist through your insurance
- Hospital costs billed by the hospital through your insurance
- Prescriptions through your pharmacy, with insurance copays
- Surgeries billed by the surgical facility and surgeon through your insurance
You keep your insurance to cover those, which it does the same way it always has. The membership pays for the time and access that fee-for-service medicine never reimbursed in the first place.
What membership actually changes for patients
Patients tell me the biggest change isn't any single service. It's that their medical care stops being something they have to chase. The doctor is reachable. Appointments happen when they need to. Lab results get reviewed with a phone call, not a portal message. Specialist referrals don't get lost. Post-hospital care is handled. The care is continuous instead of episodic.
That's the product, and it happens to solve the access, continuity, and attention problems that define most of what's wrong with traditional primary care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you bill my insurance for the membership?
No. The membership is private-pay. Nothing in the membership is billed to insurance. You keep your insurance for everything that happens outside the practice (labs, imaging, specialists, hospital, prescriptions, surgeries). Most patients find the structure simpler than they expected; one private fee replaces the friction of co-pays, denied claims, and "is this covered?" questions for the primary care relationship itself.
Is the membership tax-deductible or HSA/FSA-eligible?
HSA/FSA eligibility for concierge membership fees varies by plan administrator and the IRS classification of what's included. Some patients are able to use HSA/FSA funds for portions of the fee; others can't. Always confirm with your specific HSA/FSA administrator before assuming. The membership itself isn't typically a Schedule A medical expense for tax purposes for most patients, but exceptions exist.
What's included for a snowbird patient versus a year-round patient?
Same membership, same scope of services. The only structural difference is geography. For snowbirds, I coordinate with your home-state physicians, manage prescription continuity across the border, and stay reachable by phone or text during your months back home. Some snowbirds prefer a seasonal arrangement with a different fee structure; we discuss that during the consultation.
Can I add my spouse or family members?
Yes. Spouses and adult family members can join as separate memberships. Pricing for the second household member is typically structured at a discount. The 50-patient practice cap counts each member individually, so couples coming on together are 2 of the 50 spots.
What if I move out of South Florida?
The membership is designed around accessible primary care, which depends partly on geography (same-day visits, house calls, hospital follow-up at Boca Regional). For patients who relocate permanently, I help with the transition: medical record summary, referral to a comparable concierge or DPC physician at the new location, and continuity through the move. For temporary travel or extended absences, I remain reachable by phone or text.
What if I'm rarely sick? Is the membership worth it for someone healthy?
Honest answer: it depends on what you value. If you genuinely use medicine only for the occasional acute issue and never want depth on prevention, planning, or coordination, traditional primary care or DPC may serve you better at a lower cost. If you want a thorough annual physical, real preventive work, and the kind of relationship where a question doesn't require a wait, the membership tends to pay off even for healthy patients. The math is different from "how much medicine will I consume." (Full cost-benefit analysis for healthy and complex patients alike.)
How to evaluate any concierge practice for what's actually included
The questions to ask any practice (mine or someone else's): what specifically does the membership cover, what's billed separately, who answers calls after hours, what happens if you're admitted to the hospital, and how the practice handles cross-state care if you're a snowbird. (Full criteria for evaluating any concierge practice.)
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 the structural reason the membership delivers what it delivers.
If you want to talk through what membership would look like for your situation
A no-obligation conversation about your specific needs, including the honest answer about whether the membership is the right fit.
- Call: 561-468-6981
- Email: info@drbensoffer.com
- Or reach out through the contact form
