Concierge medicine explained
What is concierge medicine? A plain-English guide
How concierge medicine works, what it costs, how it fits with Medicare and insurance, and how to tell if it is right for you, from the concierge doctors at Wave Concierge in Boynton Beach.
Questions? Call or text (561) 800-3188.
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The short answer
What concierge medicine is
Concierge medicine is a membership model of primary care. You pay a membership fee, and your doctor keeps a much smaller patient list than a typical practice. That smaller list is what buys you the things most people miss in healthcare today: time with your doctor, appointments when you need them, and a doctor you can actually reach.
You may also hear it called membership medicine, boutique medicine or retainer-based care. The idea is the same: fewer patients per doctor, more care per patient.
A typical busy practice
- Thousands of patients per doctor
- Short, rushed visits
- Waits of days or weeks for an appointment
- Calls go to a front desk, voicemail or a portal
- You chase referrals and results yourself
Concierge medicine at Wave
- A small patient list
- Unhurried visits, with time to talk
- Same- or next-day appointments
- Call, text or video your own doctor 24/7
- A concierge liaison handles specialists, refills and paperwork
How it works
How concierge medicine works, step by step
Four things make a concierge practice different from a typical doctor's office.
You choose a membership
A set fee, billed every 6 months, reserves your place on your doctor's small patient list. Prices are listed on our website, with no surprise add-ons.
Insurance still covers medical care
Visits, tests and treatment are billed to Medicare or your insurance as usual. The membership pays for the concierge side: access, time and coordination.
You get direct access
You get your doctor's cell number. Call, text or video any time, day or night, weekends included.
Your doctor runs your care
Specialists, imaging, labs and hospital stays all go through one doctor who knows your full history and explains every result.
What is included
What a concierge doctor handles for you
Members use Wave for everyday illness, urgent problems and prevention, so the ER is for true emergencies.
Everyday illness
Sore throat, cough, cold, stomach ache, UTI, rash, back pain, infusions and medication shots.
Urgent problems
Fractures, stitches, kidney stones and heart concerns, handled quickly by your own team.
Lab work in house
Blood, urine and cultures, plus cardiac, respiratory and GI panels for faster answers.
Imaging under one roof
MRI, CT scan, X-ray, EKG and mobile ultrasound for a quicker diagnosis.
Prevention and check-ups
Annual concierge physical included, plus full baseline health assessments.
Prescriptions and travel
Refills sent to your nearest pharmacy, plus a personal travel kit prepared by your doctor for trips abroad and your doctor a phone call away.
Direct access
A doctor you can actually reach
Direct access is the heart of concierge medicine. When you can reach your doctor easily, small questions get answered before they become big problems, and trust builds over time.
At Wave, members get their doctor's personal cell number. Call, text or video any time, day or night, weekends included. No call center, no nurse line, no phone tree.
One doctor, start to finish
Your doctor coordinates everything
At Wave you see one doctor. When you need a specialist, a scan or a test, your doctor arranges it, gets the results and goes over them with you. You never have to chase anyone or repeat your story.
One doctor runs your care
Your doctor handles everything. Every specialist, test and result goes through one person who knows your whole history.
Specialists, usually same day
Need a cardiologist, orthopedist or other specialist? We get you in, normally the same day, not weeks or months from now.
Results, explained
Your doctor collects every report and result and sits down with you to explain what it means and what happens next.
A travel kit for trips abroad
Heading overseas? Your doctor can prepare a personal travel kit, with prescribed medications and supplies suited to your health and your trip, so you rely less on medical care in another country.
Compared
Concierge medicine vs. a typical doctor and urgent care
How Wave compares with other concierge practices, a typical doctor's office and urgent care or the ER.
| Wave Concierge | Other concierge doctors | Typical doctor's office | Urgent care / ER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Call your doctor directly on their cell | ✓ 24/7 | Often an answering service | Phone tree or portal | No |
| Appointment when you need one | ✓ Same or next day | Often days away | Often days or weeks | Walk in and wait |
| Time in the waiting room | ✓ Seen when you arrive | Often a wait | Waiting room | Can be hours |
| The same doctor every visit | ✓ | Not always | Not always | Rarely |
| Unhurried visits | ✓ | Varies | Often short | Short |
| MRI, X-ray, ultrasound and labs | ✓ Same building, same visit | Sent elsewhere | Sent elsewhere | Some, or sent to the ER |
| A full physical therapy center on site | ✓ | Rarely | Rarely | — |
| A psychologist in the office for mental health | ✓ | Rarely | Rarely | — |
| Infusion rooms on site | ✓ | — | — | — |
| Medicare and most insurance plans accepted for medical care | ✓ | Varies | Usually | Usually |
| Weekend urgent care in the office | ✓ | Rarely | Rarely | Yes, as a walk-in |
| See a specialist, usually the same day | ✓ We get you in | Weeks or months | Weeks or months | Referral, then wait |
| Specialists booked and paperwork handled for you | ✓ Your concierge liaison | You do most of it | You do it | You do it |
| Direct hospital admission, skipping the ER when possible | ✓ | Rarely | — | — |
| House calls at home | ✓ | Extra cost, if offered | — | — |
| Yearly IV infusion and facial included | ✓ | — | — | — |
| Membership prices listed on our website | ✓ | Often call for pricing | — | — |
Comparisons describe what is typical. Individual practices vary.
Real life
What it looks like on a normal week
The same situations, handled two different ways.
Saturday, 9 pm, a fever that will not break
Urgent care is closed. You sit in the ER for hours, see a stranger, and get a bill weeks later.
You call or video your doctor, who already knows your history, and get answers tonight, with weekend visits in our office.
Your doctor wants an MRI
A referral, a phone call, a wait for an opening across town, then another wait for results.
It is done in our building, often the same visit, and your doctor goes over it with you.
You need a specialist
You find one, chase the referral, fill out forms and repeat your whole history again.
Your doctor gets you in, normally the same day, sends your records and reviews the results with you.
Someone you love goes to the hospital
Hours in the ER, then a hospital doctor who has never met them.
When possible they are admitted directly, skipping the ER, and their own doctor stays involved.
Mom needs a check-up but hates going out
Drives, waiting rooms and a rushed 10 minutes.
The doctor comes to her house. Blood work too.
You are traveling and feel sick
You search for a clinic in a strange city and hope for the best.
You call your own doctor, get a video visit, and help finding care nearby.
Membership & costs
Two memberships, priced in plain sight
Most practices make you call for pricing. Here is ours, line by line.
| What is included | Concierge$2,500billed every 6 months | Executive$7,500billed every 6 months |
|---|---|---|
| Your concierge doctor's personal cell number and direct texting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Priority same- or next-day appointments | ✓ | ✓ |
| In-house imaging: X-ray, ultrasound, MRI | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dedicated concierge liaison | ✓ | ✓ |
| Annual concierge physical in a private setting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Specialist coordination for every appointment | ✓ | ✓ |
| Direct hospital admission, bypassing the ER when possible | ✓ | ✓ |
| Admitted under your concierge doctor while hospitalized, NP or MD visits | ✓ | ✓ |
| Complimentary IV vitamin infusion, yearly | ✓ | ✓ |
| Complimentary aesthetic facial, yearly | ✓ | ✓ |
| Weekend urgent care in our office | — | ✓ |
| Personalized weight-loss management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Concierge doctor house calls to your residence | — | ✓ |
| Nurse practitioner house or office calls as needed | — | ✓ |
| Medical assistant blood draws at your home or office | — | ✓ |
| Enhanced office hours around your schedule | — | ✓ |
| Exclusive concierge doctor's supervision during hospital stays | ✓ | ✓ |
| Add family members age 18–30 ($200/month each, billed annually) | — | ✓ |
| Join Concierge | Join Executive |
- Your concierge doctor's personal cell number and direct texting
- Priority same- or next-day appointments
- In-house imaging: X-ray, ultrasound, MRI
- Dedicated concierge liaison
- Annual concierge physical in a private setting
- Specialist coordination for every appointment
- Direct hospital admission, bypassing the ER when possible
- Admitted under your concierge doctor while hospitalized, NP or MD visits
- Exclusive concierge doctor's supervision during hospital stays
- Complimentary IV vitamin infusion, yearly
- Complimentary aesthetic facial, yearly
- Personalized weight-loss management
- Call, text or video your concierge doctor 24/7, weekends included
Everything in Concierge, plus:
- Weekend urgent care in our office
- Concierge doctor house calls to your residence
- Nurse practitioner house or office calls as needed
- Medical assistant blood draws at your home or office
- Enhanced office hours around your schedule
- Add family members age 18–30 ($200/month each, billed annually)
Prices are per member, billed every 6 months, with no hidden fees. Discounts for couples, spouses and families on multi-member plans, and payment plans for every budget. Full membership details
Insurance and Medicare
Does concierge medicine take Medicare and insurance?
Many concierge practices do, and Wave does. We accept Medicare and most insurance plans.
Not sure about your plan? We will check your coverage before you join.
Is it worth it?
Is concierge medicine worth the cost?
Who gets the most out of a membership, and what you get back.
Concierge medicine is a great fit if you…
- Want to reach your doctor quickly, without a phone tree
- Have a busy schedule and hate waiting rooms
- Manage an ongoing condition like high blood pressure or diabetes
- Look after an aging parent and want a doctor who answers
- Want imaging, labs and specialists coordinated for you
- Travel and want your own doctor a call away
What you get back
- Hours you used to spend in waiting rooms and on hold
- Answers when you need them, day or night
- Fewer trips, with imaging, labs and therapy under one roof
- Fewer ER visits for things your doctor can handle
- One doctor who knows your whole history
- Peace of mind for you and your family
See it for yourself: book a free consultation and tour of our office.
Getting started
How to join Wave
Free consultation
Visit our Boynton Beach office or book a call. Tour the office, meet the team and ask your questions.
Book a consultationMeet your doctor
Your concierge doctor reaches out shortly after you join.
Questions
Concierge medicine questions
Something else on your mind? Read the full FAQ or call or text (561) 800-3188.
See concierge medicine for yourself
Book a free consultation and tour of our Boynton Beach office. No obligation to join.
8190 Jog Rd, Suite 103
Boynton Beach, FL 33472
(561) 800-3188 · call or text
Open 9am–6pm Mon–Fri for new patients. Open 24/7 for current concierge patients. By appointment only; walk-ins not accepted.
HIPAA compliant. Your medical information stays private.Our concierge service is dedicated to redefining your wellness experience. From in-house diagnostics to direct access to specialists, our mission is to prioritize your well-being. Discover a new standard in healthcare with Wave Concierge MD – where your health is our priority. 8190 Jog Rd, Suite 103, Boynton Beach, FL 33472 ©2024 Boynton Concierge MD. Shipping, Cancellations, Refunds, Terms of Service & Privacy Policy