Switching to a Concierge Doctor? Here’s What Happens Next

Most people don’t switch doctors on a whim. It usually starts with a small frustration that keeps repeating: a three-week wait for a sick visit, a portal message that sits unanswered, a specialist who never received your test results. By the time someone in Boynton Beach or Delray Beach starts looking seriously at concierge medicine, the question is rarely whether they want more time with a doctor. It’s how the move actually works, and whether anything important falls through the cracks along the way.

Start by naming what you want to change

Before you call anyone, take five minutes and write down what isn’t working with your current care. It sounds simple, but it shapes every conversation that follows. Common answers include:

• Access: you can’t reach a doctor when you’re sick, especially on evenings and weekends.
• Time: visits feel rushed, and you leave with questions you never got to ask.
• Coordination: you are the one carrying results between offices and repeating your history to every new face.
• Testing: imaging and lab work mean separate appointments, separate drives and long waits for answers.

That list becomes your checklist. When you sit down with a concierge practice, you can ask exactly how each of those problems is handled. If you’re still getting a feel for the model itself, our guide to how concierge medicine works covers the basics.

What happens to your medical records

This is the part people worry about most, and it’s usually the easiest. Your history doesn’t stay behind when you change doctors. You sign a medical records release that authorizes your previous office to send your file to your new practice. Medical offices handle these requests all the time.

The most useful pieces to make sure come across:

• Recent lab results and any imaging reports
• Notes from specialists you’ve seen in the past few years
• Your vaccination history
• Your current medication list and any known allergies
• Records of surgeries, hospital stays and ongoing conditions

A practical tip: ask for your own copy of recent results as well, or download them from your current patient portal while you still use it. Having them at your first visit means your new doctor can start reviewing your history right away.

Your prescriptions don’t have to skip a beat

Changing doctors should never mean a gap in your medications. The simplest approach is to bring every bottle you take, including vitamins and supplements, to your first visit, or a complete written list with doses. Your new doctor reviews everything together, and from then on keeps one up-to-date medication list. Prescriptions are sent to the pharmacy nearest you, and you can learn more about how prescription refills work for members.

Two rules of thumb while you transition: don’t stop or change any medication on your own, and book your first visit before your current refills run low.

The usual way vs. with your own doctor

The usual way: your blood pressure prescription runs out on a Friday. The office says the doctor needs to see you first, and the next opening is weeks away.

With your own doctor: you send a text. Your doctor, who already knows your history, reviews it and, when it’s appropriate, sends the prescription to the pharmacy down the road.

Keeping your specialists, and adding new ones

Many people who switch already see a cardiologist, an orthopedist or another specialist they trust. Joining a concierge practice doesn’t mean starting over with them. Your concierge doctor stays in the loop, reviews their findings with you and helps make sure everyone is working from the same information.

When you need someone new, specialist referrals work differently than you may be used to. At Wave, we normally get you in to see a specialist the same day, your records are sent ahead, and your results are reviewed with you afterward. A dedicated concierge liaison handles the booking and paperwork, and cardiology, including stress tests, is available on location.

The usual way vs. with your own doctor

The usual way: you leave with a referral slip and a phone number. You call around, wait weeks, and arrive to find the specialist doesn’t have your imaging.

With your own doctor: the appointment is booked for you, your records arrive before you do, and you go over the results with the doctor who knows you best.

How insurance and Medicare fit in

Switching to concierge care doesn’t mean giving up your coverage. Wave accepts Medicare and most insurance, and covered medical care is billed to Medicare or your insurance just as it would be elsewhere. The membership fee is separate and covers the concierge service itself: the access, the time and the coordination.

There are two membership plans:

• Concierge: $2,500 per member, billed every 6 months.
• Executive: $7,500 per member, billed every 6 months. It adds house calls, blood draws at home and weekend urgent care visits in the office.

Both include an annual concierge physical, plus a yearly IV infusion and facial. Couples and families receive discounts.

Your first few weeks as a new member

The early weeks are when your new doctor gets to know you. Here’s what that typically looks like:

1. An unhurried first visit. You go through your full history, your medications and your goals, without watching the clock. You’re seen when you arrive.
2. A baseline, if you need one. Blood work is drawn right in the office, and MRI, X-ray, ultrasound, labs and EKG are in the same building. CT scans are on location, often the same day.
3. Saving the number. Members can call, text or video their own doctor 24/7, weekends included.
4. Looping in family. With your permission, family members can be kept informed, which many adult children of Palm Beach County retirees appreciate.
5. Planning ahead. Traveling abroad this year? Your doctor can prepare a personal travel kit before you go.

The usual way vs. with your own doctor

The usual way: you wake up on a Saturday with a fever and a sore throat. You wait at a walk-in clinic and explain your history to someone who has never seen you before.

With your own doctor: you text the doctor who already knows your history, and together you decide the next step, whether that’s a video visit or a same or next day appointment. For anything that feels like an emergency, call 911 first.

Questions to bring to your consultation

A good consultation should feel like a two-way conversation. Bring your list from step one and ask:

• How do I reach my doctor after hours, and how quickly will I hear back?
• Which tests can be done in the building, and how fast are results reviewed?
• How are hospital stays handled? At Wave, direct admission to Delray Medical Center is arranged when possible, skipping the ER, and your doctor stays involved.
• What exactly does the membership include, and what is billed to insurance?

For a longer list, see 10 questions to ask before choosing a concierge doctor.

Making the move in Palm Beach County

Wave Concierge Medicine is at 8190 Jog Rd, Suite 103, in Boynton Beach, a short drive for members from Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Palm Beach. New patients are welcome Monday to Friday, 9 to 6, by appointment. The easiest first step is a free tour and consultation, where you can see the infusion rooms, the on-site physical therapy center and the imaging under the same roof for yourself.

This article is general information, not medical advice for your situation. For a medical emergency, call 911.