Concierge medicine is an increasingly popular type of service that some medical practices offer to patients as a way to provide enhanced care for a fee. While some practices and patients find this care model to be beneficial, it’s not for everyone.

Discover the questions you should ask to evaluate whether a concierge medicine might be a good fit for your medical practice.

What’s Your Patient Population?

The first step to determining whether your practice could make the switch to a concierge medicine model is to take a good long look at your patient base. The reality is that a concierge model requires patients to pay a membership fee, and not everyone can afford to do that. If your patients aren’t among those with a significant level of disposable income, then concierge medicine may not be a fit for you.

Does Your State Allow Concierge Medicine?

Every state has different rules about concierge practices, so you’ll need to navigate a broad set of laws to determine whether you can make the transition. For instances, some states may limit what type of membership fees you can charge, and if you market to patients across the state line, then you could be noncompliant with the other state’s regulations. Always check with a healthcare attorney before making the switch to a concierge medicine model.

Have You Calculated Your Cost of Doing Business?

If you don’t know exactly how much money you need to bring in the door to keep your practice running, then you’re not as likely to see success with the concierge medicine model. You’ll need to charge adequate membership fees and enroll a set number of patients if you want to stay profitable, so ensuring you know the cost of your rent, staffing, utilities, marketing, technology needs, and other costs will be essential before you launch your concierge medicine practice.

Could a Hybrid Model Be an Option?

Some practices that don’t want to lose their existing patient base but have interest in trying concierge medicine might consider transitioning to a hybrid model. In a hybrid route, some of your patients remain in the traditional, fee-for-service insurance model, while you also have a subset of patients who use concierge care.

This will take a lot of coordination with your back office staff, who will need to use different appointment slots, alternative scheduling methods and unique billing criteria. However, many practices find that this is a good way to ease into concierge medicine while retaining their current patients.