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Working in Concierge Medicine: What the Pay Data Show and What to Check in the Contract
A clinician weighing a move into membership medicine will find four common routes in and almost no concierge-specific pay data. The contract will shape the job more than any salary survey will. This brief separates what is known from what is not, then walks through the contract terms worth negotiating before you sign.
New in October 2026. Non-compete status checked against FTC and state sources as of October 7, 2026.
Start here: the questions this brief answers
Tap a question for the short answer, then jump to the evidence.
There are four common ways to work in concierge medicine: open your own practice, join an independent concierge practice, affiliate with a national network, or take a role in a health-system program. No public dataset reports what concierge physicians earn. Federal data put the May 2025 median wage for family medicine physicians at $244,180, but those figures leave out self-employed owners, who are the people most concierge income claims describe. The FTC’s nationwide non-compete ban never took effect, and the agency has dropped it; it now pursues non-competes case by case and has warned health care employers directly. State law decides most disputes, and several states have limited physician non-competes since 2023. Read the pay formula and the malpractice tail terms as closely as the non-compete, and have a health care attorney licensed in your state review the contract before you sign.
How much do concierge physicians earn?
Nobody can say with published, method-disclosed data. Federal wage data and the big compensation surveys do not separate concierge physicians, and the federal data exclude self-employed owners. Treat any single concierge income figure with caution.
Go to the full answer ↓Is the FTC ban on non-competes in effect?
No. A federal court stopped it in August 2024 and the FTC dropped its appeal in September 2025. The agency now challenges non-competes case by case and has sent warning letters to health care employers.
Go to the full answer ↓Does my state limit physician non-competes?
It may. Minnesota voids most non-competes and Indiana bars them for primary care physicians. Pennsylvania and Texas cap how long they can run. The rules vary widely, so check with counsel where you practice.
Go to the full answer ↓Which contract terms matter most besides the non-compete?
How pay is calculated and when it resets, who pays for malpractice tail coverage, who tells members when you leave, and whether termination and repayment terms run both ways.
Go to the full answer ↓What are the main ways to work in concierge medicine?
Owning a practice, joining an independent concierge group, affiliating with a national network, or taking a job in a health-system concierge program. Each puts ownership of the patient relationship in a different place.
Go to the full answer ↓Four ways to work in concierge medicine
Most physicians no longer own the practice they work in. The AMA’s benchmark survey found 42.2% of physicians in private practice in 2024, down from 60.1% in 2012.1 Population Data Membership medicine has moved the same way. Among concierge and DPC practices combined, the independently owned share fell from 84% in 2018 to 60% in 2023 as corporate-affiliated practices grew.2 Population Data
So the first career question is less about the fee and more about who owns the practice, the charts and the member list. The answer differs by path.
| Path | Who usually owns the practice | How pay is usually built | Ask first | Evidence type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open your own practice | You, alone or with partners | Owner’s income from membership fees plus any insurance revenue, after expenses | How long can I fund the months before the panel fills? | CMT editorial description |
| Join an independent concierge practice | The physician owners | Salary, sometimes with a productivity or membership-based bonus, and sometimes a partnership track | Is there a written path to ownership, and at what price? | CMT editorial description |
| Affiliate with a national network | Varies; some networks describe their physicians as independent practice owners | Set by a private affiliation agreement; CMT has not seen typical terms published | What happens to the members and the brand if I leave the network? | CMT editorial description |
| Join a health-system or corporate program | The health system or company | Employed salary, often with incentive pay | Who sets the fee and the panel size, and can they change them? | Population Data (ownership trend)2 |
Health systems are visible employers. On October 7, 2026, the CMT Job Board carried about 16 distinct listings, with Cleveland Clinic and AdventHealth among the hiring organizations alongside independent practices and a practice for sale. None listed a salary.3 Industry Research
Who keeps the relationship if you leave? In an owned practice the answer is you. In every other path it is written somewhere in a contract, and that clause will matter more to your members than your title.
What the pay data can and cannot tell you
There is no reliable public dataset on concierge physician pay. CMT looked for one and did not find a source that publishes its method and reports concierge physicians separately. What exists is general physician data, which is useful as a floor for negotiation and nothing more.
The BLS wage survey “does not cover the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms.” Its wage definition includes production and incentive pay but leaves out year-end and other non-production bonuses and profit sharing.7 Policy and Law A physician who owns a concierge practice is outside these numbers entirely, and an employed physician’s year-end bonus may be too.
The large private surveys run higher. Medscape’s 2026 report, which surveyed more than 5,900 full-time physicians, put average family medicine pay at $288,000 and internal medicine at $307,000, with average compensation up 3% in 2025.8 Industry Research MGMA, drawing on 2025 data for more than 245,900 physicians and advanced practice providers, reported primary care physician compensation up 2.23% in a year, and said advanced practice provider pay outpaced physician gains over five years in every grouping it tracks.9 Practice Insight Medscape reports averages from self-selected respondents; BLS reports medians from employer surveys. They are not interchangeable, and neither describes concierge practice.
An owner’s concierge income depends on panel size, fee, overhead and how long the panel takes to fill, which is why one practice can look nothing like the next. Treat a single concierge income figure from a vendor or recruiter as a sales claim unless it shows its sample and method. This is CMT’s editorial reasoning, not a finding.
“We’ve seen it work at every stage. Early career is usually the hardest. Mid-career physicians often want to reclaim balance and go deeper with patients. Late-career physicians often want to finish well at a sustainable pace.”
Michael Tetreault, Editor-in-Chief, Concierge Medicine Today. Commentary from the CMT Media Desk, labeled as CMT’s view, not a research finding.10 CMT original
Non-competes: the federal ban is gone, the state rules are not
Many physicians heard in 2024 that non-competes were banned nationwide. That rule never took effect. As of October 2026, the FTC says its Non-Compete Clause Rule “is not in effect and it is not enforceable.”11 Policy and Law
FTC announces a proposed rule to ban most worker non-competes.11
Final rule published in the Federal Register.11
A federal district court issues an order stopping the FTC from enforcing the rule. The FTC appeals in October.11
The Commission votes 3 to 1 to dismiss its appeals and accept the vacatur of the rule.12
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson sends warning letters to health care employers and staffing firms, urging them to review non-competes and drop unfair ones.13
Federal Register notice titled “Removal of the Non-Compete Rule To Conform These Rules to Federal Court Decisions.”11
In a case outside health care, the FTC proposes an order requiring pest-control company Rollins to stop enforcing non-competes against more than 18,000 employees, a sign of the case-by-case approach.14
The FTC’s template letter warns that non-competes for key medical roles can be especially harmful in rural areas and “can limit which providers patients are able to see.”13 Policy and Law That is a signal of enforcement interest, not a rule a physician can cite to void a contract.
The state rules that decide most disputes
State law governs whether a physician non-compete holds. These examples show how far apart states are. They are not a full survey, and laws change.
State law makes “any covenant not to compete” in an employment agreement void and unenforceable, with exceptions tied to the sale or dissolution of a business. The statute does not single out physicians.15 Policy and Law
Since July 1, 2023, employer non-competes with primary care physicians, as the law defines them by specialty, are unenforceable. For other physicians, a non-compete fails if the employer ends the contract without cause, and the physician may buy out of it at a reasonable price, with mediation if the parties disagree.16 Policy and Law
The Fair Contracting for Health Care Practitioners Act, effective January 1, 2025, voids non-competes longer than one year for physicians, CRNPs, CRNAs and PAs, and voids any non-compete if the employer dismisses the clinician. Within 90 days of a departure, the employer must tell certain established patients that the clinician has left and that they may follow that clinician.17 Policy and Law
For covenants signed or renewed on or after September 1, 2025, a physician non-compete may last no more than one year after termination and reach no more than five miles from where the physician primarily practiced. A buyout may not exceed the physician’s total annual salary and wages.18 Law firm summaries add that the terms must be clear and conspicuous in writing and that the covenant fails if the physician is let go without good cause.19 Policy and Law
An April 2026 AMA article said Arkansas and Wyoming appear to have joined Massachusetts and New Hampshire in banning physician restrictive covenants, while most states remain “more complex.”20 Practice Insight
Organized medicine has moved against non-competes too. The AMA Code of Medical Ethics says physicians should not sign covenants that unreasonably restrict where they practice or fail to accommodate patients’ choice of physician.21 Practice Insight In 2024 the AMA House of Delegates adopted policy opposing “all restrictive covenants between employers and physician employees,” though an AMA trustee has noted that small private practices may feel they need reasonable non-competes to compete with large systems.20 Practice Insight
In a membership practice the member list is much of the business, so watch the non-solicitation clause as closely as the non-compete. A one-year, five-mile covenant may matter less than a clause that bars you from telling members where you have gone. Whether a state law reaches that clause is a question for counsel. This is CMT’s editorial reasoning, not legal advice.
The terms that surprise physicians later
A September 2026 AMA article, drawing on a contract review firm’s analysis of more than 4,000 physician contracts in all 50 states, named the terms that most often catch physicians off guard.22 Industry Research Four of them matter in concierge jobs in particular ways.
How pay is calculated
Base pay and signing bonuses get the attention; the formula behind them gets less. In a concierge job, ask whether any part of pay is tied to membership revenue or member count, and when the formula resets. Auto-renewal clauses with short opt-out windows can lock in a reset you did not negotiate.22
Repayment matters too. Signing bonuses and other incentives such as relocation money may have to be repaid in full if you leave, and repayment is not always prorated.22
Malpractice tail coverage
“Malpractice included” does not settle who pays when you leave. A claims-made policy covers claims filed while the policy is active, so leaving usually requires tail coverage; an occurrence policy covers events during the policy period whenever the claim arrives. The AMA reports that uncovered tail obligations can reach five figures.22 Industry Research
Get the policy type and the party paying the tail in writing.
Patient notice and records
When a physician leaves a practice, the AMA ethics code asks that records go to the succeeding physician or be stored properly, and that patients learn how to get them and for how long.23 Practice Insight Its covenant opinion adds that contracts should accommodate patients’ choice of physician.21 Pennsylvania now requires employers to send a departure notice to some patients within 90 days.17
In a concierge contract, settle who writes the member letter, what it may say about where you are going, and how prepaid fees are handled.
Termination that runs both ways
Exit terms are often lopsided. An employer may be able to end a contract on as little as 60 days’ notice while the physician owes more, and a loose definition of “cause” can let the employer leave at once.22
One attorney quoted by the AMA suggests tying any non-compete to departures where the physician leaves without cause or is fired for cause, and notes that buyouts commonly run about six months to a year of pay.20 Practice Insight
The non-compete gets the attention. The member letter and the tail coverage clause often matter more.
A contract checklist before you sign
Work through the twelve items with the draft contract in hand. The meter shows how much you have nailed down. It is a discussion aid, not legal advice, and a full meter does not mean a contract is fair or enforceable.
Concierge contract review
Where to go next
If you are still deciding which path fits, read openings closely for what they leave out. The CMT Job Board lists concierge openings and practices for sale; it is a place to see how employers describe the role and to bring this checklist to the first conversation. The board’s own disclaimer says listings can stay up after a job is filled, so confirm every detail with the employer.3
Know your floor
Use federal and survey data as a starting point, remembering they exclude owners and do not describe concierge jobs.
Write it down
Get the pay formula and the member notice terms into the contract itself, not a recruiter’s email.
Protect the relationship
Negotiate terms that let your members follow their physician if you leave. Continuity is what they are paying for.
How this brief was built
CMT gathered federal wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 estimates), public summaries of the 2026 MGMA and Medscape compensation surveys, the AMA Physician Practice Benchmark Survey, Federal Trade Commission records on the Non-Compete Clause Rule, state statutes and legislative analyses, law firm summaries of recent state laws, and AMA ethics opinions and news coverage of employment contracts. Every source was opened in October 2026. The Medscape report itself sits behind a login, so CMT relied on a published summary and says so in the reference.
No source CMT found reports pay for concierge physicians separately from other physicians, and the brief does not estimate one. Figures from the Health Affairs study of membership practices cover concierge and DPC combined and are labeled that way; no DPC-only figures appear. State law examples are illustrations, not a 50-state survey, and summaries of state laws by law firms are cited as commentary. The contract checklist is a discussion aid, not legal advice.
How to read the evidence types
Every key finding is labeled by evidence type. Labels describe the type of evidence, not its value. Each type answers different questions. Funding is disclosed on every source.
Randomized trials and systematic reviews.Best for cause and effect.
Large observational studies and government data.Best for trends at scale.
Surveys, smaller studies and expert consensus.Best for real-world experience.
Company-sponsored or company-reported data that is not peer-reviewed.Best for early signals and operating data.
Statutes, regulation and official guidance.Best for what is required.
What we don't know
- What concierge physicians earn, by path (owner, employee, network affiliate, health-system employee). No public dataset separates them.
- How often concierge employment contracts include non-competes or member non-solicitation clauses, and how courts treat a membership list compared with an ordinary patient list.
- Which health care employers received FTC warning letters, and whether any will face enforcement.
- How the terms of national network affiliation agreements compare with employment; they are private documents.
- Pay for NPs and PAs in concierge practices specifically.
How to cite this brief
External review: this brief has not yet been reviewed by an outside expert. When review is complete, the reviewer is credited by name above with any conflicts of interest, and the version number is updated. Reviewers check accuracy and fairness; CMT is responsible for the final content.
Corrections policy: when an error is identified, CMT corrects it in the open and updates the version number above. Send corrections to the editor through conciergemedicinetoday.net.
Related CMT Research Briefs
References
- American Medical Association. Physician Practice Benchmark Survey: Physician Practice Characteristics in 2024: Private Practices Account for Less Than Half of Physicians in Most Specialties. Accessed October 2026. www.ama-assn.orgFunding: not stated (conducted and published by the American Medical Association)
- Zhu JM, Marsh T, Huntington A, Polsky D, Song Z. Growth in number of practices and clinicians participating in concierge and direct primary care, 2018-23. Health Affairs. December 2025. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2025.00656. www.healthaffairs.orgFunding: mixed: federal (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, R01HS029467) and foundation (Commonwealth Fund; NIHCM Foundation)
- Concierge Medicine Today. Job Board: who's hiring, who's retiring and what's for sale (listings reviewed October 7, 2026). CMT original. conciergemedicinetoday.netFunding: Concierge Medicine Today (self-published; listings may be sponsored by employers)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Physicians and Surgeons. Occupational Outlook Handbook (pay data from May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics). Last modified August 27, 2026. www.bls.govFunding: federal (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publication)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners. Occupational Outlook Handbook (May 2025 pay data). Last modified August 27, 2026. www.bls.govFunding: federal (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publication)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Physician Assistants. Occupational Outlook Handbook (May 2025 pay data). Last modified August 27, 2026. www.bls.govFunding: federal (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publication)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: frequently asked questions (coverage excludes the self-employed and owners and partners in unincorporated firms; definition of wages). Accessed October 2026. www.bls.govFunding: federal (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publication)
- The DO staff. What physicians are getting paid in 2026. The DO (American Osteopathic Association). July 9, 2026. Summary via The DO of the Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2026 (more than 5,900 full-time U.S. physicians); the full Medscape report sits behind a login and was not opened. thedo.osteopathic.orgFunding: not stated (survey conducted and published by Medscape; summary published by the American Osteopathic Association)
- Medical Group Management Association. Physician pay and productivity are moving in opposite directions (press release on the MGMA 2026 Provider Compensation and Production data, 2025 data from more than 245,900 physicians and advanced practice providers). June 10, 2026. www.mgma.comFunding: not stated (conducted and published by the Medical Group Management Association)
- Concierge Medicine Today. Media Desk: quotes from the Editor-in-Chief, FAQs and data. Accessed October 2026. conciergemedicinetoday.netFunding: Concierge Medicine Today (self-published; no outside funder) CMT original
- Federal Trade Commission. Noncompete Rule (rulemaking page: rule not in effect and not enforceable; August 20, 2024 district court order; September 5, 2025 steps to dismiss appeal; February 12, 2026 Federal Register notice on removal of the rule). Accessed October 2026. www.ftc.govFunding: federal (Federal Trade Commission publication)
- Federal Trade Commission. Federal Trade Commission files to accede to vacatur of Non-Compete Clause Rule (press release; Commission vote 3-1). September 5, 2025. www.ftc.govFunding: federal (Federal Trade Commission publication)
- Federal Trade Commission. Noncompete warning letter template sent to health care employers and staffing companies (letters sent September 10, 2025, per Parker Poe client alert of September 12, 2025). Undated template. www.ftc.govFunding: federal (Federal Trade Commission publication)
- Goldstein MS, Mantine MA, Sheets N. From rulemaking to enforcement: the FTC's non-compete campaign enters a new phase. Reed Smith, Employment Law Watch. May 1, 2026. www.reedsmith.comFunding: not stated (law firm commentary)
- Minnesota Statutes section 181.988, Covenants not to compete void in employment agreements. Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Accessed October 2026. www.revisor.mn.govFunding: state (Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes publication)
- McGuireWoods. Indiana further restricts physician noncompete agreements effective July 1, 2023 (Senate Enrolled Act 7, signed May 4, 2023). June 30, 2023. www.mcguirewoods.comFunding: not stated (law firm commentary)
- Satinsky RF, McCarron T. Pennsylvania enacts law banning certain non-compete agreements in healthcare (Fair Contracting for Health Care Practitioners Act). Littler Mendelson. July 26, 2024. www.littler.comFunding: not stated (law firm commentary)
- Texas Legislature. Bill analysis, S.B. 1318 (House committee report version), 89th Legislature, Regular Session (covenants not to compete for physicians and certain other health care practitioners). 2025. capitol.texas.govFunding: state (Texas Legislature publication)
- Ullrich R, Morton S, Oh D. Changes to Texas noncompete rules for physicians and certain other healthcare providers effective September 1, 2025. FordHarrison. July 14, 2025. www.fordharrison.comFunding: not stated (law firm commentary)
- Henry TA. What employed physicians should know about noncompete clauses. American Medical Association. April 16, 2026. www.ama-assn.orgFunding: not stated (American Medical Association news article)
- American Medical Association. Code of Medical Ethics Opinion 11.2.3.1: Restrictive Covenants. Accessed October 2026. code-medical-ethics.ama-assn.orgFunding: not stated (American Medical Association ethics policy)
- Garvey G. 5 employment contract terms that can surprise physicians. American Medical Association. September 22, 2026. Draws on a contract review report by Resolve, an AMA member-discount vendor. www.ama-assn.orgFunding: not stated (American Medical Association news article; underlying data from Resolve, a contract review company)
- American Medical Association. Code of Medical Ethics Opinion 3.3.1: Management of Medical Records. Accessed October 2026. code-medical-ethics.ama-assn.orgFunding: not stated (American Medical Association ethics policy)
Educational and informational only. This CMT Research Brief does not constitute medical, legal, tax, financial, accounting or other professional advice, and it does not create a professional relationship of any kind. Statements about laws, regulations, tax rules and payer policies are general, may not reflect the rules in your state, and can change after publication. Consult a qualified attorney, accountant, tax adviser, compliance professional or licensed clinician before acting on anything here.
Independence. Concierge Medicine Today is an independent publication. It does not accept payment for favorable coverage, and it does not favor one practice model over another. Company names and products are mentioned for context only and are not endorsements. Funding is disclosed for every source in the reference list.
Accuracy. CMT verifies figures against their original or best available sources at the time of publication. Where a figure is an estimate, an inference or a company-reported number, the brief says so. This content is not without possible error or omission.
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