CMT LEADERSHIP HUB · FOR DOCTORS BUILDING MEMBERSHIP-BASED PRACTICES · SINCE 2007
The CMT Leadership Hub is where understanding becomes execution. Patient experience frameworks, operational systems, marketing tools, leadership resources, podcast episodes, and downloadable guides — organized by what you're trying to accomplish, not by what CMT calls its content sections.
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2026
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This is for physicians who are building — not still deciding.
The Leadership Hub assumes you have a working understanding of concierge and membership medicine. If you're still in the "what is this model" phase, the Knowledge Library — our Learn section — is where to start. Once you're ready to build, operate, and lead — this is your room.
CMT KNOWLEDGE LIBRARY · INDEPENDENT REFERENCE · SINCE 2007
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01 · PATIENT EXPERIENCE
Build patient loyalty. Generate referrals. Deliver care patients talk about.
The operational infrastructure behind every calm, high-trust practice — scheduling design, staffing models, technology selection, communication systems, and financial workflows.
FRAMEWORK
The Remark-ology system — turning patient moments into referrals
How to find the moments in a patient visit that create word-of-mouth — and build systems that make them happen consistently, not accidentally.
OPERATIONAL CHECKLIST
Patient onboarding that sets the right expectations from day one
What to communicate, when to communicate it, and how to set expectations that reduce confusion and build trust before the first appointment.
STAFF TOOL · FREE
Gratitude frameworks and weekly staff engagement tools
Simple tools for building the patient-first culture that makes a concierge practice feel different — starting with how your team shows up every day.
02 · OPERATIONS & LEADERSHIP
Systems, staffing, and workflows that protect the model's promise.
Retention systems, referral frameworks, service design, patient communication, and what remarkable concierge care actually looks and feels like in daily practice.
THE 9 CORE PILLARS — PRACTICE OPERATIONS
Workflow design that protects physician time - Appointment templates, protected admin time, defined response windows
Staffing models built for membership medicine - Cross-trained support, role delineation, scalable structure
Technology that reduces friction, not adds to it - EHR selection, secure messaging, billing platforms
Patient onboarding that sets the right tone - Scope clarity, expectations, communication protocols
Communication systems that prevent bottlenecks - Response standards, escalation pathways, message ownership
Financial workflows that support stability - Billing cycles, automated payments, refund policies
Documentation and compliance discipline - HIPAA, coding, membership agreements, employment policy
Contingency planning for the unexpected - Physician absence, tech outages, staff turnover protocols
Measuring what actually matters - Retention rate, response time, workload balance, team stability
TOOLS FOR THIS SECTION
FRAMEWORK · PDF
Leadership Operating System for Concierge Physicians
$19.95
GUIDE · PDF
Concierge Practice CEO Metrics Guide
$8.95
FRAMEWORK · PDF
Staff Onboarding Framework
$4.95
SCRIPTS · PDF
Boundary-Setting Communication Scripts
$3.95
FREE DOWNLOAD
The 10 Rules of Running an Unhurried Practice
Free
LEGAL and compliance EXPERTS’ COMMENTARY AND THOUGHTFUL OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS if your considering a concierge medicine or subscription-based healthcare delivery model
Jonna D. Eimer at Roetzel & Andress in Chicago, Illinois.
Jonna D. Eimer is a health law and corporate attorney and shareholder at Roetzel & Andress in Chicago, Illinois. She represents numerous concierge medicine practices and has extensive experience with other innovative practice models. She also advises her clients – including physicians and physician groups, dentists, behavioral health clinicians, and other health care providers – in forming new practices, selling established practices, and negotiating employment and shareholder agreements, as well as guiding them with respect to regulatory matters. In addition, she counsels clients in forming management services organizations (MSOs) and navigating these sales to private equity. Learn More, visit: https://www.ralaw.com/people/jonna-eimer
About Eischen Law Offices
James Eischen, Esq (Jim Eischen) is a licensed California attorney with over 32 years of experience handling complex corporate, business planning, health care and real estate matters. We at Eischen Law Office know that finding the right attorney to represent you is a choice not to be taken lightly. That’s why we offer free consultations to walk you through your needs, the scope of your goals, and your budget. Learn More, visit https://www.eischenlawoffice.com/
About Michele P. Madison
Michele P. Madisone has significant experience in managing legal issues arising in hospitals, physician offices or integrated health systems, including employment, investigations, risk management assessment and corporation management. She provides legal education for health systems’ medical staff, management teams and employees and often facilitates and manages implementation of compliance plans for HIPAA privacy and security regulations. In addition, Michele drafts and completes Certificate of Need applications and facilitates regulatory compliance, and provides oversight and guidance regarding medical staff governance and credentialing issues.
WAXMAN LETTER (circa 2002)
Attached is the March 2002 letter from Congressman Waxman we discussed earlier regarding the Tommy Thompson letter search. Thompson’s reply on behalf of HHS should have followed in March or April 2002. Reading the full exchange, the takeaway is clear: in 2002, HHS essentially signaled that the typical concierge practice model was Medicare compliant.
Source/Credit:
Concierge Medicine Today, LLC. Documents provided from public record via the Tommy G. Thompson Collection, Marquette University Archives. Includes Congressman Waxman’s March 2002 letter and Secretary Tommy G. Thompson’s official response (file noted as “Last Revision”).
Cost Sharing/Expenses
“Another issue confronting concierge practices is cost sharing and how to divide expenses in this type of practice models. Practices must decide if they are allocating costs based on each physician’s patient panel size or based on their respective ownership percentages of the practice. Once you allow for different panel sizes, these differences can become quite problematic, and physicians can end up disagreeing on the fair allocation of these costs. Confronting these differences early in the formation of the practice and providing for them in the practice’s operating documents can help avoid difficult and costly conflicts later for the partners.” (Eimer; 2025)
Medicare/Medicaid/HMO COMPLIANCE
“Collaborate with a knowledgeable attorney, consultant, or individual(s) to structure your cash practice to follow three (3) federal statutes and decades of Medicare/OIG guidance (essentially, using what looks like the executive health model but with different branding and added/variable features). This approach ensures Medicare/Medicaid/HMO compliance, allows for healthcare insurance plan integration (if desired, and not necessary), and ensures patient fees are “qualified medical expenses” eligible for HSA/FSA/HRA/MSA funding (in other words, allows for employer and pre-tax funding) with no changes in existing laws—it works right now.” (Eischen; 2025)
Coverage and Licensing Concerns
“Because of the unique access provided to concierge patients, some practices have added special coverage when these patients are out of state or on vacation. In light of their patients who winter in warmer climates, like Florida, California and Arizona, some practices have partnered with other concierge practices in these states to offer services to their “snowbird” patients. Health systems are taking advantage of these practice models also. For instance, Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine opened a concierge medicine office in Naples, Florida, and Ohio-based Cleveland Clinic also has opened concierge medicine practices in multiple Florida locations. Doctors, however, need to be aware that they need to be licensed in the state where the patient resides. Due to these licensing considerations, some concierge physicians are also obtaining licenses in other states to cover patients that often spend their winters in these warmer states.” (Eimer; 2025)
BE UNIQUE, AVOID INDUSTRY JARGON
“Steer clear of marketing and branding, that, while quite prevalent in the marketplace, is frustrating your patient fees achieving qualified medical expense status. For example, you may dearly love the DPC or concierge [as terms or] brands, but, the IRS is convinced that neither brand’s patient fees are qualified medical expenses. Why debate the IRS? Neither brand is likely to fully explain YOUR medical or healthcare philosophy, and neither brand assists with qualified medical expense status so both brands frustrate HSA/FSA/HRA/MSA funding absent changes in tax laws and IRS regulations.” (Eischen; 2025)
Transitions, Terminations and Retirement
“The concierge model generally relies on increased access and time for patients because physicians have typically accepted fewer patients. Because of this, it can be very difficult to figure out the fairest way to negotiate a partner’s exit and how these patients and fees paid would transfer in the event of such departure. Does the partner get paid only in a buy-out of the whole practice or will the practice buy-out the individual partner upon his or her termination? Would this be handled differently in the case of a retirement? Would the practice consider a buy-out only if another physician can be substituted and take over the patient panel? How then is the new provider paid if fees have already been collected for a given year? It is possible the patients reject the substitute physician regardless of the departing physician’s recommendation.” (Eimer; 2025)
“Oftentimes, the agreements governing the practice’s operations include long notice provisions prior to any termination or retirement because it is not easy to substitute another concierge doctor if one leaves. Also, the patients have paid for the personal relationship and membership with their own doctor, so they do not always feel that this relationship transfers to another doctor. Another thing to consider is if a doctor terminates or unexpectedly dies or becomes disabled and a new doctor cannot cover their patients, what happens to patient fees that have already been collected? The practice needs to consider whether these fees are returned to patients and then whether a new membership agreement is entered into with the new physician. All these considerations need to be addressed in the initial stages of the company’s operations.” (Eimer; 2025)
DON’T ALWAYS FOLLOW THE CROWD
“If your attorney or consultant tells you to opt out of Medicare to do cash healthcare — you are not working with the right expert. Opting out creates different but real compliance risk that the person you are working with does not understand.”(Eischen; 2025)
Don’t replicate, innovate.
“Avoid formulas, brands, and models that work against you implementing your unique vision of healthcare. Don’t replicate, innovate. And, do so using the referenced structuring that for decades has achieved Medicare compliance and tax-advantaged funding options. Call the practice whatever you want, incorporate whatever healthcare services you wish into your subscription, and don’t be constrained by the ill-informed guidance in this marketplace that is not using existing laws/guidance to maximize your practice’s potential.” (Eischen; 2025)
“Because each concierge practice has unique patient fee agreements to consider, there is not a “one size fits all” approach to advising these practices. Concierge practices should not overlook the unique legal and practice issues facing them, from patient fee issues to physician departures. These models have a variety of legal challenges that should be addressed at the early stages of the practice, so they do not lead to partner and patient discord later on.” (Eimer; 2025)
Don’t let Guilt Drive Your Strategy, You’re Worth More Than You Think You Are.
“Instead of allowing a combination of guilt and lack of accurate pricing market data to cause you to under-price and devalue your brand, consider instead pricing your practice at true market value but using ad hoc scholarships/discounts and employer funding to improve equitable access to cash healthcare.” (Eischen; 2025)
Regulatory Considerations
“Concierge practices typically charge a fee for membership in their practice, which generally allows patients increased access to the physicians and their services. If the practice is accepting Medicare and/or commercial insurance, the fee cannot be charged for any service already covered by Medicare or insurance. Additionally, if the practice accepts commercial insurance, the fee must be scrutinized to be sure it is allowed under any agreement with a commercial payor of the practice. Some payor agreements may specifically prohibit any patient fee for membership in a practice. Some practices have reached out to their commercial payors directly when converting to a concierge practice and have had these commercial payors review and approve their patient agreements and membership fees.” (Eimer; 2025)
When you have a heart for your community, you don’t have to compete on price.
“Consider your practice pricing as establishing your perceived brand value in the marketplace. You need not track the national franchise-style concierge enterprise pricing or DPC pricing: both are frequently published, but, most cash practices do not market their prices—so the actual market is much higher than your online search reveals. So the easiest prices to find are not necessarily reflective of the actual market, and imitating them will devalue your perceived brand. Instead, work with an experienced attorney or consultant who actually knows the unpublished typical prices for cash practice models. And remember, most if not all of those published price versions of cash healthcare are not structuring their fees/services to allow for employer/tax-advantaged funding, and perhaps their lower prices are unintentionally reflecting that. Pre-tax and employer funding options allow for higher prices points, and can be used to provide versions of this care with 100% employer funding—that can enable more folks to benefit from this care model.” (Eischen; 2025)
Sales to Third Parties
“Physician owners in a concierge practice also need to consider at the formation of a practice how the profits of the practice will be divided in the case of a sale to a third party. Will profits be divided based on a physician’s ownership in the practice or based on an individual physician’s production and fee generation? If a practice has providers with vastly different production and patient panel sizes, then this is important to consider because the higher producing partner may want a sale to a third party to take into account these differences. Another partner may feel strongly that profits should be divided based on ownership percentages in the practice entity, which may be equal even if the providers have different numbers of patients. Frequently, the potential buyer has their own considerations for valuing the practices and may ascribe different values to each physician’s practice. The buyer may base its valuation of the practice on patient panel size and fees generated by each individual physician.” (Eimer; 2025)
you have options without creating compliance risks.
“If your attorney or consultant tells you that you cannot bill insurance or stay in network while doing cash heallthcare— you are not working with the right expert. There is a wide range of preference with plan billing in cash healthcare. The right expert can explain to you that you can elect to bill plans a little, a lot, or not at all, and why you have those options without creating compliance risks. You can do zero plan billing, or some, but you should know why you have those options, and why there is no need to opt out of Medicare.” (Eischen; 2025)
Ready for Step 3? Attend CMF 2026 — October 15–17 · Atlanta.
The Leadership Hub is the resource library. The annual conference is where the operational conversations, peer connections, and leadership sessions happen in real time — with physicians doing this work every day.
03 · MARKETING & REFERRALS
Grow by reputation. Not by advertising spend.
How concierge practices build a brand worth talking about — through patient experience, community presence, and care that generates word-of-mouth naturally.
REPUTATION
Building and protecting your reputation in a model where word-of-mouth is everything
How to build, protect, and recover your professional reputation — and why small panel sizes make this more consequential than in traditional practice.
MARKETING CYCLES
When to market, when to hold, and why seasonal timing matters for concierge practices
The lifecycle marketing patterns that drive concierge growth — and the specific windows during the year when outreach converts most effectively.
POSITIONING
Luxury healthcare positioning — what it means and how to communicate it without sounding like a spa brochure
How to attract and retain patients who value relationship-based care — through language, service design, and the experience you actually deliver.
04 · PHYSICIAN LEADERSHIP
Lead the practice. Lead yourself. Lead for the long run.
The leadership behaviors, mindset disciplines, and sustainability habits that determine whether a concierge physician thrives for decades — or burns out building the thing that was supposed to fix burnout.
MINDSET
Leading from health — why physician recovery is a leadership discipline, not a wellness trend
The physicians who lead well for decades treat their own sustainability as seriously as their patients' health. This brief makes the case for why.
TIME AUDIT
Where is your time actually going? The physician leadership time audit
A structured self-assessment to find out where your time is going — and reclaim the hours that should be going to patients, leadership, and sustainable practice design.
EXIT PLANNING
Exit plan readiness — are you actually prepared for what comes next?
Whether succession is years away or starting to feel real, knowing your readiness posture today changes the decisions you make starting tomorrow.
ALSO IN THE LEADERSHIP HUB
DOCPRENEUR LEADERSHIP PODCAST
Real conversations with physicians who built the practice they always wanted.
500+ episodes covering operations, patient experience, marketing, leadership, and the honest realities of building a concierge or membership practice. New episodes weekly.
→ The pricing conversation physicians avoid
→ Staffing for membership medicine
→ When a patient leaves — how to handle it
→ Building operational calm in small practices
BOOKS & GUIDES — CMT SHOP
The complete CMT library — built for physicians building this model.
Every book, guide, audio, and downloadable resource CMT has published — all written by the Editor-in-Chief with nearly two decades of independent field coverage.
→Branding Concierge Medicine — $44.95
→No More Waiting Rooms — $18.95
→Remark-ology — $19.95
→CMT Bundle — all three for $34.95
05 · CMT LEADERSHIP HUB · WHAT YOUR PEERS ARE SAYING · PHYSICIAN POLLING DATA
Real answers from
practicing concierge physicians.
Not theory. Not marketing.
CMT has been polling physicians in this space for nearly two decades. These results are from physicians who are actually running concierge practices right now — on salary, patient contact habits, renewal rates, technology use, and what's working. Use them to benchmark your own practice or to reality-check assumptions before you build yours.
COMPLETED POLLS — RESULTS FROM PRACTICING CONCIERGE PHYSICIANS
PATIENT COMMUNICATION
How many concierge physicians personally contact patients with test results — vs. delegating to staff?
Physician contacts personally - 61%
Staff returns calls - 24%
Depends on result type - 15%
n = CMT physician readers · Concierge-specific · Source: CMT Physician Poll · poll.fm/10555668
PHYSICIAN WELLNESS
What methods do concierge physicians prefer for addressing burnout?
Smaller panel size - 52%
Administrative reduction - 29%
Peer support / community - 19%
n = CMT physician readers · Concierge-specific · Source: CMT Physician Poll · poll.fm/10894550
PRACTICE OPERATIONS
How many patients per day do concierge physicians typically see?
1–5 patients - 38%
6–10 patients - 31%
11–15 patients - 22%
16+ patients - 9%
n = CMT physician readers · Concierge-specific · Source: CMT Physician Poll · poll.fm/14640536
STARTUP FINANCING
How did physicians finance the startup of their concierge practice?
Personal savings - 47%
Bank loan / financing - 28%
Practice transition firm - 25%
n = CMT physician readers · Concierge-specific · Source: CMT Physician Poll · poll.fm/10179143
PATIENT RETENTION
Monthly renewal trends — how are concierge practices performing on patient retention?
Renewals improving - 44%
Renewals stable - 38%
Renewals declining - 18%
n = CMT physician readers · Concierge-specific · Source: CMT Physician Poll · poll.fm/10673900
TECHNOLOGY
Are concierge physicians using AI scribes in their practices?
Yes, actively using - 34%
Evaluating / piloting - 29%
Not using / not interested - 37%
n = CMT physician readers · Concierge-specific · 2024–2025 · Source: CMT Physician Poll · poll.fm/12620083
Journalists and researchers: CMT polling data is available for citation. All poll data should be attributed as "Source: Concierge Medicine Today Physician Poll, [year], n=[displayed sample size]." For full citation guidance and media inquiries, visit the CMT Media Desk.
ACTIVE POLLS — VOTE NOW · RESULTS UPDATE IN REAL TIME
These polls are open to any physician practicing in or considering concierge medicine. Your response is anonymous. Results are updated in real time and used in CMT's annual industry reporting. If you use any of this data in published work, cite as: "Source: CMT Physician Poll, [year], n=[displayed]."
Salary
Annual Salary of a Concierge Doctor? (2025)
A.I. + SCRIBES
Us of A.I. Scribes In Concierge Practices
burnout assistance
Preferred Methods for Physician Burnout Solutions
marketing
Marketing to Patients in Concierge Medicine
renewal trends
Monthly Renewal Trends in Concierge Medicine
personal contact
How many Concierge Doctors personally contact their patients with test results, recommendations, next steps and/or let their staff return these calls?
handwritten notes
Doctors, how many handwritten thank you notes or handwritten notes do you write to Patients per month?
startup + financing
How Did You Finance (Startup) of Your Concierge, Membership Medicine Practice? (Choose all that apply)
avg per day
How many patients per day do you typically see?
common care needs
Sports Physicals and Common Immunizations
increase in pay
Do you give yourself a raise each year, even if it’s just $1?
business assistance
Amount of Business education you received?
retirement trends
How long until you retire from medicine altogether?
surgical referrals
Referring a Patient for Surgery?
longevity
Do you integrate additional testing that would be deemed “longevity” focused?
specialties
Types of Specialties in Concierge Medicine (2024-2025)
insurance participation
Are you contracted as an "in-network" provider w/ insurance companies?
patient demographics
Generational Demographics In Concierge Care
avg. cost of subscriptions
Average Cost of a Concierge Medicine Subscription (2024-2026)
how long?
How Long Do Patients Stay Under The Care of Their Concierge Medicine Physician?
visit duration
Your Longest Patient Visit In Concierge Medical Care?
what changed?
After Converting A Practice To A Concierge Medical Practice, What Is The 1st Thing To Change In Their Practice ? (Please Check All That Apply)
patient enrollment trends
How many patients end up later enrolling in your practice but did not sign-up at first?
video consults
Video Consults Conducted Per Day?
inside the exam room
Exam Room Questions: Before vs. After Entry Into Concierge Medicine
legacy documents among physicians
Do you have a Will, POA or Healthcare Directive?
emails per day
Time spent per day returning emails in your Concierge Medicine practice?
when do patients need you
Time of the day most patients call, text you in your Concierge Medicine practice?
physician satisfaction at 20+ years
20 Years After Opening Your Concierge Practice, More or Less Satisfied Than Practicing In A Traditional Manner?
wait time trends
Average Wait Time In Concierge Medicine?
annual or monthly
Do you offer your services to patients on a monthly subscription or annual membership basis?
patient income trends
Combined Annual Household Income of Avg Patient
selling your practice trends
Selling Your Practice and Retiring: Where/To what type of entity are you planning to sell or getting offers from?
marketing trends
Cost of Marketing to Acquire One New Patient?
measurement of satisfaction
Doctors + Staff: How Do You 'Measure' Patient Satisfaction In Your Practice?
types of calls
The Most Common Types of Calls You Receive Each Day From Your Concierge Patients?
staffing needs for every 300
Staffing Your Concierge Medicine Practice: 300 Patients
working for free
Doctors, how often do you get asked to do pro bono work (or just work for free) among your friends or family?
insured or not insured
How many of your Patients do not have health insurance?
missed appointment communication
How do you manage missed appointments in your Concierge Medicine practice?
text messages per day
How many text messages do you receive per day on average in your concierge medicine practice?
need more patients
How many additional patients do you need to have a full patient panel (on average) in your concierge medicine practice?
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HOW TO CITE CMT KNOWLEDGE LIBRARY ARTICLES
Concierge Medicine Today.
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Articles from the CMT Knowledge Library may be cited as educational resources. Content is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or financial advice. For media inquiries or academic research requests, contact the CMT editorial team directly.
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Content within this library should not be interpreted as medical, legal, financial, or professional advice. Healthcare regulations, payment structures, and practice models vary by jurisdiction and individual circumstances. Physicians should consult qualified advisors when making professional decisions.