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Which kind of guide are you for your patients?
Your positioning says what you are FOR. Your archetype describes how you naturally lead, communicate, and earn trust. Six questions, about two minutes.
Your leadership style, in three parts: the hero, the problem, the guide.
This test follows the StoryBrand framework. You are the hero of this tool, and CMT is your guide.
You, the physician
You lead by instinct. You want patients to recognize themselves in how you practice, and to trust you because of who you are, not because of a script.
The problem
Externally: it is hard to describe your style in words patients recognize.
Internally: you may worry that patient-facing language will feel forced or will not sound like you.
Philosophically: patients deserve a doctor who leads as themselves. A persona that is not yours is hard to sustain.
Your guide
CMT turns patient research into four physician leadership archetypes and marks clearly which parts are research and which are editorial framework.
Archetype thinking builds on Carl Jung[2] as applied to brands by Mark and Pearson[1]. The four archetypes here are CMT’s own adaptation for physicians. The patient data comes from the CMT Patient Study[8].
Answer six questions
About what energizes you, how you lead, and what you value.
See your archetype
Your primary archetype, how strongly each one pulled, and what to watch for.
Meet your patient mirror
The patient segment most likely to recognize you as their guide.
What is at stake
If your messaging describes a style that is not yours, it is harder to deliver consistently, and what patients expect may not match what they experience.
What success looks like
You get language for your natural strengths, the blind spot to watch, and a starting point for which patients are most likely to feel understood by you.
Our agreement with you
We promise to be plain about what this test is, what it is built on, and where it stops.
Disclaimers, please read before you start
This is a self-assessment for clarity and communication planning. It is not a diagnostic, psychological, or clinical tool, and it does not measure competence or quality of care. The four archetypes are CMT’s editorial framework, and the patient figures come from the CMT Patient Study[8], which draws on CMT’s own patient-inquiry survey, 2013 to 2024. Your answers are self-reported and not independently verified.
What to do with this. Treat your results as a starting conversation, not a conclusion. Before changing your marketing, pricing, insurance participation, or business structure based on any CMT tool, consult a qualified professional, such as a healthcare attorney, a CPA or financial advisor, or a practice management consultant, who can evaluate your specific situation, your local market, and your actual patient data. This tool does not know your practice, your patients, your finances, your contracts, or your regulatory environment.
Not advice. Nothing here is medical, legal, financial, accounting, or tax advice. Content is educational and informational only.
Independence. CMT is an independent publication and reports on the full range of practice models. This tool does not favor concierge, hybrid, direct primary care, or traditional models, and it is not a vendor product.
Privacy. Your answers are processed in your browser and are not sent to CMT by this page. So the next tool can pre-fill, your result may be saved in this browser’s local storage on this device only. You can remove it with the “Clear saved results” button under your results, or by clearing your browser data.
Frameworks and credits. The framing here adapts published work by other authors, cited under Sources. That use is CMT’s own independent adaptation and does not imply endorsement by those authors or their organizations.
Assumption of risk and limitation of liability. This tool is provided “as is,” for general informational and self-assessment purposes only, without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including as to its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for a particular purpose. By using it, you acknowledge that any decisions you make, and any actions you take or do not take, based on its output are entirely your own, and you assume all risk associated with that use. Concierge Medicine Today, LLC, its owners, employees, and affiliates disclaim all liability for any loss, damage, or claim, direct or indirect, arising from or related to your use of this tool or reliance on its results.
© 2007–2026 Concierge Medicine Today, LLC. All rights reserved.
Methodology: how your archetype is calculated, and what it does not mean
What this test does. Each of your six answers votes for one of four archetypes. The archetype with the most votes is your primary archetype. If two or more archetypes tie for the most votes, the results show a blend and describe each one. There is no hidden tiebreaker.
EditorialWhere the four archetypes come from
The idea of archetypes, recurring patterns in how people think and relate, comes from Carl Jung[2]. Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson later built a brand-strategy method on twelve archetypes[1]. The four physician archetypes used here (Optimizer, Guardian, Disruptor, Pragmatist) are CMT’s own adaptation. They are not among Mark and Pearson’s twelve, they were not created by those authors, and they have not been statistically validated.
DataWhere the patient mirror comes from
The segment shares and averages come from the CMT Patient Study[8][9]: 561 patients who searched for a concierge doctor through CMT and answered all four rating questions between 2018 and 2024. They are a self-selected CMT audience, not a sample of the general population. CMT states that the Patient Study has not been reviewed by outside researchers.
EditorialThe pairing of archetype and segment
Optimizer pairs with Level-Uppers, Guardian with Coverage Keepers, Disruptor with Fresh-Starters, and Pragmatist with Careful Movers. This pairing is a CMT hypothesis: when a doctor’s way of leading lines up with what a patient is looking for, trust may come more easily. The Patient Study does not test it.
What the independent research does and does not say
- A review of 21 studies of physician-patient communication found that 16 reported positive links between communication quality and patient health outcomes[4].
- A meta-analysis of 13 randomized trials found that the patient-clinician relationship had a small but statistically significant effect on healthcare outcomes[5].
- Hall and colleagues offer a formal definition and conceptual model of patient trust in physicians[6], and a systematic review found that higher continuity of doctor care was associated with lower mortality in 18 of 22 studies[7].
None of these studies compared archetypes, and none says one style is better. The small effect size in the meta-analysis is a reminder to keep expectations modest.
How the story is framed
Donald Miller’s StoryBrand framework[3] casts the customer as the hero and the brand as the guide. On this page, you are the hero and CMT is the guide. Inside your practice, your patient is the hero and you are the guide. Your archetype describes the kind of guide you naturally are.
Limits
- This measures how you see yourself, which may differ from how patients or colleagues see you. Consider asking a few of both.
- A strong pull toward one archetype does not mean the others are absent. Most physicians draw on more than one.
- Six questions produce a description, not a diagnosis.
Answer the way you naturally work
There are no right answers. Choose what is most true on your best ordinary day, not what you wish were true. All six answers are required.
Your archetype
Sources and further reading
Third-party sources
- Mark, M., & Pearson, C. S. (2001). The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0071364153. Catalog recordUsed for: the method of applying archetypes to brand meaning. Their framework uses twelve archetypes. CMT’s four physician archetypes are a separate adaptation.
- Jung, C. G. The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (Collected Works, Vol. 9, Part 1; 2nd ed., R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). Princeton University Press (Bollingen Series XX), 1969. ISBN 0691097615.Used for: the origin of the archetype concept.
- Miller, D. (2017). Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen. HarperCollins Leadership. ISBN 9780718033323.Used for: the seven-part story structure (character, problem, guide, plan, call to action, failure, success).
- Stewart, M. A. (1995). Effective physician-patient communication and health outcomes: a review. CMAJ, 152(9), 1423–1433. Read the articleUsed for: 21 studies met the review’s criteria, and 16 reported positive results linking communication quality with patient health outcomes. The author describes the finding as a correlation.
- Kelley, J. M., Kraft-Todd, G., Schapira, L., Kossowsky, J., & Riess, H. (2014). The influence of the patient-clinician relationship on healthcare outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PLoS ONE, 9(4), e94207. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0094207Used for: 13 randomized trials; overall effect small (d = 0.11) but statistically significant. The authors note few trials met their criteria and call for more research.
- Hall, M. A., Dugan, E., Zheng, B., & Mishra, A. K. (2001). Trust in physicians and medical institutions: what is it, can it be measured, and does it matter? The Milbank Quarterly, 79(4), 613–639. doi:10.1111/1468-0009.00223. PubMed recordUsed for: a formal definition and conceptual model of patient trust in physicians.
- Pereira Gray, D. J., Sidaway-Lee, K., White, E., Thorne, A., & Evans, P. H. (2018). Continuity of care with doctors: a matter of life and death? A systematic review of continuity of care and mortality. BMJ Open, 8(6), e021161. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-021161. Read the articleUsed for: 18 of 22 studies reported statistically significant lower mortality with higher continuity. Observational studies, so association, not cause.
CMT first-party research (not independently peer reviewed)
- Concierge Medicine Today, LLC. The CMT Patient Study. Data collected 2013–2024; compiled and published 2025–2026. conciergemedicinetoday.net/cmt-patient-studyUsed for: the four patient segments, their shares (n = 561, 2018 to 2024), and segment averages. Self-selected CMT audience, not a national sample.
- Concierge Medicine Today, LLC. The CMT Patient Study: full published research article. conciergemedicinetoday.net/cmt-patient-study-article
Bibliographic details verified September 21, 2026. Links open the publisher, journal, government, or CMT page. Books are identified by ISBN.
WHAT THE ASSESSMENT COVERS:
01
Your readiness profile→
Financial, operational, and personal factors that determine fit
02
Market fit indicators→
Whether your patient panel and geography support this model
03
Honest risk factors→
What makes transitions fail — and whether those apply to you
04
Your next step→
A clear recommendation based on your answers — not a generic guide
CMT has covered this field independently since 2007. We've talked to thousands of physicians who've made this decision — in both directions.
“This assessment was built from nearly two decades of physician interviews, national conference conversations, and independent research. It doesn't tell you what to do. It gives you the framework to decide for yourself — clearly, honestly, without a vendor agenda.”
— Michael Tetreault, Editor-in-Chief · Concierge Medicine Today · Est. 2007 · Independent since day one
This assessment is useful if — and honest if it's not.
Good fit
Physicians actively considering a transition
Physicians 1–5 years from making a move
Residents exploring career paths
Physicians wanting an independent view
Not the right fit
Physicians who've already decided and are in execution mode
Those seeking legal or financial advice
Practices already operating in this model
Most physicians land here for one of these reasons:
You're exhausted by the current model but not sure if this is the answer or just an escape.
You've read about it but can't find an honest, vendor-neutral take on whether it fits your situation.
You're worried about the transition — financially, relationally, professionally.
You want someone to tell you clearly: yes, or no for now, but not forever, or no, it’s just not for you.