Patient Loyalty Check

How the numbers work

1. Retention rate is the share of last year’s patients still with you. Referral rate is the share of new patients who came from an existing patient.
2. Patient Loyalty Score (0 to 100). Retention contributes up to 60 points, scaled across a 70% to 98% range. Referrals contribute up to 40 points, scaled against a 50% referral share. The weights are CMT editorial judgment, not a validated instrument.
3. Estimated average relationship length is 1 divided by your annual attrition rate, capped at 20 years so very high retention does not produce unrealistic numbers.
4. Net value per relationship is (annual fee minus direct cost) times relationship length, minus the cost to bring in the patient. It is shown ahead of gross revenue because revenue alone overstates what a relationship is worth. Values are not discounted for inflation or the time value of money.

Limitations

• “Patient Loyalty Score” and “Relational Equity” are CMT’s descriptive terms, not validated clinical or industry-standard measures.
• Benchmarks from CMT’s own research are first-party observations, not independently reviewed, and not a standard or prediction for any practice.
• New and growing practices often see more turnover early on. A lower score is a prompt to look closer, not a verdict.
• Rules on membership fees, scope of practice, patient communications, and tax treatment vary by state and circumstance. Consult a CPA and healthcare attorney before acting on any figure here.

Sources

1. Concierge Medicine Today. Retention observations in concierge practices (roughly 92% to 94%), CMT research, 2010 to 2013. First-party, not independently reviewed.
2. Concierge Medicine Today. Observation that stabilized concierge and membership practices often see 50% or more of new patients arrive by existing-patient referral. First-party, not independently reviewed.
3. Pereira Gray DJ, Sidaway-Lee K, White E, Thorne A, Evans PH. “Continuity of care with doctors: a matter of life and death? A systematic review of continuity of care and mortality.” BMJ Open, 2018;8(6):e021161. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29959146/
4. Dixon E. The Power of Customer Experience: 5 Elements to Make an Impact. 2022; and Geraghty L., “Customer Experience author Elizabeth Dixon on the CX that makes an impact,” Intercom Blog, June 2, 2022. https://www.intercom.com/blog/podcasts/customer-experience-elizabeth-dixon-cx/
5. Miller D. Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen. HarperCollins Leadership, 2017.
6. Tetreault M. No More Waiting Rooms: A Customer Service Road Map to Help Remarkable Medical Offices Navigate Their Way Towards an Irresistible Practice Where Gratitude Is on Repeat. Concierge Medicine Today, LLC, 2024. Includes CMT survey data described by the publisher as not scientific.
7. Concierge Medicine Today, LLC. The Doctor’s Expanded Guide to Concierge Medicine. Hardcover edition, 2022 (editions 2019 to 2022). Includes CMT polls and physician-search data from 2010 to 2019, described by the publisher as not scientific.
8. Havas Group. Meaningful Brands 2025, as reported in “Dynamic Adaptability: The New Imperative for Brand Growth,” LBBOnline, July 24, 2025. https://lbbonline.com/news/Dynamic-Adaptability-Havas-Brand-Study
9. Henderson J. Know What You’re FOR: A Growth Strategy for Work, An Even Better Strategy for Life. Zondervan, 2019. ISBN 9780310356318; and Lead With Your Life, book notes on Henderson’s two questions, March 2022. Book notes

Sources reviewed September 2026.