Concierge medicine
Concierge medicine: primary care with fewer patients and more time.
Concierge medicine is a simple trade. You pay an annual concierge fee, and in return the practice keeps its patient list small enough that you get your doctor’s time and attention when you need them.
Included in membership
What membership includes
Membership covers access to Dr. Shtern and the extra time. These are part of every membership.
Same or next-business-day visits
When something comes up, you are seen that day or the next business day, not in three weeks.
Phone access around the clock
Members can reach the practice by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays.
Extended visits
Appointments are long enough to cover everything on your list, with minimal time in the waiting room.
The annual executive physical
A thorough yearly exam with lab work and an ECG, then time to go through the results together.
Lab draws in the office
Blood is drawn here, so there is no separate trip to a lab. Stool occult blood testing too.
ECGs in the office
Electrocardiograms done during your visit, without a separate appointment elsewhere.
Rapid respiratory tests
In-office testing for flu A and B, COVID-19 and strep, so a sick visit ends with an answer.
Telehealth
Video visits when coming in is not practical, including for many follow-ups.
Specialist coordination
Dr. Shtern picks the specialist, makes the call, and keeps track of what they find.
Medication management
One doctor keeping an eye on every prescription, dose and interaction.
Chronic disease management
Blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, kidney and thyroid care, followed closely between visits.
Preventive care and advocacy
Screenings on schedule, vaccines up to date, and someone on your side when the system gets complicated.
Side by side
Concierge care and a typical practice
Concierge practices vary. This is how Legacy Medical works, next to the high-volume model most people are used to.
| Topic | Typical high-volume practice | Legacy Medical |
|---|---|---|
| Getting an appointment | Often weeks for a routine visit | Same or next business day |
| Who you see | Whoever is available | Dr. Shtern, every visit |
| Length of a visit | Often 15 minutes or less | As long as the visit needs |
| After hours | Answering service or urgent care | Phone access 24/7 for members |
| Labs and ECG | Separate trip to a lab | Drawn and done in the office |
| Specialists | A referral slip and a phone number | Dr. Shtern chooses, calls and follows up |
| Insurance | Billed for visits and tests | Still billed for visits and tests; the concierge fee is separate |
Why the panel is small
A typical primary care doctor carries a list of two thousand patients or more. Concierge practices typically keep a few hundred. That is the whole idea: fewer patients means a schedule with room in it, so a same-day visit is normal rather than lucky, and a phone call gets returned by the doctor who knows you.
Dr. Shtern limits the number of members she takes on, and she sees one patient at a time.
What the fee does not cover
The concierge fee is not insurance. It does not pay for hospital stays, emergency care, specialists, imaging, or prescriptions. Keep your health insurance, including Medicare and any supplemental plan. Office visits and covered tests at Legacy Medical are billed to that insurance as usual.
If you are weighing the cost, the useful question is what the access is worth to you: how often you have waited weeks to be seen, or gone to urgent care because your doctor could not fit you in. What concierge medicine costs here.
Who it suits
Concierge care tends to suit people who want one doctor to keep track of everything: adults managing high blood pressure, kidney disease or diabetes; retirees and seasonal residents who want continuity between Florida and up north; busy professionals who cannot wait three weeks for an appointment; and adult children arranging care for a parent.
If your care is simple and your current doctor is easy to reach, you may not need a concierge practice. We will tell you that at your tour if it is true.
Concierge care and direct primary care
The two are often confused. Direct primary care practices usually replace insurance billing with a monthly fee and do not bill insurance at all. Legacy Medical is a concierge practice: the membership covers access, and your insurance is still billed for visits and tests.
FAQ
About concierge medicine
What is concierge medicine?
A model of primary care where patients pay an annual concierge fee and the doctor keeps a much smaller patient list. The smaller list is what makes same-day visits, longer appointments and direct phone access possible.
Is concierge medicine worth it?
It depends on how you use your doctor. People who manage several conditions, see multiple specialists, travel, or simply want to reach their own doctor quickly tend to find it worthwhile. Come to a meet and greet and ask Dr. Shtern directly; she will be straight with you.
Do I still need health insurance?
Yes. The concierge fee does not replace insurance. You will still need coverage for hospital care, specialists, imaging, prescriptions and emergencies, and Legacy Medical bills your insurance for office visits and tests.
How many patients does Dr. Shtern see?
Far fewer than a typical practice. Legacy Medical takes no more than 300 members, and Dr. Shtern sees no more than eight patients a day, one at a time, never two booked into the same slot. Appointments run about an hour, and longer when your needs call for it.
Will I always see Dr. Shtern?
Yes. She is the physician for every member.
Keep reading
Insurance and fees
What concierge medicine costs here: the concierge fee, and what your insurance still pays for.
Read morePreventive care and physicals
Executive annual physicals, screenings, and no day at a hospital.
Read moreNext step
Meet Dr. Shtern before you decide.
Every membership starts with a complimentary meet and greet. Sit down with Dr. Shtern, see the office, and ask whatever you like.