Starting strong: What physicians need to launch a concierge practice

Launching a concierge medicine practice can feel daunting for physicians who are burned out in traditional models but perhaps hesitant to leap into entrepreneurship.

Medical Economics convened a conversation with three leaders who understand what’s needed from their firsthand experience: John Moultrie, M.D., who left hospital employment in Atlanta to start his own concierge practice in 2024; Andrew Bonner, vice president of business development at Specialdocs Consultants; and Brandy Jeffery, director of business development at Specialdocs and a former practice manager who led her own group through a successful conversion.

In this conversation, the panel offer highlights of the planning process, from initial evaluation and site selection to patient communications and staffing, as well as candid advice on how to minimize the challenges and maximize the rewards of a change to the concierge medicine model.The transcript of the conversation was edited for length, clarity and style.

Medical Economics: Let’s start with a brief look at why physicians are choosing concierge medicine before we dig into how they accomplished it.

John Moultrie, M.D.: It was the realization that working 10-hour days in the office followed by hours at the computer after my kids went to bed was unsustainable. I needed more time for my patients, for my family and for myself. I chose to follow the path of one of my mentors who had previously left the hospital and worked with Specialdocs to launch his own very successful concierge practice.

Andrew Bonner: Many of our physician clients are seeking an opportunity to build a relationship with their patients. What they realize soon after converting to concierge medicine is how rewarding it is for themselves as well.

Medical Economics: Andrew, once a physician’s made the decision to change, on average, how long should they expect the process to take through launch?

Bonner: For independent physicians, the process to convert to our concierge medicine model is approximately three months; for physicians leaving an employed situation, it can take up to six months. It’s a bigger lift, and we’re transparent about this with our clients. But they can also be assured that we will develop a timeline and guide them through every step of the process, from finding a location and creating a business entity to acquiring insurance, arranging for an EHR, hiring staff, and the many other tasks needed to set up a new concierge practice.

Medical Economics: Dr. Moultrie, what did you find was the hardest piece to navigate when you first started the process of converting from hospital employment to an independent concierge physician?

Moultrie: The business aspects were most overwhelming. I quickly realized how much I needed accounting, legal, human resources and IT services. Specialdocs connected me with experts, many of them local. They also guided me through the tricky process of leaving a hospital system with noncompete clauses. Their experience in dealing with this really helped ease my mind and gave me a very clear playbook.

Medical Economics: Let’s talk about the actual office. What do you advise in terms of finding the right location and the right size and layout?

Brandy Jeffery: The No. 1 priority is patient convenience. Find a location close to where patients are accustomed to coming to you for care, and make sure there’s easy and ample parking, valet services and good handicapped accessibility. Allow space for two exam rooms and a private office per physician, a lobby for patients, an area for staff, and if possible,
a room dedicated for blood draws.

Medical Economics: Let’s talk about hiring and training the best staff. What staffing levels are advised for a concierge practice?

Jeffery: We recommend a ratio of 2.5 staff members per 250 to 300 patients. You want to look very specifically for employees with a genuine hospitality mindset who can make people feel welcome and heard from the moment they check in at the front desk. At my previous practice, we frequently recruited new staff by inviting students at local medical assistant schools to serve their clinical rotations at our office. This gave us an opportunity to assess their on-the-job skills and performance before extending a more permanent job offer.

Medical Economics: What role does communication play during the transition process, and how does Specialdocs support physicians in educating and helping enroll patients in their new practice?

Bonner: Communicating the right message at the right time is key, and it’s why we meet regularly from the start to collaborate with physicians on all patient-facing materials to ensure their vision is clearly conveyed. Our Client Services team schedules those messages to be sent via email and text at a cadence that’s tailored individually by practice, and carefully monitors patient response and feedback. We also establish a Membership Information Line for each practice, staffed by our experienced associates, who take as much time as needed to answer questions and explain the benefits of becoming a concierge patient. It requires a thoughtful balance of listening, informing and motivating, and our team knows exactly how to manage that, as evidenced by tens of thousands of successful patient conversions over the years. Most importantly, it eliminates the need for physicians to extensively “sell” the new model to their patients, which can be uncomfortable for many clinicians, and instead focus on continuing to provide excellent care.

Moultrie: When I made the change last year, some patients were familiar with concierge model here in Atlanta, but others were not, so in addition to the Membership Information Line, I worked with Specialdocs to craft my elevator speech. They coached me very well on how to describe the model and confidently explain why I made the change. The ability to create my own website with Specialdocs early on was also essential, providing another easy way for patients to learn more.

Medical Economics: A lot of physicians have that entrepreneurial spirit and think, “I can do this myself.” But can they? What are some of the common mistakes physicians might make if they convert to a concierge model on their own?

Bonner: The main one is underestimating the time and expertise needed to successfully start and maintain what is essentially a small business. Maybe they plan to ask their nephew to create a practice website or their brother-in-law to handle the books because that’s how they’ve managed business needs in the past and it’s worked out. But this is a very different situation that represents one of the most important changes of their career. The way membership billing and payments are handled, for example, can make a significant difference in the financial health of the practice. By investing in the right expertise, physicians can launch a concierge practice on a solid foundation and ensure it thrives for years to come.

Medical Economics: Dr Moultrie, any advice for fellow physicians who are intrigued by concierge medicine but not quite ready to move forward with it?

Moultrie: When I made the change at 37, people thought I was too young. But if I had known how rewarding this was going to be, I may have actually done this a year or two earlier! So the best piece of advice I can give is don’t wait, contact an expert who can evaluate your practice and see if it’s a good fit for concierge medicine. For me, that was Specialdocs, and I’ve since recommended the company to numerous colleagues who have successfully made the change.

Learn more about Specialdocs and the Concierge Medicine Forum.