What is concierge medicine?

The model

Concierge medicine restructures primary care around a smaller patient panel. A conventional practice may carry two thousand patients or more per physician; a concierge practice typically carries a fraction of that.

The practical effects follow from the arithmetic: longer appointments, shorter waits, and direct contact with a provider who knows your history rather than whoever is available.

What patients typically receive

Extended appointments, same or next-day availability, direct communication between visits, coordination across specialists, and a more thorough approach to preventative planning and lab interpretation.

Some practices offer home or office visits where a visit does not require clinic equipment.

What it does not do

Concierge care does not replace emergency services, hospital care, or specialist treatment. It does not make a provider available at every hour regardless of what is advertised. And it does not change the underlying standard of care — the same clinical evidence applies.

It is also not insurance. Understanding how it interacts with existing coverage is worth clarifying before enrolling.

Questions worth asking before enrolling

Panel size is the number that drives everything else — ask what it is, and what it is capped at. Ask who covers when your provider is away, and what the actual response time to a message has been rather than what is advertised.

Ask what the membership includes and what is billed separately, how it interacts with your insurance, and whether laboratory work, imaging and specialist referrals sit inside or outside the agreement. Ask about the cancellation terms. These are ordinary contractual questions, and a practice that answers them plainly is easier to evaluate than one that generalises.

Movera Wellness Institute. Medical services are provided by licensed California practitioners. Supervising physician: Dr. Arnold S. Kremer, DO (CA license #20A4242).