In summary, by prioritizing quality over cost, future-focused doctors can cultivate an exceptional patient experience that fosters loyalty and builds trust, ultimately leading to long-lasting relationships and referrals. And isn’t that more about being the best Doctor FOR the world, FOR your Patients and FOR your local community?! I certainly think so.

By Editor, Concierge Medicine Today | Listen to the Latest Industry Podcast Episode

It’s hard to get time with a healthcare practitioner today if you sit on my side of the exam room. Let alone, it’s a complicated, frustrating position to be in if you’re a Physician burned out and charting on your bed at 2:03am!

Years ago, and even prior to Obamacare being passed, I remember so many of the membership medicine marketplace discussions with both Physicians and key stakeholders that ideas back then primarily circled around more price transparency in healthcare and ideations about how and why this freedom to list your price would and could benefit both patients and Physicians in the future.

Fast forward nearly 10 to 15 years, and the marketplace has evolved. Patients can now walk into retail healthcare facilities and see, displayed on large screens, the prices for various procedures and services. Moreover, we can explore some form of a low-cost subscription or concierge medicine websites to find subscription rates, and with a simple app download, we can speak with healthcare professionals within minutes for a nominal fee. Some grocery store pharmacies and certain concierge medicine and some form of a low-cost subscription practices even provide deeply discounted prescription lists on their websites.

This progress is impressive! Count me as a fan. However, we’re still not there, and the healthcare marketplace will never be flawless. I don’t believe a single model can serve all needs. We exist in a vast and imperfect world, and despite the passionate support for all models, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for every patient or Physician.

I’m reminded of this statement a Physician (now retired) once told me: “Instead of viewing the status quo PCP model as the center of the universe. Maybe we should take some plays from the Retail Clinic playbook before we become obsolete.”

Today’s physicians often struggle with self-promotion, branding, marketing, and business planning. Many choose to remain independent, aiming to be low-cost leaders in a transparent healthcare market filled with options, often defaulting to selling their primary care services as low-cost subscriptions. Transparency as a concept in healthcare sounds great until you face the reality of building a business and a brand with it (i.e. price alone). How do you keep up? It reminds me of the familiar analogy of a dog chasing a car: what happens when the dog finally catches it?

One of my mentors wisely noted, “When you have a heart for your community, you don’t have to compete on price. Without community, you’re a commodity.”

So, what does this mean for membership medicine?

In my discussions with physicians over the years, I’ve noticed that about 7 to 8 out of every 10 doctors in primary care and family medicine resist constructive business feedback, believing there’s little to learn from corporate leadership principles. But here’s a hard truth from the corporate leadership playbook that the IMO 2/10 physicians (primarily concierge physicians due to their strong entrepreneurial skills) understand: the most damaging feedback isn’t negative; it’s the absence of feedback.

Currently, concierge medicine and unique other forms of a low-cost subscription practices offer unique opportunities and challenges for doctors navigating a competitive healthcare environment, particularly regarding pricing strategies. If we were to sit down with you today, I would share that I don’t view concierge medicine and other forms of low-cost subscription practices as competitors at all. Instead, I see them as two distinct paths patients and Physicians can choose, and having choices in business (and in healthcare!) is beneficial FOR all. And isn’t doing good always good for business?

While lower costs and lack of payer administrative hassles can attract a broader patient base—especially those patients frustrated with traditional insurance models—this pricing focus carries significant risks. By competing on price alone, membership medicine physicians may reduce their services to mere commodities, viewed solely through a financial lens. This shift risks turning healthcare into a transactional service rather than fostering the essential trust and relational dynamics crucial for compassionate, effective primary and family care.

So, where should we position ourselves in terms of price in building your brand and your business? Well, instead of engaging in a price war with telehealth apps, local retail healthcare centers, urgent care facilities that advertise prices, or even nearby fellow concierge doctors or other forms of low-cost subscription practices, physicians in any membership medicine practice should highlight their dedication to patient care and enhancing the patient experience and how they desire to support community health. By focusing on building genuine relationships and improving healthcare accessibility, membership medicine physicians can create a strong presence in the market that underscores their value far beyond mere pricing.

In summary, by prioritizing quality over cost, future-focused doctors can cultivate an exceptional patient experience that fosters loyalty and builds trust, ultimately leading to long-lasting relationships and referrals. And isn’t that more about being the best Doctor FOR the world, FOR your Patients and FOR your local community?! I certainly think so.