MD² (written MD2, pronounced "MD squared") is a national concierge medicine company whose physicians each care for only 50 families at a time, in exchange for one of the highest membership fees in private medicine.[1] It opened the first concierge medical office in the United States in Seattle in 1996, and it still sits at the top of the market, with more than 30 practices in cities from Seattle to New York.[1][3]
This article explains what MD² actually is, what it costs in 2026, who built it, and how its deliberately tiny patient panel sets it apart from the larger concierge networks like MDVIP.
MD² is ultra premium at scale
What MD² Actually Is
MD² is a concierge primary care practice, which means you pay an annual membership fee for a far smaller patient panel and much deeper access to your physician, on top of keeping your regular health insurance.[2] What makes MD² distinct is it has some of the highest prices per person and small panel size per doctor.
The defining rule, present since the first office in 1996, is that each MD² physician serves just 50 families.[1]
To see why that number matters, it helps to compare panel sizes across the models. Panel size is the number of patients (or here, families) one doctor is responsible for, and it is the single biggest driver of how much time your doctor can give you:
Traditional primary care: 2,000 to 2,500 patients per doctor, which is what produces the 10-to-15-minute visit.
Standard concierge medicine: under 300 patients per doctor.
MD²: 50 families per physician.[1][2]
Because MD² counts families rather than individuals, a panel of 50 households is small even by concierge standards. The fee buys what that scarcity makes possible: multi-hour annual evaluations, same-day or next-day visits, a physician reachable directly by cell phone, text, or email at any hour, and continuity across MD²'s offices if you travel or relocate.[2] As with all concierge and direct primary care models, the membership fee covers access and the wellness program; your insurance still pays for specialists, imaging, labs, and hospital care.[2]
A few terms worth defining, since they frame the rest of this guide:
Concierge medicine is any model where you pay a membership or retainer fee for enhanced access to a physician, usually on top of insurance. MD² is the original example.
Ultra-premium concierge is the top pricing tier, where annual fees start around $15,000 and can exceed $40,000 per patient. MD² and Private Medical are the names most associated with it.
Panel size is how many patients one doctor carries. MD²'s 50-families cap is the smallest panel in mainstream concierge care, and the reason its fee sits where it does.
How Much Does MD² Cost in 2026?
MD² does not publish a single national price, because the fee is set at each practice. By its own description, MD²-level care runs $20,000 to $40,000 per year, the tier it calls "ultra-personalized" concierge medicine.[2] That places MD² at the top of the three-tier concierge market: entry-level concierge practices generally charge $2,000 to $5,000 a year, premium practices $5,000 to $12,000, and the ultra-premium tier starts at $20,000 and commonly climbs above $40,000.
A few cost details to plan around:
The fee is on top of insurance, not instead of it. You keep your regular health plan for sick visits, specialists, labs, imaging, and hospital care. The MD² fee pays for the small panel, the long annual exam, and the around-the-clock access that insurance does not reimburse.[2]
It buys time and access, not different drugs. MD² doctors are board-certified physicians practicing standard medicine; the difference you pay for is the multi-hour exam, the direct line, and the fact that your doctor has 50 families instead of 2,000 patients.[2]
It may be partly HSA or FSA eligible. As with most concierge memberships, parts of the fee tied to medical services can sometimes be reimbursed through a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA), depending on your plan. Confirm with your benefits administrator before assuming it qualifies.
For a full breakdown of what each price level actually delivers, our tier-by-tier guide to concierge medicine costs walks through the entry, premium, and ultra-premium bands side by side, and our broader guide to what concierge medicine costs covers how to weigh the fee against the value.
Who Built MD²
MD² was founded in 1996 in Seattle, Washington, by two physicians, Dr. Howard Maron and Dr. Scott Hall, who were frustrated with overcrowded practices, rushed appointments, and reactive care.[1] Maron had spent years as the team doctor for the Seattle SuperSonics professional basketball team, and the idea grew out of what he saw there: elite athletes and team owners received attentive, immediate, relationship-driven medical care that ordinary patients never got.[4] He set out to build that experience for a small group of families willing to pay for it.
The first MD² office opened in 1996 and, by the company's account, contained every core element of the model still in use today: unrushed, completely private visits long enough to build a real relationship between doctor and patient.[1] The early pricing tells you how new the idea was at the time. According to industry reporting, the first MD² program charged $13,200 a year for an individual or $20,000 for a family, with a 50-to-1 patient ratio, and operated in Washington and Oregon before expanding.[3]
That expansion was deliberate and slow. Rather than signing up as many doctors as possible, MD² grew to more than 30 practices over nearly three decades while holding the 50-families rule constant in each new office.[1] Today it operates in Washington, Oregon, California, Illinois, Texas, New York, the Washington, D.C. area, and additional markets including Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, according to NextMD directory data. Its founding claim, that it created the category, is borne out by the timeline: MD² launched its first office in 1996, and the larger concierge networks that followed, including MDVIP, came afterward.[3]
MD² vs MDVIP: Scarcity vs Scale
MD2 may be the largest ultra premium network. Inversely MDVIP is the largest affordable concierge network.
MDVIP has the largest scale of any concierge network. It now has more than 1,400 affiliated physicians nationwide and organizes them under one brand with shared wellness protocols, and over its history it has passed through a succession of corporate and private-equity owners, including Procter & Gamble and, today, Goldman Sachs Asset Management with Charlesbank Capital Partners.[5] An MDVIP doctor reduces a panel well below the traditional 2,000-plus, to a few hundred patients, which supports a roughly $1,800-to-$4,500 annual fee.
MD² built for scarcity. It grew to roughly 30 offices, not 1,400 doctors, and it caps each physician at 50 families rather than several hundred patients.[1]
One model makes concierge care available to hundreds of thousands of members at a mid-range price; the other restricts it to a tiny number of families at the top price. Neither is "better" in the abstract. But they address different ends of the concierge markets.
Is MD² Worth It, and What Are the Alternatives?
MD2 is worth it, if you are looking for ultra premium. It is worth it for a family with a complex schedule or complex health, who places a high value on time and direct access, and who is comfortable paying $20,000 to $40,000. The price tag also comes with access and connections to some of the most talented people in the medical field for each city. This includes hospitals and specialists.[2]
It is worth knowing what else that money can buy before you commit:
An independent concierge practice. Many standalone concierge doctors cap their panels under 300, publish their pricing openly, and charge a fraction of MD²'s fee. Priority Physicians in Indianapolis is one example of the independent, small-panel model at a mid-market price. You give up the national brand and the multi-city continuity, and you often gain price transparency.
Premium concierge at $5,000 to $12,000. The tier just below ultra-premium still delivers same-day access, long visits, and a small panel, often with the same board-certified caliber of physician, for roughly a quarter of the MD² fee.
Direct primary care. If your goal is time and access rather than a luxury tier, a direct primary care practice at $50 to $200 a month delivers longer visits and direct physician contact for far less, though you keep separate insurance for emergencies and specialists.
The honest framing is that MD² sells the most refined version of an experience that exists, in less expensive forms, all the way down the concierge market. What you are paying the top price for is the 50-families panel and the brand, not a different standard of medicine.
How to Compare MD² to Practices Near You
Because MD²'s pricing is set office by office and is not listed publicly, an apples-to-apples comparison is hard to do on your own. A directory built for the concierge and direct primary care market solves that. On NextMD you can see MD² offices such as MD2 Madison Avenue in New York listed alongside independent concierge and DPC practices, compare their monthly or annual pricing side by side, and view each physician's credentials before you decide. Every practice listed is physician-led, with at least one MD or DO. You can browse concierge options in Seattle, where MD² began, in the New York metro, or anywhere in the country at nextmd.ai/search.
FAQ
What is MD²?
MD² (also written MD2) is a national concierge medicine company founded in Seattle in 1996. It is widely credited with opening the first concierge medical practice in the United States. Its defining feature is that each MD² physician cares for only 50 families, which allows multi-hour annual exams, same-day visits, and 24/7 direct access to your doctor. You keep your regular insurance, which still covers specialists, labs, imaging, and hospital care.
How much does MD² cost?
By MD²'s own description, MD²-level concierge care costs between $20,000 and $40,000 per year, which places it in the ultra-premium tier of the concierge market. The fee is set at each practice and is paid on top of your regular health insurance. It covers the small patient panel, the long annual evaluation, and around-the-clock physician access, not the medical services your insurance already pays for.
How many patients does an MD² doctor have?
Each MD² physician caps their practice at 50 families, a rule the company has kept since its first office opened in 1996. That is far smaller than a traditional primary care panel of 2,000 to 2,500 patients, and smaller than a standard concierge panel of under 300 patients. The tiny panel is the main reason MD²'s fee sits at the top of the market.
Is MD² worth it?
It depends on your priorities. MD² is worth it for someone who places a high value on time, wants the smallest patient panel and the deepest access available, and can comfortably pay $20,000 to $40,000 a year. If your priority is more time with a doctor at a lower price, an independent concierge practice with a panel under 300, a premium concierge practice at $5,000 to $12,000, or a direct primary care membership can deliver much of the same experience for less.
What is the difference between MD² and MDVIP?
Both are concierge medicine, but they sit at opposite ends of the market. MDVIP is built for scale, with more than 1,400 affiliated physicians and a fee generally between $1,800 and $4,500 a year. MD² is built for scarcity, with roughly 30 offices and each physician limited to 50 families, at a fee of $20,000 to $40,000. MDVIP makes concierge care broadly available at a mid-range price; MD² restricts it to a small number of families at the top price.
NextMD helps you find and compare concierge and direct primary care practices across the United States, including the independent, small-panel alternatives to national brands like MD². Browse by city, compare pricing, and view doctor credentials at nextmd.ai/search.
Sources
MD². (2026). Our Origins. Company history: MD² opened the first concierge medical office in Seattle in 1996, founded by Dr. Howard Maron and Dr. Scott Hall; states the core tenet that each physician serves only 50 families and that MD² has expanded to more than 30 practices nationwide. md2.com/our-origins
MD². (2025). How Much Does Concierge Medicine Cost? Is It Worth It? States MD²-level ("ultra-personalized") concierge care costs $20,000 to $40,000 per year, with each physician caring for 50 families, multi-hour annual exams, direct 24/7 physician access, and nationwide continuity; notes the fee is on top of insurance. md2.com
Bryant, M. (2018). Hospitals eye concierge medicine to lure patients, boost revenue. Healthcare Dive. Reports that the first concierge program, MD2, launched in 1996 in Washington and Oregon, promised a 50-to-1 provider ratio, and charged $13,200 annually for an individual or $20,000 per family. healthcaredive.com
Wharton Magazine. (2012). The Doctor Is In...If You Pay Enough. Reports that concierge medicine started in Seattle in 1996 when Howard Maron, a former team doctor for the Seattle SuperSonics, left traditional practice to build the model. magazine.wharton.upenn.edu
MDVIP. (2026). Membership Overview. States MDVIP has a nationwide network of more than 1,400 affiliated doctors, that the annual fee is paid on top of insurance (which still covers routine and specialist care), and that the fee may be HSA/FSA eligible. mdvip.com