Only 47% of concierge practices in NextMD's directory publish a fee that can be converted into a comparable monthly amount.
Direct primary care (DPC) performs better. Seventy-two percent of DPC practices provide a usable price. Specialty memberships are harder to compare, with calculable pricing available for only 14%.
These figures come from NextMD's August 2026 directory of 6,192 physician-led membership practices. We found some kind of public pricing language for 3,547 practices, or 57% of the database. Only 3,298 practices, or 53%, provided a number that could be normalized into one monthly figure.
Here is the difference. A website may say that fees vary by age, offer several family plans, list a consultation price, or ask you to call. All of those count as pricing information. None automatically tells you what your first year will cost.
Treat the advertised membership fee as the first line of a cost comparison. Before you join, calculate the full annual commitment and identify every service that can generate another bill.
What the 6,192-Practice Database Shows
NextMD separates five membership models because their pricing structures differ. For this analysis, comparable pricing means the practice publishes a fee that can reasonably be converted into one monthly amount. A complex age schedule or family cap may be transparent while still resisting one-number comparison.
Practice model | Practices | Any captured pricing language | Comparable monthly price |
|---|---|---|---|
Concierge medicine | 3,594 | 50% | 47% |
Direct primary care | 1,872 | 77% | 72% |
Hybrid membership | 419 | 57% | 51% |
Specialty membership | 209 | 21% | 14% |
Performance or longevity | 98 | 35% | 20% |
All models | 6,192 | 57% | 53% |
Across the directory, 1,879 records use monthly prices, 1,417 use annual prices, and 251 contain complex pricing descriptions. The remaining 2,645 records have no captured public price.
Our analysis is a directory snapshot, not an audit of every practice's current website. A missing directory price can reflect a recent website update, an offline fee schedule, or information given only during an enrollment call. It should not be interpreted as proof that a practice refuses to disclose its fee.
Model-level differences remain substantial. A patient comparing DPC practices can see a usable price roughly three times out of four. A patient comparing concierge practices can do so less than half the time.
DPC Usually Presents a Defined Product
The American Academy of Family Physicians defines DPC as a contract in which the patient pays a periodic fee for a defined set of primary care and administrative services.[1] In NextMD's directory, practices usually present that contract as a visible monthly schedule.
DPC memberships typically run $50 to $200 per month, or $600 to $2,400 per year. The practice generally does not bill insurance for routine primary care covered by the membership. Patients usually keep insurance for hospital care, specialists, surgery, imaging, and other services outside the primary care office.[1]
Pricing can still require a calculation. Action Medicine DPC in Massachusetts publishes separate monthly fees by age: $55 for ages 19 to 20, $75 for ages 21 to 40, $95 for ages 41 to 64, and $115 for adults 65 and older. It also publishes a $265 family cap and several discounts.[2]
Action Medicine's page is transparent. It cannot be reduced to one correct national-directory number because the answer depends on who is enrolling. A 32-year-old pays $900 a year before any discount. A 67-year-old pays $1,380. A family may reach the cap.
Patients can review the underlying model differences in NextMD's concierge medicine versus DPC comparison.
Concierge Pricing Has More Moving Parts
Concierge medicine generally costs $3,000 to over $40,000 per year. The membership usually pays for enhanced physician access, longer appointments, care coordination, and a defined wellness program. Many concierge practices also bill insurance for covered medical services.
The American Medical Association says retainer practices should present contract terms clearly, explain known insurance implications, and distinguish membership charges from medical services reimbursable by insurance or another payer.[3] Two identical annual retainers can therefore produce different total costs.
Consider three common structures:
One annual fee. The Cove Concierge Medicine in Castle Rock publishes a $3,700 adult membership. Its site also lists couple and family prices, explains what office care is included, and describes cancellation after six months with 30 days' notice and a possible prorated refund.[4]
Age-based annual pricing. Cohasset Concierge Medicine lists $1,500 a year for ages 18 to 29, $2,500 for ages 30 to 39, $3,300 for ages 40 to 64, and $3,800 for patients 65 and older. It also states that covered medical services may still be billed to insurance and that enrollment carries a one-year commitment.[5]
A private quote. Some practice websites describe benefits, name membership tiers, and send prospective patients to a call or application without posting the fee.
The two published-fee structures provide meaningful prices, though only the flat adult fee produces an easy single-number directory record. A private quote requires a conversation before comparison can begin.
Patients browsing concierge and DPC practices in Massachusetts will encounter all three approaches. Geography alone does not tell you which one a practice uses.
The Membership Fee May Be Only Part of Your Cost
A useful comparison separates the membership contract from medical spending outside the contract.
Ask the practice to place each item in one of three buckets:
Cost bucket | Examples | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
Included in membership | Routine visits, annual physical, messaging, telehealth, care coordination | Is there any visit limit or separate office charge? |
Charged by the practice | Enrollment fee, home visit, supplies, procedures, vaccines, laboratory work | Can I see the current cash-price schedule? |
Billed elsewhere | Insurance copays, specialists, imaging, hospital care, outside labs | Which charges remain subject to my plan and deductible? |
A $3,700 membership that includes office visits has a different cost structure from a $3,700 retainer paired with insurance billing for each covered visit. A $95 monthly DPC plan may include unlimited visits while charging separately for a $20 supply used during a procedure. The headline fee does not answer either question.
Use this formula before comparing practices:
First-year membership cost = recurring fees + enrollment fees + required program charges
Then list probable medical spending separately. Do not add an insurance deductible as if you will automatically spend it. Record the copays, deductible exposure, and services the membership leaves outside the practice so you understand where another bill could appear.
NextMD's concierge medicine cost guide explains what the standard pricing tiers usually buy. The contract still controls what any individual practice includes.
Federal Price-Transparency Tools Do Not Compare Membership Contracts
Federal healthcare transparency rules give patients useful information, but each rule covers a particular part of the system.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services requires hospitals to publish standard charges in a machine-readable file and a consumer-friendly display.[6] Health plans must provide price-comparison information for covered items and services through an online tool and on paper when requested.[7]
Those tools help estimate a hospital procedure or an insured service. They were not designed as a standardized comparison of annual concierge and DPC agreements. A membership can combine access, communication, wellness planning, office care, and nonmedical amenities under one contract.
Patients who do not have insurance or choose not to use it can usually request a written good faith estimate for scheduled medical items and services. If one provider's final bill is at least $400 above that provider's estimate, the patient may qualify for the federal dispute process.[8]
A good faith estimate can help with planned self-pay care. Your membership agreement still determines recurring fees, included services, renewal, cancellation, and refunds. Keep both documents when both apply.
Twelve Questions to Ask Before You Join
Request the membership agreement and fee schedule before paying. Then ask:
What is my exact fee based on my age and household?
Is the commitment monthly or annual? A monthly payment plan may still represent a one-year contract.
Is there an enrollment, initiation, or onboarding fee?
Which visits are included? Ask about annual exams, sick visits, telehealth, urgent calls, and follow-ups.
Will the practice bill my insurance for covered office services?
Which services carry separate charges? Ask about laboratory work, vaccines, procedures, supplies, forms, and home visits.
Does the fee change with age? Ask when the next age-band increase takes effect.
Are spouse, child, or family discounts automatic?
Can the fee increase during the contract term? Ask how renewal increases are communicated.
What are the cancellation and refund rules? Request the notice period and refund formula in writing.
What happens if the named doctor retires, leaves, or sells the practice?
Can you show me a sample first-year total? Use your actual age, household, insurance arrangement, and expected services.
A useful answer should be specific enough to calculate. "It depends" is reasonable when followed by the variables, current rates, and written terms that determine the final amount.
FAQ
Why do some concierge doctors make you call for pricing?
Practice websites often use age-based fees, household discounts, several membership tiers, or private enrollment quotes. The website may also separate the membership from services billed to insurance. Ask for the current written fee schedule and membership agreement before paying.
How much does concierge medicine cost in 2026?
Concierge medicine generally costs $3,000 to over $40,000 per year. Entry-level memberships usually run $2,500 to $5,000, premium memberships $5,000 to $12,000, and ultra-premium care starts around $15,000 and commonly exceeds $40,000 per year.
Is DPC pricing more transparent than concierge pricing?
Yes, in NextMD's August 2026 directory snapshot. Seventy-two percent of DPC practices publish a fee that can be normalized into a monthly amount, compared with 47% of concierge practices.
Does a concierge membership include medical visits?
It depends on the contract. Some practices include office visits in the membership. Others charge a retainer for enhanced access and bill insurance for covered medical services. Ask the practice to separate included services, separately charged services, and insurance-billed care.
Does health insurance cover the concierge membership fee?
Usually no. Health insurance may still cover eligible office visits, laboratory work, imaging, specialists, and hospital care when the practice bills insurance. Confirm the membership fee and medical billing structure separately.
Can a practice change its membership price?
Your agreement should explain the term, renewal process, notice, and cancellation rights. Ask whether the practice can increase the fee during the current term or only at renewal, and request every change in writing.
What should I compare besides price?
Compare the named physician, panel size, appointment access, after-hours coverage, services included, insurance billing, care coordination, cancellation terms, and physician backup. A lower fee can cost more if routine services sit outside the membership.
Get the Number in Writing
Price transparency means more than seeing a dollar sign on a website. You need a fee you can calculate, a service list you can understand, and contract terms that explain what happens after you pay.
NextMD lets you compare physician-led concierge and direct primary care practices by location, model, physician credentials, and published pricing. Search practices near you, then confirm the current fee and membership agreement directly with the practice before joining.
Sources
American Academy of Family Physicians. (2019; reaffirmed 2024). Direct Primary Care. Read the AAFP policy on direct primary care contracts
Action Medicine DPC. (2026). Monthly Membership Fees. Review Action Medicine's age and family pricing
American Medical Association. Retainer Practices, Code of Medical Ethics Opinion 11.2.5. Read the AMA ethics guidance for retainer practices
The Cove Concierge Medicine. (2026). Membership and Enrollment Terms. Review The Cove's membership pricing
Cohasset Concierge Medicine. (2026). Concierge Primary Care FAQs. Review Cohasset's age-based fees and insurance terms
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2026). Hospital Price Transparency. Review the CMS hospital disclosure requirements
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2025). How to Get the Most Out of Transparency in Coverage. Review CMS health-plan price-comparison guidance
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2024). Know Your Rights When You Aren't Using Health Insurance. Review good faith estimate and billing-dispute rights