As 2025 draws to a close, one thing is clear: concierge and membership-based medicine models are no longer on the fringes of healthcare, they’re actively shaping its future.
Nowhere was that more evident than at this year’s Concierge Medicine Forum (CMF) in Atlanta, where Specialdocs joined innovators from across the country for several days of candid conversations, hard truths, and hopeful solutions. Our leadership team and 10 Specialdocs-affiliated physicians had a unique opportunity to share what’s working in real practices, in real communities, right now.
What emerged was a snapshot of a movement coming into its own. Here’s how the 2025 Forum reflected a turning point for concierge medicine, with Specialdocs physicians helping to lead the way.
1. Rethinking the physician shortage issue: is it really a system problem?
The “physician shortage crisis” is now a familiar headline. But several voices at the Forum challenged whether we truly lack enough doctors…or whether we’ve simply buried them under so much non-clinical paperwork that their capacity to fully care for their patients has disappeared.
“If you divide the U.S. population by the total number of family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics physicians, we actually have a manageable number of patients per provider,” noted Dr. Brad Brown of Strive Direct Health, a direct primary care (DPC) practice located in Colorado. “The problem is the layers of non-clinical work that separates doctors from their patients. By eliminating those with a simple membership model, I can care for patients promptly and appropriately because I truly know them.”
It’s a theme we see repeatedly in Specialdocs-affiliated practices: providing concierge medicine services that remove the administrative burden and panel overload allows physicians to rediscover both time and joy in practicing medicine.
As Specialdocs CEO emeritus Terry Bauer shared from the stage, concierge and DPC practices are among the only models he’s seen that truly achieve healthcare’s Quadruple Aim: reducing system costs while improving population health, patient experience, and provider well-being. “When a practice is intentionally designed around the physician–patient relationship, everyone benefits,” he said.
2. Concierge medicine services continue to evolve, opening new doors for employed physicians.
A decade ago, working with a company specializing in concierge medicine services was often viewed as a niche primarily open to independent, private-practice physicians. This year’s Forum confirmed just how much that has changed.
“In the past few years, the concierge model has matured to the point where we can confidently convert physicians employed by hospitals, health systems, or group practices,” said Specialdocs’ Andrew Bonner.
That evolution is transforming career possibilities for physicians who once felt locked into high-volume, low-autonomy roles. The transitions, however, are complex, and preparation matters.
Specialdocs-affiliated internist Dr. Michael Golden, who moved from a multi-specialty group to a Boston area-based solo concierge practice in 2021, underscored the value of expert guidance. “It was essential to have a partner who understood all the business aspects, including legal, accounting, real estate, office design, and medical equipment, and helped me anticipate potential pitfalls,” he related.
Equally critical was learning how to communicate with patients. Shared Dr. Golden: “Unlike a gym membership, the idea of paying a fee to join a doctor’s practice may still be unfamiliar and requires thoughtful explanation. You need to be prepared for the hard questions, like ‘Why are you doing this?’ My answer: It’s not my job to fix the entire healthcare system, but to care for my patients as best I can today.”
For Dr. Priya Mathur, who left a large health system for a smaller concierge group in northern Virginia, the transition was steep but rewarding. “Building a practice where patients choose to enroll, and cultivating new referral relationships with specialists, was a complete shift from traditional employment. The mentorship I received from the practice founder and the support with concierge medicine services from Specialdocs was invaluable. We had weekly check-ins for several months before I joined the practice that laid the foundation so well I never felt concerned or uncertain that I would ultimately succeed,” she said.
These stories are increasingly common among Specialdocs physician clients: courageous moves out of unsustainable environments, supported by a structured, time-tested path into membership-based care.
3. Group conversions can thrive—with the right leadership and culture.
Another trend that stood out in Atlanta was the growing success of group practice conversions. When one physician finds a better way forward, their colleagues notice.
At Piedmont Internal Medicine (PIM), Dr. Elizabeth Walton hit a breaking point familiar to many: “Our fee-for-service practice was financially sound but had become bureaucratic and exhausting. By 2022, I was done. I needed a better way to care for my patients and myself.”
Her decision to work with Specialdocs to convert to a concierge model reset not only her professional trajectory but the culture of the entire practice. Within two years, six of her colleagues followed suit.
“It was a very successful pilot,” recalled Dr. Craig Peters, PIM practice leader. “We saw Elizabeth smiling again, enjoying her work, and having time to care for herself. That made all of us take notice.”
With careful planning around staff education, patient communication, and physician input at every stage, the group’s transition was both orderly and energizing: “A few months later, we were up and running smoothly with robust panels of satisfied patients and happy doctors,” he said.
From a Specialdocs perspective, it illuminated the power of long-term partnerships with our clients. Helping leaders design a model that works proved transformative not just for one physician, but for an entire team and the community they serve.
4. There’s no “perfect age” to convert, only a readiness to change.
One of the most frequently asked questions Specialdocs hears from physicians considering concierge medicine is: “Is it too early – or too late – to do this?”
The resounding message from the Forum: timing is less about age and more about mindset and stability in your community.
Dr. Brad Pontz of Novamed Associates in Fairfax, VA, looked back on his life before conversion. “I was seeing 15 to 25 patients a day and spending late nights catching up on documentation. I’d put my kids to bed, then go back on the computer for two or three hours. It simply wasn’t sustainable,” he said.
Today, he describes concierge medicine as “the third and best chapter” of his career.
He advised physicians to consider not just their age, but their relationships. “You need some tenure in your community and a sense of your patients’ loyalty. Formal surveys can help but trust your intuition. Many of us underestimate the value we bring to our patients. If you’re thinking about making a change, do it sooner rather than later. You’ll likely wish you had done it years earlier,” he emphasized.
Dr. Jeff Puglisi, co-founder of Glenville Medical Concierge Care in Connecticut and a longtime Specialdocs physician, echoed that sentiment. “We were doing the best we could, but it wasn’t the best care for our patients. We didn’t have time or energy to make late-night calls to reassure patients’ families, or promptly do follow-ups, or implement new preventive techniques. I knew something had to change,” he said.
From his vantage point, the environment today is far more supportive than when he transitioned over a decade ago. “Awareness of concierge medicine has grown significantly. And practicing 24/7 medicine is not as difficult as it sounds. The beauty of this model is you have time to educate, respond quickly, and to follow up. You just don’t have that capability in a 3,000-patient practice. Patients know this and they’re not texting or calling on Saturday at 11 pm unless it’s a genuine emergency. They don’t abuse the privilege – they’re paying to be a member because they truly appreciate you and love the care you give,” he assured the group.
5. The most successful concierge practices start with a clear “why.”
Beneath the business model, the membership fees, and the logistics, the physicians who thrive in concierge medicine share something deeper: a powerful sense of purpose.
Dr. Angela Marshall, founder of Comprehensive Concierge Care in Maryland, described the personal and professional courage it took to pursue concierge medicine. “As one of the few Black female physicians to pursue concierge medicine, I faced a lot of skepticism early on. It was scary, but I stood firm in my belief that this was what I needed, as a physician, a parent, and a member of my community,” she related.
Dr. Marshall continued: “The bureaucracy, administrative burdens, even some aspects of value-based care, have drained our spirit and taken away our autonomy. The concierge model enabled me to reclaim my power, and real joy in caring for patients. It’s made a huge difference in the way I practice medicine.”
For Dr. Uday Jani, who established the first concierge practice in southern Delaware working with Specialdocs more than a decade ago, the model has allowed him to practice in a way that’s both medically rigorous and deeply human.
“Compassion literally means ‘to suffer with,’” he reflected. “As a concierge physician, it’s not just about prescribing or testing. It’s also about helping patients reflect, find purpose, and discover peace. Walking alongside them on their spiritual and health journey makes us more compassionate physicians, better able to care for our patients and ourselves.”
At Specialdocs, helping physicians articulate and live their “why” is at the core of every conversion. The model establishes the framework, but the doctor’s personal vision is what sustains a practice for years to come.
A movement that’s maturing, and a blueprint for what’s next.
What stood out most at the 2025 Concierge Medicine Forum was lived experience. Physicians at every career stage, whether practicing solo, with a large group or in a hospital system, shared a similar story: when traditional models were burning them out, concierge medicine offered a lifeline. The message was clear that the model no longer resides on the fringes of healthcare. Instead, it is now considered a sustainable and proven way to address some of healthcare’s deepest pain points. By reducing administrative friction and revenue concerns, concierge medicine empowers physicians to lead and restore the trusted connection between themselves and their patients.
Noted Specialdocs COO Greg Grant: “The concierge model is not an escape from healthcare’s challenges but a blueprint for rebuilding it around what matters most: the patient-physician relationship at the heart of the best medicine.”
As longtime attendees of the Concierge Medicine Forum, for Specialdocs this year’s event represented more than just an outstanding industry gathering. It inspired us to reflect on the journeys we’ve been privileged to support for over two decades, providing concierge medicine services that help physicians restore the enormous satisfaction of practicing the way they always envisioned. The model has come of age, the need is urgent, and as the stories from Atlanta showed, the path is clearer than ever. “Don’t wait,” advised Dr. Puglisi at CMF. “I’ve never met a concierge physician who didn’t say, ‘I wish I’d done this 10 years ago.’”
If you’re wondering whether concierge medicine could be your next chapter, we encourage you to turn the page in 2026. Contact us and take the first step on your road to concierge medicine.