If you have shopped for a primary care doctor around Bethesda or Chevy Chase, you have run into it: practices that charge an annual membership fee on top of insurance, promising same-day visits, longer appointments, and a doctor who actually answers the phone. Concierge medicine is more concentrated in affluent, professional communities like ours than almost anywhere in the country. So the real question is whether the fee buys something you’ll use.

How the model works

In a traditional practice, a primary care doctor may carry 2,000–3,000 patients, which is what drives the rushed 15-minute visit and the three-week wait. A concierge or membership practice deliberately shrinks the panel — often to a few hundred patients — and charges an annual fee to make the economics work. The trade is simple: you pay for time and access.

The fee does not replace insurance. You still need (and use) health insurance for labs, imaging, specialists, and hospital care; the membership covers the enhanced primary-care relationship on top. National networks like MDVIP typically run about $1,800–$2,200 a year at the entry level, rising from there depending on the physician (MDVIP).

Traditional versus concierge primary care A traditional practice may carry two to three thousand patients per doctor with short visits, while a concierge practice carries a few hundred for longer visits and faster access in exchange for an annual fee. What the fee buys: time Traditional Concierge PATIENTS / DOCTOR ~2,000–3,000 ~300–600 TYPICAL VISIT ~15 min 30–60 min ACCESS days–weeks same/next-day
Panel sizes and visit lengths are typical ranges, not guarantees — ask any practice for its specifics.

Who actually benefits

Concierge care is not a scam, and it is not for everyone. It tends to be worth it if you:

  • Manage one or more chronic conditions and value an unhurried doctor who coordinates everything.
  • Travel or work intensely and need reliable same-day access and direct phone or text contact.
  • Want prevention done thoroughly — longer annual exams, more screening, more follow-through.
  • Were frustrated by rushed visits and simply want a real relationship with one physician.

It is probably not worth it if you are young, healthy, rarely see a doctor, and would mostly be paying for access you won’t use. The fee is also generally not covered by insurance and usually not HSA/FSA-eligible, since it pays for amenities rather than specific covered services.

A doctor reviewing records and notes
The core promise is time — longer visits and a doctor who knows your history well enough to act on it. (Image: Pexels)

The local landscape

Around Bethesda and Chevy Chase, several well-regarded internists offer membership or concierge care, and plenty of excellent traditional options exist too:

  • Dr. Matthew Mintz runs a private concierge practice serving Bethesda, Potomac, Rockville and Chevy Chase, with a perfect Zocdoc score across verified reviews.
  • Dr. Ali Sanai is a Chevy Chase concierge internist with nearly three decades of experience and strong peer recognition.
  • Dr. Bradley Hunter offers prevention-focused, MDVIP-affiliated concierge family medicine for the Rockville and North Potomac area.

Prefer a conventional, insurance-based internist? Dr. Laura Brown, a Washingtonian 2025 Top Doctor with Johns Hopkins, and Dr. Mary Elizabeth Callsen are both strong picks.

How to decide

Interview the practice before you pay. Ask the panel size, what the fee does and doesn’t include, how after-hours access actually works, and what happens to your insurance billing. Then weigh it honestly against how often you use primary care.

Sources & further reading