Concierge medicine has rapidly gained global traction, particularly in the U.S., where patients now have access to primary care through a premium membership fee. In this deep dive into the U.S. healthcare landscape, we explore the flaws of a dysfunctional healthcare system, paving the way for the rise of the concierge medicine model.
Both stakeholders, patients and providers, are dissatisfied.
Patients
Providers
Concierge medicine is stepping up where the US primary care system is falling flat. In this model, the patient directly pays a membership fee for seamless primary care services. It is a combination of exclusive, personalised care with unmatched accessibility and convenience.
The concierge medicine market is projected to reach $10B by 2028, driven by factors such as physician burnout, a shortage of primary care doctors, and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, reshaping the healthcare landscape. It is proving to be a fix for burned-out physicians and dissatisfied patients.
Patient
With concierge medicine, patients now have improved access to personalised healthcare, resulting in an enhanced overall experience.
For instance, consider Specialdocs Concierge in comparison to the traditional model:
Provider
a) Reduction is administrative work
On average, doctors in the US are reported to spend up to 20 hours a week on paperwork and administrative tasks, often reducing the time available for patient appointments. Since patients pay directly, providers are not reliant on insurance payouts, which reduces administrative tasks and eliminates concerns about reimbursements.
Operating within the concierge framework removes much of the bureaucracy, putting patient care at the forefront.
b) Stronger provider/patient relationship
By spending less time on bureaucratic tasks and seeing fewer patients under the concierge model, doctors can dedicate more time and personalised attention to each patient. This fosters a greater sense of comfort and engagement for patients, resulting in higher satisfaction and improved outcomes.
c) Financial upside
The concierge model offers providers both revenue stability and visibility, due to the annual membership fees of concierge programs, which can exceed $4K.
There are various concierge medicine models:
Full Conversion Model:
Hybrid Conversion Model:
Segmented Conversion Model:
Concierge medicine is gaining traction both among established legacy players and emerging new-age providers.
For legacy players, offering concierge services has several benefits:
Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, University Hospitals in the Cleveland area and Baptist Health in Miami are among the large hospital systems offering concierge physician services.
There are several new-age companies innovating in this space. Some examples:
1. Sollis Health
The company offers on-demand access to a wide range of concierge medical services, specialising in ER and urgent care. Members benefit from 24/7, year-round access to unlimited visits and on-demand virtual care. The service includes care coordination, allowing members to connect with a network of specialists, as well as access to advanced hospital services, including imaging and other critical diagnostics. The company has raised $80M in total and has over 17K members.
2. Transcarent
Compared to Sollis, Transcarent operates on an at-risk model with no upfront employer fees. It earns a share of savings when employees choose its recommended, cost-effective treatments. Transcarent partners with preferred providers through pre-negotiated contracts, ensuring high-quality care at competitive rates. Members also benefit from concierge services and care navigation.Transcarent has expanded beyond primary care into the tertiary care space. In 2020, it merged with BridgeHealth, a provider specialising in surgical advocacy and Centres of Excellence (COE) programs. These programs focus on high-referral volumes and a robust network of specialists, catering to large, self-insured organisations and their members.Transcarent provides members with an end-to-end surgery care platform:For providers, Transcarent negotiates direct contracts with fixed, transparent pricing, prioritising quality over quantity. This drives cost savings, enabling employers to offer surgery at little to no cost.The company has raised a total of $450M and services over 300+ employers and health plans.
In the US, the concierge model is predominantly doctor-led, operating independently and often disconnected from the broader healthcare system. These models position themselves as replacements rather than extensions of traditional care pathways, marking a departure from hospital- and insurer-driven frameworks. This reflects a systematic pivot toward privatisation and individualised healthcare delivery.
The emergence of concierge medicine highlights critical gaps in the US primary care system, which serves as the essential gateway to accessing specialised and tertiary care. Structural inefficiencies - such as limited access, overburdened providers, and time-constrained patient interactions - have created a vacuum that concierge models aim to fill by offering personalised, accessible, and high-quality care.
This trend sets the stage for broader disruption across the healthcare continuum, from primary to tertiary care. Companies like Transcarent are already expanding on this concept, integrating concierge-like principles into comprehensive solutions that reimagine how care is delivered and accessed across all levels of the system.
While concierge medicine has made its mark in the U.S., its application in a vastly different healthcare system like India's presents unique challenges and opportunities. In the next section, we’ll explore how this model could potentially scale and adapt to India’s diverse healthcare landscape
At 3one4 Capital, the team has intentionally built a long-term commitment to responsible investing and to support the evolution of an ecosystem conducive to RI. This active commitment has helped the firm secure the signatory status to the UN PRI.
3one4 Capital has been ranked by Preqin, a global reference database for asset management, as India’s top performer for two of its funds, in the recent Alternative Assets report. The seed and early-stage funds managed by the firm have been recognized for their performance amongst the India-focused venture capital funds in this Asia Pacific-focused report published in 2021. With industry-leading Net IRRs, 3one4 Capital’s Rising I & Fund II are the top two amongst the best performing India-focused VC funds between the vintage years, 2010- 2018.