Frequently Asked Questions

Membership Medicine

  • Membership medicine is often referred to as “Concierge Medicine” or “Direct Primary Care” (DPC). Both models charge a monthly or annual fee, though Concierge Medicine additionally bills insurance and charges co-pays for visits. Members Health Co is a Direct Primary Care practice, meaning that we do not bill insurance or receive any reimbursements from insurance. Our members pay a set monthly or annual fee directly to their personal physician. There are no co-pays, surprise bills, administrative headaches, rushed visits, or impersonal care.

    This healthcare model emphasizes health, disease prevention, and personalized care.

  • Traditional primary care physicians (PCPs) are expected to see 25-30+ patients a day because of decreased insurance reimbursements for primary care visits. This leads to rushed visits, impersonal care, and worse health outcomes because the traditional PCP is not able to be fully comprehensive or address preventive care/health optimization in a 10 minute office visit. Traditional PCPs are expected to oversee 4000+ patients (meaning 4000+ people have the same PCP), so it’s no surprise that they do not know all of their patients and have limited availability for last-minute visits when you need to see them the most.

    At Members Health Co, we limit our membership to only 300 patients per physician. Since we are not dependent on insurance reimbursements, your personal physician can take the time to truly know you and your unique health needs, and be available when you need them the most. Our membership model prioritizes a strong and satisfying patient-doctor relationship — the key to keeping you healthy and optimizing your health.

  • When you join Members Health Co, you gain access to a personal physician who is invested in you and your unique health needs, and accessible when you need it. Your membership includes an annual comprehensive physical exam that goes beyond insurance-covered annual physical visits. We do comprehensive screening bloodwork and diagnostic testing. We additionally focus on lifestyle assessments and incorporate personalized diet, nutrition, fitness, and mental health services. We have a pharmacy in-house and are order medications at wholesale prices, which is often cheaper than a typical co-pay even with health insurance. We can also ship them directly to your home to avoid unnecessary waits at the pharmacy. We partner with a lab to offer very discounted specialty bloodwork that is drawn in the clinic during your visit by our experienced phlebotomist.

    The result is a customized health and wellness plan which includes individualized follow-up and other forms of communication support throughout the year. This results in a far more connected version of primary care and guides you to achieving and maintaining more optimum health and disease prevention.

    We can provide a great amount of care by phone, email, and text, including virtual visits when appropriate. We are available to discuss urgent concerns on evenings and weekends when needed. We are working hard to create a practice where you can reach us when you need us, without having to jump through many hoops! You will enjoy greater convenience and peace of mind. You may also find a reduced need for visits to specialists and the emergency department/urgent care.

    You can see our full list of services under the What We Do section.

  • Absolutely. We believe patients would see their doctor more if it were easier to communicate, more individualized, and hassle free.

    At Members Health Co, we make it easy for patients to communicate with their doctor and visit with them in the office. We listen carefully to you to understand how your life, work and family situations may be affecting your health — physically, mentally, and emotionally.

    Besides acute care and managing illness, our focus is on adopting healthy lifestyle habits. We want to identify and prevent disease and other risk factors, concentrating our efforts on your lifetime health and wellness. Together, we will create a personalized plan to help achieve and maintain your optimal health.

    Advanced diagnostic tests may help us identify risk factors and health issues before they cause disease, saving you money, time, suffering and higher costs in the long run. Unlike the traditional practice environment, we have the time to deliver this type of comprehensive and detailed care.

Insurance

  • We do not bill your insurance or receive any insurance reimbursements for the services we provide. Though, we encourage our members to maintain a health insurance policy in case of emergencies, specialty care, hospitalizations, etc.

    This healthcare model emphasizes health, disease prevention, and personalized care.

  • Personalized medical practices do not take the place of general health insurance coverage, as we cannot predict emergencies or accidents. However, by providing you with better, more connected primary care, your plan utilization can often be reduced.

    We also partner with a few Health Share organizations, which are not health insurance companies, but offer much cheaper catastrophic coverage and pair very well with direct primary care. Ask us about this option during your onboarding to learn more.

  • Yes absolutely.

  • If you have health insurance, we are here to help you get the most out of it. Unlike in traditional clinics, we have the time to call your insurance company and pharmacies to get necessary medical costs covered as much as possible. We can take the time to complete prior authorizations faster and find the best specialists in your network if they are needed. We expect many patients will have fewer out-of-pocket medical costs because our smaller practice and more connected care model enables us to better manage the risks of the majority of your health issues and concerns.

    We also offer very discounted comprehensive testing beyond what insurance typically covers, including vitamin and hormone testing and other preventive bloodwork. Our wholesale pharmacy also offers members medications for often a fraction of their pharmacy co-payment cost and can be picked up during a visit or shipped directly to their house.

Speciality Care & Hospitalization

  • If you have a life-threatening emergency, you should call 911 or go to the ER immediately. Otherwise, you can contact your personal physician when needed.

    Often, we can diagnose and treat your need without a visit to the ER. In fact, membership medicine has been shown to result in many fewer ER and urgent care visits because we can discuss your medical needs when you need to. If appropriate, rest assured we can see you the same or next day!

  • Although we do our best to keep you healthy and avoid ER or hospital visits, sometimes it is necessary. This can be a stressful and confusing experience for patients and their families. We aim to make it as streamlined as possible.

    If emergency care is needed, we will call the ER/hospital to inform them of your arrival to reduce any wait time. You will be cared for by the emergency room physician and/or hospital physician. We will communicate with them, review your plan of care, answer questions, and make recommendations as needed. Your personal physician will communicate directly with you and your loved ones, and help you navigate the health care system. Immediate follow up care will be provided to ensure recovery, including coordination of specialists and other follow up.

  • Your personal physician is always available to help with any medical conditions that can be handled by virtual visit. If you have a condition that requires in-person evaluation and treatment, we will direct you to appropriate nearby care, and coordinate follow-up when you return home.

  • As a member, you are never alone. You will always be notified well in advance if your doctor has any planned vacations, and they will schedule routine visits accordingly. Even when out of town, your doctor will still be available by phone for your urgent needs. If you need to be seen in-person, another trusted physician will be available to assist and get you the care that you need.

Becoming A Member

  • Our Standard membership is $189/month and Premium membership is $379/month. You are able to pay your membership fees monthly, quarterly, or annually.

    We offer discounts for Founding Members, families and couples, self-employed, and students or medical residents. Ask us about additional discounts.

  • We currently only see children age 12 and older. We encourage children to still have a pediatrician for routine vaccinations. We will consider seeing children under 12 on an individual basis for acute issues and care coordination if needed.

  • Mental health is incredibly important for optimal physical health and overall well-being. We are able to diagnose and treat a variety of mental health issues including anxiety, depression, bipolar, ADHD, PTSD, and more. We are also able to coordinate referrals to specialized mental health services when needed.

  • No, there is no requirement to live locally. We offer a variety of remote/telemedicine services to meet your health needs. Nashville is also convenient for destination medicine.

  • Yes, your personal Members Health Co physician is available by personal email, cell phone, and text. We strive to restore the sentiment of the “old country doctor” who knew their patients like family and were integral parts of the family and community.

  • You may cancel your membership any time after the first three months, with a 30-day notice. If you prepaid your membership fee for the year, you will be reimbursed for the remaining months. If you are a Founding Member, you will lose your lifetime discount if you cancel your membership.

    If you decide to rejoin and our waitlist is not full, there is a one-time $500 re-initiation fee. There is no onboarding fee for new Members.

    If you need to pause your Membership due to life circumstances, please us know and we will work with you.

  • Yes! Family members or friends may want to provide a loved one the gift of membership. It’s a great way to provide support and peace of mind and ensure personalized attention for their well-being.

  • There is no comparison. Other practices are held and bound by insurance models that do not place you and your well-being first. Price is what you pay, value is what you get. We work directly with our clients to provide individualized care, reduce costs and improve outcomes.

Have More Questions?

Send us an email at info@membershealthco.com or send us a message here and we will get back to you as soon as we can!