What Is, and Is Not, Included in a Concierge Medicine Membership?
Written by YiQiu Hu, NMD
Arizona-licensed naturopathic physician and virtual concierge medicine provider
Published August 2026 | Medically reviewed August 2026
One of the most common questions patients ask before joining a concierge medicine practice is simple: What exactly does the membership fee pay for?
The answer depends on the practice.
Concierge medicine is not a standardized package. One practice may include most physician visits, direct communication, preventive planning, and laboratory review in its membership fee, while another may charge separately for some of those services.
In general, a concierge membership pays for a defined relationship and set of services provided by the concierge practice. It usually does not mean that every healthcare expense—from prescriptions and laboratory facility charges to specialists, imaging, hospitalization, and emergency care—is included.
Understanding that distinction before enrolling can prevent unexpected costs and help you compare practices more accurately.
If you are new to the model, start with our overview of what concierge medicine is and how it works.
What Is Commonly Included in Concierge Medicine?
Although every practice establishes its own membership terms, concierge medicine commonly provides enhanced access to a physician together with ongoing primary or preventive medical care.
Depending on the practice, membership may include:
Routine physician appointments
Longer or more comprehensive visits
Virtual appointments
Direct physician communication
Follow-up between scheduled visits
Preventive healthcare planning
Chronic condition management
Medication management
Laboratory ordering and interpretation
Care coordination
Specialist referrals
Review of outside medical records
After-hours communication for appropriate concerns
The important distinction is that the physician's work may be included even when a separate product, facility, medication, or outside healthcare service is not.
For example, your concierge physician may order an MRI, review the report, explain the findings, and help determine the next step. The physician's evaluation and follow-up may be part of your membership, while the imaging center still charges separately for performing the MRI.
The same distinction often applies to laboratory testing, prescriptions, specialist care, and other outside services.
For a more detailed explanation of how these arrangements work, read A Patient's Guide to Understanding Concierge Membership Services and Expectations.
What Is Included in the Ask Dr. Hu Concierge Membership?
At Ask Dr. Hu, our current Concierge Medicine Membership is designed to provide ongoing access to personalized physician care for eligible patients throughout Arizona.
Current membership features include:
Unlimited medically appropriate virtual visits
Direct physician communication by text, email, or phone
After-hours availability for appropriate non-emergency concerns
Medically appropriate laboratory ordering and personalized result review
Medication management and follow-up
Specialist referrals and care coordination
Preventive healthcare and long-term health planning
Members who prepay for 12 months also receive one annual in-person physical examination by appointment under the current membership terms.
Membership visits and physician communication provided through the membership are not submitted to health insurance. Current services and policies should always be confirmed on the Ask Dr. Hu Membership page, since membership terms can change over time.
Are Laboratory Tests Included?
This is an important distinction.
A concierge membership may include the physician services involved in laboratory care, such as:
Determining which laboratory tests are medically appropriate
Ordering testing
Reviewing results
Explaining abnormal findings
Comparing results over time
Developing recommendations
Ordering follow-up testing when appropriate
That does not necessarily mean the laboratory itself performs the test for free.
At Ask Dr. Hu, medically appropriate laboratory ordering, monitoring, and personalized interpretation are included within the current membership. However, charges from an outside laboratory may be separate depending on the laboratory, testing location, and the patient's insurance coverage.
Think of these as two separate services:
Physician laboratory management: may be included in the membership.
The laboratory's charge for collecting and processing the test: may remain a separate expense.
Are Prescription Medications Included?
Usually not.
Your concierge physician may evaluate whether medication is appropriate, prescribe it, monitor your response, adjust the dosage, address side effects, and provide follow-up care.
The actual medication, however, is generally purchased separately through a pharmacy.
At Ask Dr. Hu, prescription medication costs are not included in the concierge membership fee. Patients may use applicable prescription insurance benefits or available cash-pay options when appropriate.
Are Imaging Tests Included?
Diagnostic imaging is typically a separate expense unless a particular concierge practice specifically states otherwise.
This may include:
X-rays
Ultrasounds
CT scans
MRI scans
Mammograms
Other diagnostic imaging
Your concierge physician may determine whether imaging is appropriate, place an order when within the physician's scope and clinically indicated, review available results, and help you understand what happens next.
The imaging facility generally bills separately for performing the study.
Are Specialist Visits Included?
Usually not.
One benefit of an ongoing concierge relationship is having a physician who can help determine when specialist care is appropriate and how it fits into your overall treatment plan.
Your concierge physician may help:
Identify the appropriate specialty
Coordinate a referral
Provide relevant medical information
Review specialist records
Discuss specialist recommendations with you
Monitor medications or laboratory results
Integrate recommendations into your broader care plan
However, the specialist is a separate healthcare provider and generally charges separately for the specialist consultation, testing, or treatment.
Insurance requirements also continue to apply. Patients with an HMO or another plan requiring referrals through an insurance-designated primary care physician may need that physician to process the formal insurance referral even when a concierge physician recommends the specialist.
What Is Usually Not Included in a Concierge Medicine Membership?
Unless the individual membership agreement specifically says otherwise, patients should generally expect many services performed outside the concierge practice to remain separate expenses.
These may include:
Prescription medications
Laboratory facility charges
X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and other imaging
Specialist consultation fees
Emergency department care
Hospitalization
Surgery
Ambulance services
Physical therapy
Medical equipment
Vaccinations
Procedures not specifically included in the membership
Services provided by outside healthcare facilities
At Ask Dr. Hu, the membership specifically does not include prescription medications, imaging, specialist fees, hospital services, emergency care, outside facility charges, or procedures and services not specifically included in the membership. In-office vaccines are also not provided through the membership.
Does Concierge Membership Replace Health Insurance?
No.
This is one of the most important distinctions to understand.
Concierge medicine membership and health insurance serve different purposes.
A membership may pay for greater physician access and certain services provided directly through the concierge practice. Health insurance, depending on your particular plan, may provide financial coverage for potentially much more expensive services such as hospitalizations, emergency care, surgery, diagnostic imaging, specialist care, medications, and other medical services.
Medicare similarly treats concierge membership fees separately from Medicare coverage and states that Medicare does not cover concierge membership fees.
For a more detailed explanation, read Does Concierge Medicine Replace Health Insurance? What Membership Covers, and What It Does Not.
Does Direct Physician Access Mean Everything Can Be Handled by Text or Telemedicine?
No.
Direct access is valuable because it provides another way to communicate with your physician, but it does not eliminate the need for appropriate medical evaluation.
Some concerns may require:
A scheduled medical appointment
An in-person physical examination
Laboratory testing
Imaging
A specialist
Urgent care
Emergency evaluation
Similarly, "unlimited visits" should generally be understood as visits available as often as medically appropriate under the terms of the practice, rather than a guarantee that every concern can be addressed immediately or entirely through virtual care.
Patients interested in how virtual membership care works can read Virtual Concierge Medicine in Arizona: How Telemedicine-Based Membership Care Works.
Is Emergency Care Included?
No. Concierge medicine is not a replacement for emergency medical care.
Direct access to your concierge physician should never delay appropriate emergency evaluation.
Potentially life-threatening symptoms—including severe chest pain, significant difficulty breathing, signs of stroke, severe bleeding, loss of consciousness, major trauma, or another serious emergency—require immediate evaluation through 911 or an appropriate emergency department.
Your concierge physician may be able to help with follow-up and coordination after emergency treatment, but the emergency services themselves remain separate from the membership.
How Can You Know Exactly What Your Membership Covers?
Before joining any concierge practice, read the membership agreement and ask specific questions.
You should be able to answer:
Which appointments are included?
How often may I schedule visits?
Are virtual appointments included?
How can I contact my physician?
What does after-hours access mean?
Is laboratory ordering included?
Are laboratory facility charges included?
Are medications included?
Are physical examinations included?
Are procedures included?
How are specialist referrals handled?
What happens if I need urgent or emergency care?
Does the practice bill my health insurance?
What happens if I cancel?
Are processed membership payments refundable?
The phrase "concierge medicine membership" alone does not tell you what you are purchasing. The written membership agreement does.
If you are comparing practices, our Patient's Guide to Joining a Concierge Medicine Practice provides a more complete checklist.
The Bottom Line
A concierge medicine membership generally provides greater access to your physician and a defined set of medical services—not unlimited coverage of every healthcare expense.
Depending on the practice, included services may involve physician appointments, direct communication, preventive planning, medication management, laboratory interpretation, chronic-condition monitoring, and care coordination.
Expenses such as prescriptions, outside laboratory charges, imaging, specialists, procedures, hospitalization, and emergency care may still be separate.
The most important step is to understand exactly what your particular membership agreement includes before enrolling.
At Ask Dr. Hu, patients can review our current Concierge Medicine Membership, explore the complete Concierge Medicine Resource Center, or contact our practice with questions about membership.
Medical Accuracy, Sources, and Transparency
This article was written and clinically reviewed by YiQiu Hu, NMD, an Arizona-licensed naturopathic physician and concierge medicine provider.
Information regarding concierge and retainer-based healthcare models was reviewed alongside authoritative healthcare resources, including Medicare's guidance on concierge care and educational information from the American Medical Association regarding direct and retainer-based medical practices. Medicare specifically distinguishes concierge membership fees from Medicare-covered healthcare services.
Transparency statement: Ask Dr. Hu offers a paid concierge medicine membership and therefore has a financial interest in this topic. This article is intended to help patients understand both the services that may be included in concierge membership and the important expenses and limitations that may remain outside the membership.
Concierge practices differ significantly. Patients should review the specific membership agreement, insurance coverage, fees, exclusions, and policies of any practice they are considering.
Last medically reviewed: August 2026
About the Author
YiQiu Hu, NMD is an Arizona-licensed naturopathic physician, founder of Ask Dr. Hu, and medical director. He provides concierge medicine, preventive healthcare, health optimization, laboratory evaluation, chronic disease management, and individualized treatment planning for patients throughout Arizona.
Dr. Hu's approach emphasizes thoughtful medical evaluation, evidence-informed naturopathic care, clear explanations, preventive healthcare, and long-term physician-patient relationships.
He earned his Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree from Sonoran University of Health Sciences and a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Northern Arizona University. He also has extensive experience in medical leadership and multidisciplinary healthcare practice management.
Learn more about Dr. YiQiu Hu and the physicians at Ask Dr. Hu.
Medical disclaimer: This article is for general educational purposes only and does not provide individualized medical advice, establish a physician-patient relationship, or replace evaluation by a qualified healthcare professional. Membership terms, insurance benefits, and outside healthcare costs vary. Call 911 or seek appropriate emergency care for a potentially life-threatening medical concern.