By Paige Michael, RN · The Sunshine Edit
Concierge care flips the rushed, ten-minute visit. Here is how membership primary care works, what it costs, and who it fits, from the nurse practitioner leading Sunshine Medical.
Concierge, or membership, primary care is a model where you pay a monthly membership for direct, unhurried access to your provider, instead of being one of thousands of patients rushed through short visits. I lead Sunshine Medical, and we are bringing this model to St. Petersburg because so many people told us the same thing: they could not get real time with a provider who actually knew them. Traditional primary care runs on volume, which means rushed visits, long waits, and a different face each time. Concierge care is built the other way around. Here is exactly how it works, what it costs, and who it serves.
Why traditional primary care feels broken right now
Before we get into what membership care includes, it helps to understand why so many people in St. Petersburg are shopping for an alternative in the first place. The problem usually is not your doctor. It is the math they are forced to work inside of.
- There are not enough primary care doctors. The Association of American Medical Colleges projects the U.S. could be short up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, and primary care is one of the hardest-hit fields.
- The patient panels are enormous. A traditional primary care doctor often carries 2,000 or more patients at once. A membership or concierge practice usually caps that panel at 400 to 600. That single number is the whole difference — a smaller panel is what buys you time.
- The visit keeps shrinking. When one clinician is responsible for thousands of people, the appointment gets squeezed to 7 to 15 minutes, much of it spent typing. Physicians now report spending more time with the computer than with the patient, plus an hour or two of after-hours “pajama time” finishing charts.
- Burnout is built into the model. Physician burnout peaked near 56 percent in 2021 and still sits around 45 percent — close to half the workforce. An overbooked, burned-out clinician cannot give you unhurried attention no matter how much they want to.
- “Access” has quietly been outsourced. New-patient appointments now average about 26 days, and the reason family-medicine waits look shorter is that patients have been routed to urgent care, retail clinics, and rotating providers. You can be seen quickly — just usually not by someone who knows you.
Membership primary care is a direct answer to that math. Instead of billing insurance for volume, the practice charges a flat fee, keeps the panel small, and sells the one thing the traditional system ran out of: time with, and direct access to, your own clinician.
How membership primary care works
Instead of billing your insurance for every short visit, a membership practice charges a flat monthly fee for the relationship and the access. That single change lets a provider keep a much smaller patient panel, which is what makes the difference you feel: longer appointments, same or next-day access when you are sick, and the ability to message your provider directly instead of navigating a phone tree. You are not a chart number. You are a person your provider actually remembers.
What is included
A membership typically covers your preventive and primary care:
- Annual physicals and routine visits.
- Lab work.
- Management of ongoing conditions like blood pressure or thyroid.
- Guidance on weight and hormone health.
At Sunshine Medical, care is also coordinated with our wellness and aesthetic services, so your primary care and the rest of your health plan aren’t living in separate silos. The through-line is time — longer, unhurried visits are the point, not a perk.
Why the membership model is winning
This is not a boutique fad for the wealthy anymore. It has quietly become one of the fastest-growing corners of American healthcare.
- The U.S. concierge medicine market was worth roughly $7.35 billion in 2024 and is projected to nearly double by 2030, growing about 10 percent a year.
- There are now more than 2,600 concierge and direct primary care practices across all 50 states.
- Direct primary care alone counts 1.4 million-plus members, and the share of family physicians running one jumped from 3 percent to 9 percent in a single year.
Here is the practical difference, side by side.
| Traditional, insurance-based | Membership / concierge | |
|---|---|---|
| Patients per doctor | 2,000+ | 400–600 |
| Typical visit length | 7–15 minutes | 30–60 minutes |
| Getting an appointment | Days to weeks | Same or next day |
| Reaching your clinician | Portal messages, phone tree | Direct call, text, or email |
| Who you actually see | Whoever is open | Your clinician, who knows you |
| Main focus | Problem visits, throughput | Prevention and relationship |
What it costs, honestly
Transparency matters, so here are real numbers. At Sunshine Medical:
- $199/month for an individual.
- $349/month for a household of two.
- Some labs, medications, and procedures may carry their own cost — and we tell you that up front rather than surprising you later.
Compared with the hidden costs and lost time of the rushed model, many members find the math works in their favor — especially if they manage a chronic condition or simply value access.
Does it replace your insurance?
No, and this is the most common misunderstanding. A membership covers the primary care relationship and access. It does not replace insurance for specialists, imaging, hospital care, or prescriptions, so most members keep a health insurance plan for those bigger-ticket needs. Think of concierge care as upgrading the front door of your health, the day-to-day relationship, while insurance stays in place for the rest.
Why concierge care makes sense for founders and business owners
We see a lot of entrepreneurs in our practice, and the pattern is consistent: they will optimize every part of their business and quietly neglect the one asset the whole thing runs on — their own health. Membership care fits the way founders actually operate.
- Your time is the expensive part. A same-day text or a 30-minute virtual visit replaces a half-day lost to a waiting room and a phone tree. For someone whose calendar is the business, that is the real savings.
- One number, one person. When something flares up before a pitch, a launch, or a flight, you message the clinician who already knows your history — not a triage line that has never met you. Faster answers, and fewer unnecessary urgent-care detours.
- It is a predictable line item. A flat monthly or annual fee behaves like any other business subscription — easy to budget, and it often pairs well with a high-deductible plan and an HSA.
- Prevention protects the enterprise. The founder who catches rising blood pressure, a thyroid shift, or early burnout keeps showing up. For an owner-operated business, proactive care is really continuity planning.
- Energy is a competitive advantage. Sleep, metabolic health, and stress are performance issues, not vanity ones — and a clinician with time can actually work on them with you.
There is a second entrepreneurial angle worth naming: the model itself is being built by clinicians who wanted off the volume treadmill. Membership medicine is one of the clearest examples of practitioners turning a broken system into a small, sustainable business — exactly the kind of Florida innovation story we like to tell.
Who it is right for
Membership care tends to fit:
- Busy people who can’t afford to lose a day waiting for a rushed appointment.
- Anyone managing an ongoing condition who wants a provider who knows their history.
- People who want prevention and access instead of reacting to problems after they grow.
It’s not for everyone, and that’s fine. If the ten-minute visit has worked for you, you may not need it. If it’s left you frustrated, this is the model built to fix that. We’re welcoming founding members now, ahead of our opening.
Frequently asked questions
What is concierge or membership primary care?
A model where you pay a monthly membership for direct, unhurried access to your provider, with longer visits, same or next-day access, and direct messaging, instead of short, volume-driven appointments.
How much does concierge primary care cost in St. Petersburg?
At Sunshine Medical, membership is $199 per month for an individual and $349 per month for a household of two. Some labs, medications, and procedures may carry their own cost, disclosed up front.
Does concierge care replace my insurance?
No. It covers the primary care relationship and access. Most members keep insurance for specialists, imaging, hospital care, and prescriptions.
Who is concierge primary care right for?
Busy people, anyone managing a chronic condition, and people who value prevention and real access over the rushed ten-minute visit.
The bottom line
Concierge primary care is not about luxury. It is about time, access, and a provider who knows you. If the rushed model has left you frustrated, membership care is built to fix exactly that, and we would love to tell you more before we open.
Curious about membership care? Become a founding member of Sunshine Medical or book a call at sunshinewellnessaesthetics.com/sunshine-medical.
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- More from Paige Michael, RN
About the author
Paige Michael, RN, is a registered nurse specializing in wellness and aesthetics at Sunshine Wellness & Aesthetics in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she works with patients on medical weight management, hormone support, IV therapy, and injectables. She writes The Sunshine Edit for FL Innovation News. Learn more at sunshinewellnessaesthetics.com.
Read more from Paige Michael, RN on FL Innovation News, or visit sunshinewellnessaesthetics.com.
Medical disclaimer: This article is general information about health topics and is not medical advice. It is not a substitute for a conversation with your own clinician, who can advise on what is appropriate for your circumstances.
