FAQs

Concierge medicine is a different model for the practice of medicine where the relationship is directly between the patient and the doctor. No insurance company, no nurse gatekeeper, just good, old-fashioned medicine. No waiting on the phone, no redirecting, no delay in being seen, no layers, no hassle. Just yes, how can we help?

The Village Doctor program is unique in that it cares for the entire family – adult and children, and includes dedicated, full-time internists and pediatricians. And our pricing is structured to encourage family participation, whether that means as a couple, parent(s) and child(ren), or just children.

Congratulations! Any additional member of the family can be added at any time, with the monthly fee adjusted accordingly. You can also take advantage of our Newborn Program. For a surcharge on the membership fee, your pediatrician will care for your baby in the comfort of your own home.

Yes. Any member of your household is able to sign up for membership, however our progressively discounted pricing plan is available to immediate family members only.

With far fewer patients, physicians at The Village Doctor family concierge practice can spend more time focusing on prevention and overall wellness than a physician in a traditional practice possibly can. You won’t find a crowded waiting room brimming with contagion. Visits can be as long as needed, so not only does your physician have time to ask questions, but they have time to wait for the answers, even from a reluctant teenager.

Our internists and pediatricians perform annual comprehensive physical exams to detect issues in their early stages. And even if you happen to be away on a business trip or on vacation, the doctor is still just a phone call away, 24/7.

We’ve found that a paying a monthly fee rather than a fee for service has meant our patients don’t wait to reach out at the first sign of feeling unwell, so their symptoms get addressed more quickly and illness is nipped in the bud.

Our team can go the extra distance when a referral to a specialist is warranted. Our practice has earned an excellent reputation and our patient members benefit by gaining first-available access to excellent specialized care as a result.

Just call our main number (650) 851-4747. The answering service will immediately reach out to the covering physician who will respond to you directly. For the fastest response it’s always better to call rather than to send an email. The covering physician will most often be your physician, however the internists and pediatricians take turns covering each other within their specialty on weekends and their day out of clinic each week.

By virtue of knowing you and your family well, and having immediate access to your electronic medical records day or night, we can provide excellent consultation services from afar. Using a secure web based system, your medical records, including medications, allergies, lab results, and EKG’s are available to you wherever there is internet or email access. Additionally, frequent (or adventure) travelers can take advantage of our Travel Medicine expertise and relationships with international networks of physicians and world-class private repatriation services.

The Village Doctor is no substitute for calling 911. However we are well connected with the local emergency medicine system and would want to be called after the paramedics are on their way to ensure that you are getting the best of emergency medical care.

The annual exam is an in-depth health assessment to establish your health goals, identify tools that can help, and evaluate your progress in achieving them. For children, the well-child check includes a comprehensive physical examination, immunizations, and discussions identifying age-related stressors that can affect well-being, as well as age-appropriate coping strategies. Afterwards, the pediatrician will review their findings with the parent(s). For adults the annual physical includes immunizations, EKG, a thorough review of comprehensive labs and other cardiovascular screening, as well as discussions about lifestyle and sources of stress, including recommended resources. After the exam the physician will provide a written summary including documentation of follow-up.

The Bay Area is fortunate to claim world-class medical institutions. But while The Village Doctor has an affiliation with them, it is independent of any hospital or facility, so our physicians are free to make referrals to the best specialists in the area and the country.

No. The Village Doctor will provide you with unparalleled primary care access and service, but you will be expected to maintain insurance to cover services provided by hospitals, emergency departments, specialists, laboratories, and imaging providers. You will also be asked to keep your insurance coverage current with The Village Doctor. It will accompany your samples to laboratories to make sure you get the full benefit of your plan when they bill you for the analysis. The Village Doctor must also provide the correct insurance information to specialists and pharmacies. Note that your health insurance costs may go down as you will no longer need primary care insurance coverage.

The Village Doctor has never contracted with any insurance companies, so there are no hidden fees, co-payments, or deductibles. Nor is The Village Doctor a health plan or insurance company. The carriers do not cover the extended medical services we provide. To this end our client agreement prohibits patient members from submitting The Village Doctor fees to any insurance company for reimbursement. Vaccines are the exception. The Village Doctor bills member patients separately for vaccines, most of which are covered by insurers, and upon request our patient members will be provided with a coded invoice that they can submit to their insurance carrier for reimbursement.

The Village Doctor recently enrolled with Medicare due to federal requirements. As providers we must submit a small number of claims for particular visits and vaccines. Reimbursement for those claims offset the fees we pay for the services of an experienced Medicare biller.

Your fee may be either tax deductible or reimbursable from a Health Care Reimbursement Account or Health Savings Account. Please consult your tax advisor for specific details regarding your situation.

In addition to its clinical team, The Village Doctor also offers the services of a licensed acupuncturist, a certified massage therapist, and a registered dietician in the Wellness Studio at The Village Doctor. While their servicers are also available to members of the community at large, and the charges for their sessions are not included in the monthly fee, these providers integrate their care for our member patients and document their services in the member patient’s clinical chart which are reviewed by the physician.

If you will be travelling internationally The Village Doctor can advise which vaccines are required and administer them.

Please do! We love showing off our white-coat-free zone and encourage you to meet with your prospective physician and our business manager to ask any questions and to ensure a great fit. Give our Front Desk Administrator a call at (650) 851-4747 or email [email protected] to schedule.