Comparing Concierge Medicine in Northern Virginia
Choosing the best concierge medicine practice in Northern Virginia can be difficult. You know you want more access and a better relationship, but how do you pick the right concierge doctor?
At PartnerMD, we’ve helped thousands of patients make this decision since our founding in 2003. Some choose us and receive trusted care from the doctors in our McLean office.
Some decide to go elsewhere, whether they look for concierge medicine in Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Reston, or even Washington D.C. And that’s ok.
We want to provide useful information to help you select the best concierge doctor in Northern Virginia for you and your family.
In this blog, we’ll compare what we do against a few other practices in the area in hopes of getting you on the path to an informed decision.
Concierge Medicine in Northern Virginia: Similarities
To start, it’s important to understand what features are standard throughout concierge medicine. You will see these features across the board:
- Out-of-pocket membership fee
- Same-day or next-day appointments for sick care
- Little to no waiting at the office
- Longer appointments with your physician
- After-hours care and weekend access
Concierge Medicine in Northern Virginia: Differences
What differences should you be looking for in each practice? The personality of the doctors is the obvious one. You should have a doctor you like and trust. But beyond that, the core differences include:
- Cost of membership
- Doctors at each practice
- Annual physical options
- Wellness services
- The specific form of after-hours care
Then there are additional, smaller differences depending on the practice. In the rest of this article, we’ll dive into the different features offered at a handful of the best concierge medicine practices in Northern Virginia.
Concierge Medicine Practices in Northern Virginia
Here is a list of the concierge medicine practices we will compare.
- PartnerMD
- Inova VIP 360 Concierge Medicine
- MDVIP
- Northern Virginia Family Practice
- NOVAMED
- Family Healthcare of Fairfax
Concierge Medicine in Northern Virginia: Cost
Nationally, the cost of concierge medicine ranges anywhere from $1,500 to $10,000. On the lower end of the spectrum, you’ll find smaller practices. On the higher end of the spectrum, you’ll find what we call luxury medicine or VIP medicine.
In the Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. areas, you can find many options on the lower end of the spectrum. See below for a comparison of the annual cost at each practice.
Practice | Cost |
PartnerMD | $2,500 per year |
Inova VIP 360 Concierge Medicine | $2,200 per year |
MDVIP | $1,800-$3,000 per year |
Northern Virginia Family Practice Associates | Not publicly available |
NOVAMED | Not publicly available |
Family Healthcare of Fairfax | Not publicly available |
Some practices also offer discounts for additional adult family members, young adults, and children.
A few things to keep an eye on as you investigate your options:
- Can you pay monthly, quarterly, or annually?
- Is the cost different depending on your method of payment?
- What is the cancellation policy?
At PartnerMD, for example, you can cancel at any time with 30 days’ notice and if you’ve paid ahead, we’ll prorate your money back.
Use our online cost calculator to get an idea of what your concierge medicine membership cost at PartnerMD would be.
Concierge Medicine in Northern Virginia: Doctors in Each Practice
The size of each practice varies. You (and your family) may have one option for a physician. You may have more than one option.
This may play a factor in your decision if you'd like to keep your whole family's care in the same practice. For instance, if you wanted to see one physician and your spouse wanted to see a different physician, but at the same practice.
Practice | Doctors Available |
PartnerMD | Dr. Kaleen Kitay and Dr. Mandana Shafai are internal medicine doctors in PartnerMD’s McLean office conveniently located on tree-lined Elm St. Both Dr. Kitay and Dr. Shafai are listed among the top doctors in Northern Virginia by Northern Virginia Magazine. |
Inova VIP 360 Concierge Medicine | INOVA VIP 360 has 15 concierge doctors operating out of four locations in Northern Virginia — Inova VIP 360 Fairfax, Inova VIP 360 Ballston, Inova VIP 360 Fair Oaks, and INOVA VIP 360 Lansdowne. |
MDVIP | MDVIP has more than 50 concierge doctors in Northern Virginia and Washington D.C., including concierge medicine practices in Alexandria, VA; Fairfax, VA; Falls Church, VA; Lansdowne, VA; Manassas, VA; Reston, VA; and Washington D.C. |
Northern Virginia Family Practice Associates | Four doctors – three family doctors and one internal medicine doctor – and one physician assistant practice at their concierge medicine practice in Alexandria, VA. They also have a Washington D.C. office with one internist. |
NOVAMED Associates | Dr. Bradford Pontz, Dr. Eric Vallone, and Dr. Priya Mathur are internal medicine doctors. Their office is off Arlington Boulevard just north of Inova Fairfax Hospital. |
Family Healthcare of Fairfax | Dr. Eugene Shmorhun is a family medicine doctor and Cathy Tong is a certified family nurse practitioner. Their office is off Arlington Boulevard just north of Inova Fairfax Hospital. |
**Accurate based on publicly available information as of 2/22/2023.
Concierge Medicine in Northern Virginia: Annual Physicals
One of the staples of concierge medicine is an annual physical that goes above and beyond what you've traditionally experienced. But each practice offers something a little different.
Practice | Annual Physicals |
PartnerMD | We charge our standard Classic (2-Hour) Physical to your health insurance. It is typically covered once per year, depending on your plan. In addition, we offer the ability to upgrade each year to our Enhanced (5-hour) Physical or our Signature (8-hour) Physical, which offer more advanced lab work through the Cleveland HeartLab, screenings, and consultations for the best in prevention and identification of health risks even before symptoms occur. More information on our advanced physicals is available here. |
Inova VIP 360 Concierge Medicine | Inova VIP 360 offers an "extensive, periodic medical review and half-day physical examination, scheduled at your convenience, that includes preventive care, education, and wellness planning, as well as tests not found in most wellness exams." |
MDVIP | MDVIP’s Wellness Program includes their version of an annual physical and is included in the cost of the membership. How MDVIP handles the cost of their annual is one of the primary differences between PartnerMD vs. MDVIP. |
Northern Virginia Family Practice Associates | Individualized comprehensive annual assessment with complimentary lab panels included with membership. |
NOVAMED | A comprehensive annual health assessment is scheduled for 60 minutes. |
Family Healthcare of Fairfax | Their annual wellness exam is 60 minutes. |
Concierge Medicine in Northern Virginia: Wellness Services
At some concierge practices in Northern Virginia, you'll simply receive personalized, convenient care from a primary care physician. Some will also provide some sort of wellness services. Here's a comparison of what's available.
Practice | Health Coaches & Wellness Programs |
PartnerMD | One-on-one access to PartnerMD’s on-staff health coaches is included in the cost of your membership. They work hand-in-hand with you and your doctor throughout the year to help you achieve your goals. Access to Wellness University, a comprehensive platform that features more than 70 courses on nutrition, exercise, stress and sleep, and cognitive health is included in the cost of your membership. |
Inova VIP 360 Concierge Medicine | No on-staff health coaches or wellness programs. |
MDVIP | No on-staff health coaches. Their wellness program is centered on the advanced annual physical (discussed above) and is coordinated with the doctor. |
Northern Virginia Family Practice Associates | No on-staff health coaches or wellness programs. Members get discounted access to the AgeProof Your Body exercise program, which began as a collaboration between NVFP and MovementX physical therapy. |
NOVAMED | No on-staff health coaches or wellness programs. A personalized wellness plan is provided as part of the comprehensive annual health assessment. |
Family Healthcare of Fairfax | No on-staff health coaches or wellness programs. “A strong focus on long-term health and wellness” is offered as part of membership. |
After-Hours Care at Northern Virginia Concierge Medical Practices
And finally, one of the biggest pros of concierge medicine is the access to care when you need it, whether it's technically during business hours or not. Most concierge medicine practices guarantee some form of 24/7 access to care, whether it's a physician, nurse line, or some other service.
Practice | Annual Physicals |
PartnerMD | 24/7/365 access to a PartnerMD physician. In McLean, this means it will either be Dr. Kitay or Dr. Shafai the vast majority of the time. No matter what, you will always get a PartnerMD doctor in Virginia, which means they will have access to your medical charts and information, so they can provide the best care possible when you need it the most. |
Inova VIP 360 Concierge Medicine | 24/7 direct access to a concierge medicine physician via telephone and email for non-urgent matters |
MDVIP | 24/7 access via "pager, phone, or message." |
Northern Virginia Family Practice Associates | 24/7 on-call service with one of the NVFP providers. |
NOVAMED | 24/7 availability via cell phone for urgent issues. |
Family Healthcare of Fairfax | 24/7 availability via cell phone for urgent issues. |
Concierge Medicine in Northern Virginia: Take the Next Step
Choosing a primary care physician is a major healthcare decision. And as with any big decision, we encourage you to check out your options.
The most important thing is that you find the right fit for you and your family. Invest time with each practice to identify the right fit. Reach out to different practices and see if you can set up a tour.
Have questions about membership at PartnerMD? Fill out this form and one of our membership experts will reach out to you.