Dr. Bithika Thompson says it’s no secret that primary care physicians are overworked, with some managing as many as 2,000 patients.
After a run at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Thompson and her longtime colleague, nephrologist Dr. Leslie Thomas, helped open the concierge medicine practice MD2 Scottsdale in January to provide better care.
Concierge care is a membership‑based model of medicine where patients pay a monthly or annual fee for enhanced access to their doctor. Instead of juggling thousands of patients, a concierge physician keeps a much smaller panel — often 50 families — which allows for longer visits, same‑day or next‑day appointments, and direct communication via phone, text or email.
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Near McCormick Ranch, MD² Scottsdale, which does not accept insurance nor bill Medicare, has more than 30 offices across the United States. The concierge physicians can make additional connections to this network when patients are away from home.
According to Concierge Medicine Today’s 2026 Concierge & Membership Medicine Industry Report, the U.S. has 8,000 to 12,000 concierge or membership‑based practices, representing 9,600 to 18,000 physicians, or roughly 0.9% to 1.6% of the national physician workforce.
Growth has been steady: a Harvard‑linked analysis, summarized by Mordor Intelligence, found that from 2018 to 2023, the number of concierge practices increased by 83.1%, while affiliated clinicians grew by 78.4%, signaling accelerating adoption driven by patient demand for access and by physician burnout relief.
“Concierge medicine is supposed to mean you have a personal doctor,” Dr. Thompson said. “But every concierge practice defines that differently. For us, it means you can reach us — not a nurse, not a partner, not a call center — anytime you need.”
The doctors, who carry dedicated patient phones, know their patients well — including their symptoms, medications, stressors, and family dynamics that shape sleep, diet and anxiety.
“When a patient calls, I already know where they’re vacationing, what they’re dealing with, what happened last month,” she said. “It’s like answering a call from family.”
MD² Scottsdale’s model costs $3,000 per month for an individual, or $5,000 for a couple, paid month-to-month. That fee covers services such as extended visits, phone time, blood draws, pulmonary testing, body composition analysis, hearing and vision screening, and even radiology.
“The likelihood of a major medical issue in your lifetime is high,” Dr. Thompson said. “When it happens, it’s devastating if you feel alone. We want to take care of people the way we’d take care of a family member.”
In recent months, she and Dr. Thomas have attended specialist appointments with their patients — sitting beside them, asking questions, translating medical language, and ensuring nothing gets lost in the shuffle.
“People don’t always know what to ask or what they’re supposed to get out of an appointment,” she said. “We can speak that language for them.”
Arizona’s wellness economy is booming, from high-end spas to longevity retreats promising transformation. But according to recent data, 67% of guests say their wellness gains fade shortly after returning home.
Dr. Thompson believes the problem isn’t motivation. It’s infrastructure.
“You can’t sustain wellness with a once-a-year reset,” she said. “You need someone who knows you, who follows you, who’s available when life happens.”
Before opening MD² Scottsdale, Dr. Thompson spent 12 years at Mayo Clinic Arizona, eventually serving as chair of the endocrinology department. Dr. Thomas spent 15 years in Mayo’s nephrology division. They shared patients and developed a mutual respect that eventually led them to MD² Scottsdale.
“We were naturally drawn to starting this practice together,” she said. “We wanted to create a space where patients feel known — and they do.”
