Top Considerations When Converting to a Membership-Based Healthcare Model
“Don’t Open a Practice in a Pandemic” and Other Tips
While many physicians have made the switch to a concierge, membership-based healthcare model, many more are on the fence or considering it. In a recent episode of the ROAMD podcast, Dr. Scott Pope sits down with Dr. Carlos Jorge to discuss some of his key considerations as a physician leader who recently converted his practice model.
Dr. Jorge is the co-founder and Chief Medical Officer at Companion Health in Charlotte, North Carolina. As a family physician, he started practicing in 2002, worked at several healthcare systems including Atrium and Novant, then bought into a private practice, where he practiced for eight years. In addition to family medicine, he is board certified in lipidology and functional medicine.
His first piece of advice to those exploring the leap into concierge and membership-based healthcare: Don’t start a new practice in the middle of a pandemic! Jokes aside, Dr. Jorge admits that Covid-19 taught him a valuable lesson that he is glad to share: “The top lesson for me was really just to slow down. It’s okay to pace yourself at a velocity that, for a lot of physicians…well, we’d call it ‘pace-setting’ mode. [Physicians are] always on for the next topic, thinking about the next five things to accomplish. Truthfully, the pandemic…has really forced us to say, [the launch] is something we really need to take the time to develop correctly.”
He offers several examples, from the methodical approach he and his team took to integrating coaching into their standard of care, to hiring for team fit, to the construction of their physical space. While these things all experienced inevitable delays with the pandemic, they were critical steps requiring meticulous attention to detail, so it was important to slow down and do them correctly.
On Creating an Authentic Membership-Based Brand
Companion Health omits any mention of “DPC” or “concierge medicine” in their marketing. Dr. Jorge shares that this choice was intentional, as part of a brand strategy exercise that his wife Natalie, the co-founder and CEO of the clinic, helped lead. “We thought about what we are trying to create, what are we trying to do, what are we passionate about? For us, [the answer] is developing patients who are living healthier lives, living an optimal life full of health. We’re really aiming to reverse chronic disease. That speaks to our vision and our mission.”
He attributes the process to his wife’s “business brain” as his strategy partner. He’s excited to share the secret behind their logo, and how it ties into his job as a doctor, which is to ask each of his clients about their ideal health goals: “Our Companion Health logo is based on Native American planting. In gardening: companion plants are planted at the same time to help other plants thrive…we see ourselves as both partners, educators, providing all the little help for all our clients to get to optimal health, longevity. We don’t start from disease, we start with wellness.”
Dr. Jorge name-checks Simon Sinek and Jim Collins as two influential branding and entrepreneurial experts whose business insights he would recommend to others. For him, authenticity comes from his “why,” which becomes clear in how he describes Functional Medicine: “It’s what I would have loved medicine to have been my entire career. We as physicians are attracted to the thinking part of medicine as a puzzle, taking time to advocate for a patient, study things, get an idea as to what could be going on with that patient. I think more and more as I look back…it just became very automatic. A lot of plug and play, there wasn’t much thinking going on in what we would do day to day.”
“Functional medicine is looking at the root cause of why people get sick…we are able to push the envelope, use standard of care evidence-based medicine as well, but also be able to be a real advocate for our clients, and say ‘You know what? There’s some new research out here on the genetics of that, or a peptide we could use for some weight loss options.’ It’s a way for me to stay on the cutting edge of medicine, while still practicing what we call evidence-based, allopathic, western medicine, which is at the core of what we do as well.”
Hiring for fit & Embracing Uncertainty
While not every entrepreneur runs their company with their spouse, Dr. Jorge is emphatic that when it comes to hiring, it is imperative to find talent that can do the immediate job, while also adding value to the membership-based healthcare organization in other ways. “We’ve taken time to build our team…What we’ve found is that everybody we’ve brought on to our team, while they have a primary role, they have this passion for what we’re doing, which allows them to take on other roles in the company.”
In sharing numerous examples of his colleagues, it becomes clear Dr. Jorge is passionate about the diverse talent and dedication of his staff: A coach who has a background in food blogging. An ICU nurse who is a social media whiz. A PA who has a background in exercise physiology, and also takes the lead on developing their in-vitro programs.
Another piece of advice Dr. Jorge offers on membership-based healthcare is one that may not come easily to physicians: “Be okay with not knowing everything. It’s hard in that physician mindset – you’re the end-all, be-all, but the reality is that healthcare is so much more complex. In this type of practice we’re starting not from a place of disease, but [from a place of] ‘How do we stay well and maintain wellness?’…Letting go of the reins a little bit is uncomfortable at first, but it’s been incredible to see how people take their projects and run with them.”
As a founder, he attributes the success to having a strong business partner, in this case, Natalie, his CEO and wife. With her help, Companion Health has stayed focused on traction through setting quarterly and yearly goals, prioritizing client needs, and building and investing in future support structures.
Business Model Ideation & The Power of Advice
The decision to accept insurance is a critical one for membership-based healthcare practice. How did Dr. Jorge approach this decision? “The original thought was a hybrid model, where most of our things we’re going to try to run through insurance, but because we do a lot of functional medicine, anti-aging, longevity, and regenerative medicine, often those things are just not covered by insurance. So we wanted to price those things in a way that clients can just check it off as they go. But more and more, in conversations, we had [with insurance companies and business partners], that mix didn’t seem like it was going to work long-term for us.”
Another key consideration emerges here: The importance of asking for advice. Ultimately, Companion Health’s decision to forgo insurance coverage came down to a trusted relationship with a physician who served as a sounding board and told him to “rip off the bandaid” from his prior career chapters working with insurance companies. This pivotal conversation highlights the value of doing your homework before launching a new venture, whether that’s a membership-based healthcare practice or anything else. “Take your time to talk to people who have done the thing you’re doing or thinking of doing. Ask questions!”
Dr. Jorge is blunt when it comes to his final piece of advice. When asked about the biggest mistake he wishes he hadn’t made, he preaches simplicity and focus. He warns that particularly at the beginning of a new venture, there are many opportunities to chase, not all of which are mission-critical for an early-stage practice. He advises new entrants to stay focused on the basic building blocks by “not getting distracted by all the shiny things out there, and looking further down the road at the long term helped to boost your initial dedication to the mission.”
For more insights into getting started in membership-based healthcare, make sure to check out our other episodes. And come visit us online at https://www.roamd.com/ to learn more about how we’re helping physicians and patients create better health.
Dr. Carlos Jorge is a consummate healthcare professional with over 20 years of experience and the only physician in Charlotte, North Carolina, triple-board-certified in family medicine, lipidology, and functional medicine and anti-aging. He has worked for both of Charlotte’s prestigious healthcare organizations, Carolinas Healthcare System (now Atrium) and Novant Health.
A graduate of Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Santo Domingo Urena School of Medicine and the University of Virginia, Dr. Jorge practiced medicine as a co-owner of the independent family medicine practice, Ballantyne Medical Associates. He left in 2019 to start a concierge practice, Companion Health. Dr. Jorge is a life-long learner fluent in both English and Spanish.
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