FAQs

You will experience the difference immediately when you visit us at Olive Tree Medical. Our entire office has been designed to create a relaxing, calm, and comfortable experience for you, from the reception area to the exam rooms. There is little, if any, waiting time to see your doctor. Traditional examination rooms are available, but many times, you will see me in the comfort of my office. We will take the time to address your medical concerns and answer all of your questions, and your office visits will never feel rushed.  

Because my practice is limited to just a few hundred, not thousands, of patients, I really get to know my patients so I can take a more proactive role in your health and wellness and be there when you need me.

My goal is to provide you with an experience that will not just meet, but exceed, your expectations for a doctor’s office.

Concierge Membership medicine is a healthcare model that emphasizes wellness, disease prevention, and personalized care. care. As a concierge practice, Olive Tree Medical
charges an annual membership fee to keep the number of members, or patients, small.
This fee is separate from insurance; Olive Tree Medical accepts most insurance plans.
Some HSA and FSA plans cover some or all of the concierge fee (and we encourage
you to check with your specific healthcare plan to see if that’s an option for you).

This model enables me to spend plenty of time with you during office visits. We are not confined to 10-minute appointments typical of practices which, because of their dependency on limited insurance reimbursements, must see many more patients per day to make ends meet. Instead, by charging a monthly or annual fee, I am able to see fewer patients, and provide you with extremely convenient, personalized and preventive care when you need it. 

Our membership model enables a strong and satisfying doctor-patient relationship — the key to helping you stay healthy.

It’s the way I’ve always wanted and expected to practice medicine!

Your membership includes an annual comprehensive physical exam that is in addition to insurance-covered or Medicare-covered annual wellness visits. It incorporates comprehensive screening and diagnostic tests, and focuses on nutrition, fitness, healthy sleep, social/emotional wellness, and stress management. We will also determine a personalized schedule for regular follow up. 

Your membership also includes a personalized plan for wellness which may include health coaching, nutrition consultation, personal training consultation and group-based workshops depending on individual need.

The result is a customized wellness plan which includes individualized follow-up and other forms of communication support throughout the year. This results in a far more connected version of primary care and guides you to achieving and maintaining more optimum health and disease prevention.

I can provide a great amount of care by phone, text, email, and virtual visits when appropriate. I am available to discuss urgent concerns evenings and weekends when needed. I have created a practice where you can reach me when you need me, without having to jump through many hoops! 

You will enjoy greater convenience and peace of mind. You may also find a reduced need for visits to specialists and the emergency department/urgent care. 

See the many other benefits you will receive.

Absolutely. I believe patients would see their doctor more if it were easier to communicate, more private, and less hassle. 

At Olive Tree Medical, we make it easy for my patients to communicate with me and visit me in the office. I listen carefully to you to understand how your life, work and family situations may be affecting your health — physically, mentally, and emotionally. 

Besides acute care and managing illness, our focus is on adopting healthy lifestyle habits. We want to identify and prevent disease and other risk factors, concentrating our efforts on your lifetime health and wellness. Together, we will create a personalized plan to achieve and maintain your optimal health. 

Advanced diagnostic tests can help us identify risk factors and health issues before they cause disease, saving you money, time, suffering and higher costs in the long run. Unlike the traditional practice environment, we have the time to deliver this type of comprehensive and detailed care. 

We specialize in Women’s Health, Lifestyle Medicine and primary care for ages 18 and up for all genders.

Our model works especially well for:

• Those who wish to have their medical care remain private.
• Patients desiring easy and direct communication with their doctor.
• Patients who want a doctor to address the underlying cause of illness, not to just treat the symptoms.
• Those who want to take part in improving their health and staying well.
• Patients who want a physician with traditional training but an open mind to non-traditional approaches such as health coaching, meditation, acupuncture, etc.
• Those with high insurance premiums, high-deductible health plans or no insurance.
• Patients who are too busy to spend extended time waiting in a doctor’s office to be seen.

Yes. I will continue to be part of the MGB network. I will continue to use the same electronic medical record. You can continue with your usual specialists and access diagnostic testing the same as you have been doing via Patient Gateway. For those who get their care outside of MGB, I have access to other healthcare organizations through the electronic medical record system.

This can be a stressful and often confusing experience for patients and their families.  

You will be cared for by the emergency room physician and/or hospitalist team. I will communicate with them, review your plan of care, answer questions, and make recommendations as needed.  As your health care advocate, I will communicate directly with you and your loved ones, and help you navigate the health care system. 

As your primary care and Lifestyle Medicine physician, my comprehensive training allows me to handle most of your healthcare needs and will prevent specialty referrals in many cases. If you do need to see a specialist, I am well-connected to the Mass General Brigham specialists and will help you find the right doctor. When making referrals, we can consult with your specialist prior to your appointment, as needed.

After your specialist visit, we will follow up to discuss any of your questions or concerns and arrange additional testing and management if needed.

Of course! This is one of the greatest benefits of our membership model. Because illness and injury do not respect regular office hours, you may call at any time for urgent matters. If you have a life-threatening emergency, you should call 911 or go to the ER immediately.

Often, I can diagnose and treat your need without a visit to the ER. In fact, membership medicine has been shown to result in many fewer ER and urgent care visits because we can discuss your medical needs when you need to. If appropriate, rest assured I can see you the same or next day!

You can speak with me wherever you are, and I will help guide you via phone, text or virtual visit. If you have a condition that requires in-person evaluation and treatment, I will direct you to appropriate nearby care, and coordinate follow-up when you return home.

As a member of Olive Tree Medical, you are never alone. Even when out of town, I will still be available by phone for your urgent needs. You will be notified by email before any vacations. If I am not available, I will have another trusted provider available to assist you for any urgent matters.

Yes, we accept most major insurance plans.

Absolutely.  I am a participating provider with Medicare and will bill Medicare on your behalf.

My practice is well suited to handle the more complex medical issues and medication management often associated with older patients.  We can spend the time necessary to manage chronic disease and the use of medications, and work together to optimize your health and wellness.

Yes, you do. It is very important to maintain a medical insurance policy or Medicare to cover outside testing and specialists, as well as expensive, unusual, and unpredictable events such as surgery, emergency care and hospitalization.  

Good insurance does not equal good healthcare. The current insurance-based system makes primary care more difficult to provide, and less effective too. At Olive Tree Medical I strive for the opposite — my goal is to provide all the services you need to achieve your best health.

By charging a set fee, I can spend more time with you and focus on your individual health needs to maintain and improve your health, and even help you reverse chronic disease. I want you to see me as often as you need to, because my goal is healthy and happy members!

Our annual membership fee is $7000./adult, and $2500./young adult (age 18-25). Membership fees can be paid annually, semi-annually, quarterly, or monthly. Please call us if you have any questions.

Yes, it can for many of our patients. We expect many patients will have fewer out-of-pocket medical costs. We can better manage the risks of the majority of your health issues and concerns because of our smaller practice and more connected care model.

In addition, the membership fee is designed to be eligible for HSA, FSA or HRA funds—please check with your tax advisor or plan administrator. 

Studies show that membership medicine can lead to:

• Less dependency on medications 
• Fewer specialty referrals
• Fewer emergency and hospital visits
• Savings on labs and imaging
• Less need for expensive test ordering

Yes. One of the most important aspects of personalized medicine is limiting the practice size to be able to devote more time and energy to each patient. Therefore, once we have reached our ideal practice size, we will establish a waiting list.

You may cancel your membership any time after the first three months, with thirty days’ notice.  If you prepaid your membership fee for the year you will be reimbursed for the remaining months.

Please note: If you cancel your membership and decide to rejoin the practice at a later date, you may be placed on a waiting list pending membership availability. You would also be subject to any price increases that have occurred since you originally joined the practice.

Yes, if you are not an established patient of mine, I ask that we meet each other in-person (or virtually) to be sure my practice is a good fit for you. You may use our Contact form to request a meeting. 

Yes! Family members or friends may want to provide a loved one the gift of membership. It’s a great way to provide support and peace of mind and ensure personalized attention for their well-being.

Please remember that space is limited, and members are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Once all available slots are filled, we will add your name to our waiting list, so I encourage you to let us know soon if you would like to join. Please Contact Us.