How to choose a Concierge Doctor

Most metropolitan areas have several options for Concierge Primary care, and it can be challenging to decide which concierge doctor is best for you. Here, we will review some of the criteria that can be helpful in the decision-making process.

• Educational background: Where did they go to school? Undergraduate and Medical school training, as well as any honors or distinctions are an important consideration. Did they do any fellowships?

  Dr Sindwani completed her undergraduate degree at Columbia College in three years, graduating Magna Cum Laude, Phil Beta Kappa. She obtained her MD from Tufts University School of Medicine. She was one of four residential fellows selected to study under Dr. Andrew Weil at the University of Arizona where she completed a fellowship in Integrative Medicine.

• Experience: How long have they been practicing medicine? Where were they previously practicing? How long have they been practicing concierge medicine?

  Dr. Sindwani has been practicing since 2002. She was working for two private practices in NYC, then was practicing concierge medicine at UCSF as Medical Director of their Executive Health Program. After 10 years at UCSF, Dr Sindwani came back home to NYC to work with Mount Sinai to launch their Hudson Yards Concierge Practice. In 2023, she founded Tina Sindwani MD PLLC

• Specialty & Board Certification: Concierge doctors can be one of many specialties. The most common are outlined here:

  Emergency Medicine- trained to address urgent, single complaint issues.

  Internal Medicine- only treat adults and best for managing long term or more complex issues.

  Family Medicine- treat patients of all ages and may have some obstetrics training. Cardiology- diagnose and treat diseases of the heart.

  Geriatrics- primary care doctors who specializes in treating older adults, generally age 75 and older.

  Dr. Sindwani is an Internal Medicine doctor by training, and sees patients 18 and older. 

• Practice Model: Is it a hybrid, fee for service, or an annual fee? In a hybrid model, the practice accepts insurance for office visits and treatment, but may have an option for you to pay an additional fee to get more access to your doctor. You may have hidden fees in terms of copays, coinsurance, and most charges may not be covered until you meet your deductible each year. In a fee for service model, each visit type and test, will have a fee associated with it. The items are a la carte and you pay for the services you need, as you need them. In an annual fee model, your doctor is “on retainer” for the highest level of access, and basic services are included in that fee.

  Tina Sindwani MD PLLC is an annual membership model. She does not bill insurance and instead collects a once yearly fee to cover the in office services and care coordination that her team provides.

• Care Coordination: Does the practice offer any care coordination? Do they schedule appointments for you based on your availability and recommend specialists who are reputable? Calling to schedule and reschedule appointments can be very time consuming. Often the best physicians are booked for several months. The best concierge physicians will have a team that can handle the scheduling for you and often have relationships with specialists so that you can be seen sooner than if you were to call on your own.

  Tina Sindwani MD PLLC offers full care coordination. We check your availability and work with you or your assistant to find the best time for specialty or radiology appointments. We perform all lab testing onsite. Dr Sindwani has a very extensive Rolodex of colleagues and specialists who she refers to and is institutionally agnostic, meaning she will find the specialist that is best for addressing your specific issue.

• On Site Services: Some practices may have imaging on site for convenience. Most often this is just basic imaging such as X-rays, since having MRI imaging and other modalities on site is very costly.

  At Dr. Sindwani’s office, Labs, EKG, ear irrigation, and Body Composition measurements done onsite.

• On Site Specialties: In some practices, specialists such as Cardiology or Dermatology may be on site on certain days of the week. Is convenience most important to you or would you rather be referred to the best person for your specific issue?

  Dr. Sindwani believes that patients will get the best care when matched with a Specialist that best fits their needs and therefore does not have Specialty Care on-site.

• Physician approach & personality: Always meet your doctor, in person if possible, before making any commitments. Ask about their approach to medicine, and try to get a sense of their personality to make sure it is a good fit.

  Dr. Sindwani does meet and greets with all prospective patients so you can decide for yourself if she is someone you want to collaborate with on your healthcare.

• How does the Physician practice medicine?: Some traditional western medicine practitioners will practice “by the book” and can offer a pill for everything. Alternative medicine practitioners may recommend avoiding medications, recommending unregulated supplements instead. How do you know what approach is best? Sindwani has a balanced approach to medicine that focuses on prevention and wellness. She will discuss your specific needs and the best options so that you can make informed decisions about your health.

• Office Location: This is a largely personal preference. Some patients want the best physician and are willing to travel if necessary, while others prioritize convenience.

  Dr. Sindwani has one of the few concierge primary care offices in downtown Manhattan and offers best in class medical care.

• After hours care: Can you reach your physician 24 hours a day if needed or is there someone who knows nothing about you covering after business hours? Direct access to a physician who knows you and knows your history is important, especially in an emergency.

  Dr. Sindwani can be reached by her patients for emergencies 24 hours a day.

• What if you need imaging or labs or an exam in the middle of the night or on a weekend? All emergency rooms at major hospitals triage each patient based on medical necessity. Your concierge doctor will not be able to move you to the front of the line in these settings. That is why many of the top doctors have partnered with a service such as Sollis Health. Their network will give you the access you need and allow you to be seen at one of their locations quickly, rather than waiting for hours in an ER.

  All of our members are Sollis Health members, with locations in NYC, the Hamptons, CA, and FL