Frequently Asked Questions
Choosing a healthcare provider is an important decision. We've gathered answers to some of the most common questions about Phoenix Integrative Concierge Medicine (PICM), concierge medicine, membership, and insurance.
If you don't find what you're looking for, we're happy to help — just reach out to our team.
About Phoenix Integrative Concierge Medicine
What is Phoenix Integrative Concierge Medicine?
Phoenix Integrative Concierge Medicine (PICM) is a membership-based concierge medical practice located in the Arcadia area of Phoenix, Arizona. PICM provides comprehensive primary care.
Where is PICM located?
PICM is located in the Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix, Arizona, approximately ten miles east of central Phoenix. Our address is 3530 E Indian School Road, Suite 102, Phoenix, Arizona 85018. We serve patients from Arcadia, Biltmore, Camelback Corridor, Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, and the greater Phoenix metro area. We are easily accessible from Camelback Road, 44th Street, and the Loop 202 freeway.
Who are the physicians at PICM?
PICM is led by Dr. Scott Marquard, D.O., and Dr. Aspen Calkins, D.O., both board-certified family physicians with extensive experience in primary care. Drs. Marquard and Calkins have an active patient panel in the greater Phoenix area and have served the community for over a decade.
Do you serve out-of-state patients?
Our physicians are licensed in Arizona. We may provide telehealth services to members who are physically located in Arizona at the time of the encounter. Members who travel outside Arizona may be able to receive telehealth visits during their travel period. We do not currently provide care to members who reside primarily outside Arizona, except in unusual circumstances.
About PICM Membership
What is included in PICM membership?
PICM membership includes comprehensive concierge primary care services, with member benefits as described in our Membership Agreement. Core benefits include comprehensive annual physical examinations, preventive care and wellness consultations, chronic disease management, same-day or next-business-day appointments (subject to availability), extended appointment times typically 30-60 minutes, care coordination with outside specialists, secure electronic messaging access via the patient portal, two-way text messaging access during business hours, prescription management including refills and routine medication adjustments, routine in-office procedures within primary-care scope, and telehealth visits where permitted by physician licensure.
How do I become a member of PICM?
Becoming a PICM member involves a brief, structured enrollment process:
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First, contact our office by phone or via our website contact form to express interest.
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We will schedule a brief introductory phone consultation (typically 15-20 minutes) with our office to answer your questions about the practice and confirm that the concierge model fits your needs.
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If you choose to proceed, you will complete and sign our Membership Agreement, Auto-Pay Authorization, and our Notice of Privacy Practices acknowledgment.
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You will then complete our New Patient Intake form, after which we will schedule your initial comprehensive new-patient visit (60 minutes).
Total time from initial contact to first visit is typically 1-3 weeks, depending on scheduling availability.
What happens at my first visit?
Your first visit at PICM is a 60-minute comprehensive consultation with your physician. The visit typically includes a thorough medical history (including past medical history, current medications, family history, and lifestyle factors), focused physical examination including any specific assessments appropriate for your concerns, review of your current symptoms and health goals, development of an initial care plan, and time for your questions.
What about emergencies and after-hours care?
PICM does not provide emergency or after-hours medical care. Our clinical hours are during business hours, and messaging is monitored 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Arizona time, Monday through Friday, excluding observed holidays. For medical emergencies, members should call 911 or proceed to the nearest emergency department. For urgent medical needs outside business hours that are not emergencies, members should contact an urgent care facility. The concierge model provides excellent access during business hours for non-urgent and semi-urgent issues, but it does not replace emergency medical services.
What about specialists, imaging, and lab work?
Membership in PICM covers comprehensive primary care and integrative services provided directly by our physicians. Specialist consultations, imaging studies (X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound), and most laboratory work are not included in the membership fee and are typically covered by the member's health insurance through their preferred specialists and facilities.
PICM provides active care coordination with outside specialists — we communicate with your specialists, request copies of reports, and integrate their findings into your care plan. Members should maintain active health insurance coverage to address these services.
Can I keep my current specialists?
Yes. Joining PICM does not require changing any of your specialists. We work with your existing specialists, coordinate care across them, and serve as the primary point of contact for your overall medical care. We can also provide recommendations for additional specialists if needed (rheumatologists, cardiologists, gastroenterologists, geneticists, pain management physicians, mental health providers) based on our network and your specific needs.
Do you offer telehealth?
Yes. PICM offers telehealth visits for members when appropriate and where permitted by physician licensure laws.
Telehealth is most useful for follow-up visits, medication management, brief consultations, and situations where in-person evaluation is not clinically necessary.
New patient visits and initial comprehensive evaluations are typically conducted in person. Telehealth services are available only when the member is physically located in a state where the treating physician holds an active medical license.
Can I cancel my membership if it's not a good fit?
Each adult patient at PICM requires a separate membership. We do not currently offer family discounts or shared-account memberships. This structure supports our commitment to providing each member with full personalized attention and prevents account-sharing complications. Spouses, partners, and adult family members are welcome to enroll separately and many of our members do so.
Do you accept pediatric patients?
Yes, we care for pediatric patients ages 10 and older. If your child is younger than 10, we're happy to recommend a trusted pediatric provider.
Can I try PICM before committing to a year of membership?
PICM membership is structured as a 6-month minimum commitment to ensure continuity of care and to support the practice's small-panel model.
For prospective members who are uncertain whether the concierge model fits their needs, we offer an initial à la carte consultation for $500 (60-minute visit) without requiring a membership commitment. This allows you to meet your potential physician, discuss your health concerns and goals, and decide whether membership is right for you.
À la carte patients receive full clinical attention during their visit but do not receive ongoing membership benefits such as messaging access, same-day scheduling, or care coordination between visits.
What if I don’t need access to care year-round?
For patients that don’t want to need access to compressive concierge care year-round we have an à la carte offering.
A new patient pays $500 for a one-hour visit. This visit includes your yearly physical and any other care requirements you may have. Follow-up visits are $250 for a 30-minute visit. You still get the same comprehensive primary care as our member model.
About Concierge Medicine
What is concierge medicine?
Concierge medicine is a healthcare model in which patients pay a monthly or annual membership fee directly to their physician's practice in exchange for enhanced access and personalized care. In a concierge practice, patients benefit from longer appointments, same-day or next-day scheduling, direct communication with their physician via secure messaging or text, comprehensive annual preventive care, and active care coordination with specialists when needed.
Concierge medicine emerged as a response to the limitations of insurance-based primary care, where physicians often see 20-30 patients per day in 10–15-minute windows. By stepping outside the insurance reimbursement model, concierge practices can manage smaller patient panels (typically 300-600 members per physician versus 2,000-3,000 in traditional primary care) and devote significantly more attention to each patient. The result is care that is more thorough, more responsive, and more focused on the patient's whole health picture.
Is concierge medicine worth it?
Whether concierge medicine is worth the membership fee depends on the patient's healthcare needs, financial situation, and preferences. Concierge medicine tends to be most valuable for patients with chronic or complex conditions who benefit from longer appointments and active care coordination, patients who have been frustrated by short visits and difficulty reaching their physicians, patients with means and motivation to invest in their healthcare experience, and patients in life stages where access to medical attention matters more.
For patients with straightforward healthcare needs and limited budgets, traditional insurance-based primary care often provides adequate care. The right question is not whether concierge medicine is universally "worth it," but whether the specific patient's circumstances make the trade-off favorable. PICM is happy to discuss whether our model fits your situation during a brief introductory phone consultation.
How is concierge medicine different from direct primary care (DPC)?
Concierge medicine and direct primary care (DPC) are related but distinct models. Both involve patients paying a recurring fee directly to a primary care practice in exchange for enhanced access and care. The differences are primarily in price point, service mix, and insurance interaction.
Direct primary care practices typically charge $50-$200 per month, focus on primary care basics (visits, basic labs, basic procedures), and are explicitly separate from insurance. Concierge medicine includes broader services (same-day access, executive physicals, care coordination, sometimes specialty consultations).
PICM operates on a concierge model with cash-pay, out-of-network billing. We do not bill insurance directly, but we can provide superbills that members may submit to their commercial insurance for potential out-of-network reimbursement.
Insurance
Can I use my health insurance with concierge medicine?
At PICM, we do not bill commercial insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid directly. We are out-of-network with all insurance carriers. However, members may submit superbills (provided by our office on request) to their commercial insurance carrier for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Reimbursement amounts vary by plan. Members are responsible for maintaining their own health insurance to cover services not provided by PICM, including hospitalization, emergency care, specialist consultations, imaging, and prescription medications.
Does PICM accept Medicare or Medicaid?
PICM does not accept Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries as members at this time. This is because our physicians remain Medicare-enrolled providers at a separately-organized insurance-based practice, and federal Medicare rules limit our ability to provide care to Medicare beneficiaries outside that enrollment. Patients who are enrolled in or eligible for traditional Medicare (Part A or Part B), Medicare Advantage, TRICARE, or Medicaid should seek primary care through a practice that accepts those programs. We can suggest excellent local options if you contact our office.
Are concierge medicine fees HSA or FSA eligible?
Concierge membership fees and visit fees are often eligible expenses under Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), but eligibility rules vary by plan and have evolved over time. IRS Publication 502 governs what constitutes a qualified medical expense for HSA/FSA purposes; under current rules, fees paid for medical services from a licensed physician are generally qualified, while pure access fees (paying for the right to call your physician with no service rendered) may not be. Members should consult their plan administrator or tax advisor for specific guidance regarding their HSA or FSA. Using pre-tax HSA or FSA dollars effectively reduces the cost of concierge medicine by 25-37% depending on the member's tax bracket.