Why are these terms so confusing?
Because they answer different questions.
Integrative medicine asks: How is care delivered?
Concierge medicine asks: What kind of access and relationship does the practice provide?
Direct Primary Care asks: How is primary care paid for?
A medical practice could theoretically be integrative and concierge at the same time.
It could also be integrative and use a DPC payment model.
The terms are not mutually exclusive specialties.
What is integrative medicine?
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health describes integrative health as bringing conventional and complementary approaches together in a coordinated way with an emphasis on whole-person health.
That might include conventional medical treatment alongside appropriately selected approaches involving nutrition, physical activity, stress management, psychological health, or other complementary modalities.
Importantly, integrative medicine is not supposed to mean replacing proven treatment with an unproven alternative.
What is concierge medicine?
Concierge medicine generally involves a membership or retainer relationship that provides defined enhanced services or access.
Depending on the practice, those benefits can include:
- Longer visits
- Easier scheduling
- Direct physician communication
- Extensive preventive visits
- Care coordination
- Additional services or amenities
Some concierge practices continue billing insurance for covered medical services.
That differs from many Direct Primary Care practices.
What is Direct Primary Care?
The American Academy of Family Physicians defines DPC as a practice and payment model in which patients pay their physician or practice directly through recurring payments for a defined set of primary-care services.
DPC practices typically use the recurring fee in place of traditional third-party insurance billing for primary-care services.
Patients commonly maintain separate insurance coverage for needs beyond the DPC practice, such as hospitalization and specialty care.
Is DPC the same as concierge medicine?
Not exactly.
The AAFP distinguishes the models primarily through their payment structures.
DPC practices generally rely on direct recurring patient fees for primary care and do not participate in conventional payer billing for those services.
Concierge practices may charge a membership while continuing to bill insurance for covered care.
Individual practices vary, so patients should always ask how the specific practice operates.
Where does functional medicine fit?
Functional medicine is another term patients often encounter.
It generally describes a clinical philosophy emphasizing interconnected health systems, lifestyle, nutrition, and individualized contributors to symptoms, although definitions vary.
NCCIH specifically notes that “functional medicine” may sometimes resemble integrative health but that the term is not used uniformly.
That means functional medicine is again more about an approach than a payment system.
Where does Renova Total Health fit?
Renova Total Health is best understood as a physician-led multispecialty medical practice with whole-person, longevity-forward care delivered through a membership and concierge-style experience.
Its current model emphasizes:
- Physician-led expertise
- Comprehensive diagnostics
- Personalized care plans
- Integrated medical and wellness services
- Unhurried visits
- Direct communication
- Ongoing support
- Membership options
Renova explicitly describes its care as concierge-style and integrated rather than identifying itself simply as a Direct Primary Care practice.
That distinction matters.
RTH is not trying to replace medicine with wellness.
It is trying to make medical care more coordinated, personalized, preventive, and accessible.
Which model is right for me?
Ask what problem you are trying to solve.
If you want broader whole-person care, ask how the practice integrates medical and complementary approaches.
If you want greater physician access, ask about concierge or membership benefits.
If you want primary care funded primarily through a recurring direct payment instead of traditional insurance billing, investigate DPC.
Then ask:
- Who will actually be my physician?
- How long are appointments?
- What does the fee include?
- Is insurance billed?
- Are outside specialists included?
- How are urgent questions handled?
- How are hospital needs handled?
- What testing is included?
- Who coordinates my care?
The practice model should serve the medical relationship—not become the reason for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is integrative medicine?
Integrative medicine combines conventional medical care with selected complementary approaches in a coordinated, whole-person framework.
What is concierge medicine?
Concierge medicine generally involves a membership or retainer that provides defined enhanced access, services, or amenities. Some concierge practices continue billing insurance for covered medical care.
What is Direct Primary Care?
Direct Primary Care is a payment and practice model in which patients generally pay a recurring fee directly to the practice for a defined set of primary-care services.
Is Direct Primary Care the same as concierge medicine?
No. The models overlap in offering greater access, but DPC generally replaces insurance billing for primary-care services with direct recurring fees, while concierge practices may continue to bill insurance.
Can a practice be both integrative and concierge?
Yes. Integrative describes an approach to healthcare, while concierge describes a practice or access model.
What kind of medical model does Renova Total Health use?
Renova Total Health is a physician-led multispecialty practice in Carmel using a personalized, whole-person and longevity-forward approach with membership options and concierge-style access.