Published by Family Office Health Advisory. Physician founder: Dr. Gabriel Bietz, MD, RPVI, FACS.
Last updated: . General education and service information.
What problem is a family health office intended to address?
A family may already have trusted doctors yet still lack a complete view of its healthcare. Records can sit in different portals, several people can repeat the same history, and a recommendation may have no clearly assigned next step. The issue to identify is the specific coordination gap.
FOHA uses the term family health office to describe its own advisory framework. It is a service description, not a government credential or a standardized specialty. When comparing providers, ask for the work they actually perform rather than relying on the label.
How do the responsibilities differ?
Contracts differ. Some treating practices provide extensive coordination; some advisory services have a narrow scope. Direct primary care is another membership model for primary-care services and should not be assumed to have the same payment structure as concierge care. The AAFP describes that model separately.
| Model | Main relationship | Questions to clarify |
|---|---|---|
| Concierge medical practice | Treating clinician and patient | Which care, access and coordination services are included? |
| FOHA family health advisory | Family and navigation/advisory team | Which records, research and follow-through tasks are included? |
| Specialist practice | Clinician treating a defined clinical problem | What diagnosis or treatment question is this visit addressing? |
Can the models work together?
Yes. A family can keep its primary-care or concierge doctor and use a separate advisory team to assemble records, prepare decision questions and track authorized actions across providers. Roles should be explicit so the family knows who to call for a symptom, a prescription, a coverage question or a logistics issue.
Navigation should support the treating relationship. It should not quietly expand into diagnosis, prescribing or emergency response without an appropriate separate clinical arrangement.
What should a family ask before choosing a service?
- Who is responsible for clinical decisions, and who handles coordination?
- What does the membership include, and what costs extra?
- Who reviews summaries and checks missing or conflicting information?
- What are the response hours and emergency boundaries?
- How are permissions and sensitive records handled?
- Does the provider receive referral compensation?
- What deliverables can the family review, and how are open actions tracked?
What is a useful first step?
Describe one unresolved task: an upcoming second opinion, records scattered across systems, or uncertainty about who is following up a recommendation. Then ask whether the proposed service can address that task and show how its scope will be documented.
FOHA's engagement can include a Consolidated Medical Report, appointment preparation, evidence research and follow-through. Those are defined activities, not a promise of faster access, lower costs or improved survival. Start with a clear task and an accountable process.
Which sources inform this article?
FOHA's proposed workflows are its own service framework. These sources support the specific background points identified in the text.