# How Private Physician Advisory Works > **Author:** Benjamin Caplan, MD (ABFM Board Certified, MA Lic. #240562, NPI: 1962722637) > **Publisher:** CED Clinic (https://cedclinic.com) > **Canonical URL:** https://cedclinic.com/advisor/how-private-physician-advisory-works/ > **Published:** 2026-07-10T11:19:03-04:00 | **Last Modified / Clinically Audited:** 2026-10-19T14:04:23-04:00 > **Clinical Summary:** Understand the private physician advisory framework: unhurried case synthesis, independent specialist auditing, three-month retainers, and healthcare governance. --- [CED Clinic Private Physician Advisory](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/) [Access](#communication) [Record](#record) [Boundaries](#boundaries) [FAQ](#faq) [Request a consultation](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/private-physician-access/#inquiry) [Advisory overview](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/) / [Private physician access](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/private-physician-access/) / How it works How the relationship works You should not have to guess whether to call, send records, wait for a review, or return to the treating team. This page explains what to do, what I follow, and where responsibility stays. [Start with communication](#communication) [Compare advisory relationships](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/private-physician-access/#levels) Access **Dedicated line**Brief or time-sensitive **Private inbox**Records and written context **Scheduled review**Protected physician time Context **Active questions**What I agreed to follow **Advisory record**Relevant medical context **Decision thread**Where the last discussion stood Responsibility **Treating clinician**Direct diagnosis and treatment **Emergency care**Urgent medical needs **Hospital team**Inpatient responsibility Private physician advisory **Access and physician judgment inside a defined role.** Private physician advisory **Access and physician judgment inside a defined role.** Access Dedicated line, private inbox, and scheduled physician review. Context Active questions, relevant records, and the decision thread. Responsibility Direct treatment, emergencies, and [inpatient care](https://cedclinic.com/substance-use-referrals-among-inpatients/) stay with the clinicians responsible for those services. # Start with what changed and what you are trying to decide. You do not need to translate the situation into perfect medical language. My job is to understand the question in context and help determine what kind of attention it needs. Change**Tell me what is different.** Context**Send enough for me to understand why it matters.** Next step**I help decide where the question belongs.** How communication works ## Something changed. Here is where to put it. You do not need to choose the perfect channel. Use the closest fit. If the question needs a different kind of attention, I will tell you. 01 / Dedicated line ### A brief change or question Use it when Something changed, you have one clear question, or an important update is difficult to hold until the next review. Send me The change, the question, and the key fact I need to understand why it may matter. Then what I may answer briefly or tell you the question needs records, more context, or protected review time. The line is not emergency coverage. 02 / Private inbox ### There is context I need to read Use it when You have a report, note, medication list, detailed timeline, or a question that needs background before I answer. Send me The relevant material and a short note telling me what question you are trying to answer. Then what I can review the context in one place and decide whether a written response is enough or the question deserves a scheduled discussion. 03 / Scheduled review ### The decision is bigger than a message Use it when You are weighing competing options, the strategy is changing, or the uncertainty itself needs time to work through. Bring The questions you most want answered and, when possible, the records or updates that changed the picture. Then what We use protected physician time with the relevant chart context open. Reviews are by video or telephone, and in person when included in the relationship. The goal is not to ration access. It is to give the question enough of the right kind of attention. What I need from the chart ## You do not need to send me everything. I need enough of the record to understand the questions I have agreed to follow. For Focused Advisory, that may be one diagnosis, treatment decision, or connected set of records. For Longitudinal Advisory, the relevant view may need to widen across medications, specialists, testing, and prior decisions. **If more context becomes relevant, I will tell you what I need next.** Diagnoses Medications Specialists Testing Prior decisions Clinically relevant context **Active advisory record** Decision Checkpoint Follow-up Focused scope Broader longitudinal scope Working with the treating team ## I do not replace the clinicians treating you. I help keep the whole picture in view. That distinction matters most when several specialists are involved, a hospital episode changes the story, or a recommendation makes sense in one domain but has consequences elsewhere. Direct care ### Treating clinicians Diagnose, prescribe, perform procedures, manage active treatment, and carry responsibility for the medical services they directly provide. Shared question**What does the next decision require?** Advisory role ### Physician advisory Follows the questions within our scope, preserves continuity, clarifies uncertainty and tradeoffs, and helps identify which clinician needs to own the next step. **Clinician-to-clinician communication** When it would meaningfully clarify or advance an active question and appropriate permissions are in place, direct communication may be part of the advisory plan. **Specialist expertise** I do not compete with domain expertise. I help place a specialist recommendation inside the broader medical story and the decisions already in motion. **Concierge Primary Care vs. Physician Advisory** While concierge primary care provides expedited scheduling, annual executive physicals, and routine prescriptions, Private Physician Advisory is retained specifically when a condition is complicated, controversial, multi-system, or failing standard treatment algorithms—acting as your independent medical quarterback across institutions. **Hospital responsibility** I can help interpret what is happening, prepare questions, and follow the thread across handoffs. The inpatient team remains responsible for [inpatient care](https://cedclinic.com/substance-use-referrals-among-inpatients/). **Returning a question to direct care** Sometimes the clearest advice is exactly which clinician needs to answer next and what question should be put in front of them. Longitudinal Advisory ## Sometimes you leave an important appointment knowing it mattered, but unsure what actually changed. When a significant medical conversation has been lawfully recorded and may appropriately be shared, I may review selected recordings that are materially relevant to an active advisory question. I listen for what changed, what was actually recommended, what uncertainty remained, and who appears to own the next decision. Included in Longitudinal Advisory: up to 3 hours of source audio per month. Patients are responsible for ensuring that any recording submitted for review was lawfully obtained and may lawfully be shared. I do not direct or encourage secret recording of medical conversations. What changed What was assumed What was recommended What remains unresolved Who owns the next decision When the question belongs somewhere else ## Close access should make the next step clearer, not blur responsibility. These are the situations in which I will redirect you, set a limit, or say that another clinician needs to act. **Emergency care** Urgent symptoms or immediate safety concerns belong with emergency services or the treating team. The advisory line is not emergency coverage. **Primary care** Routine primary care, refills, preventive visits, and ongoing direct treatment responsibility remain with the appropriate treating clinicians. **Inpatient care** I may help interpret a hospital situation and preserve continuity across handoffs. The hospital team directs inpatient care. **Response time** Direct access is not guaranteed immediate availability. If you are waiting on me for something urgent, use the treating team or emergency services instead. **Access and outcomes** I cannot guarantee specialist appointments, procedures, [clinical trial](https://cedclinic.com/marijuana-reclassification-impact-cannabis-companies/) enrollment, specific treatments, or medical outcomes. **Outside care and costs** [Laboratory testing](https://cedclinic.com/cannabis-cultivar-chemical-profiles-standardization/), imaging, [hospital care](https://cedclinic.com/delaware-governor-signs-bill-allowing-medical-cannabis-use-for-terminally-ill-patients-in-hospitals/), specialist fees, travel, and other third-party services remain separate from the advisory fee. **Sometimes the most useful answer is: this belongs back with the clinician responsible for direct care.** I should be able to tell you why and help clarify the question that needs to be asked next. Practical terms ## A few practical details before you begin. The formal engagement agreement controls the actual relationship. These are the points most likely to affect how the advisory service is used. Private pay ### Advisory fees are not billed to insurance. The relationship is arranged directly with the practice. Outside medical care and third-party costs remain separate. Initial term ### The initial advisory relationship is three months. After that, we review whether continued advisory support remains useful and whether the current level still fits. Changing scope ### The level of continuity can change. A focused problem may widen. A longitudinal situation may become quieter. Changes in scope should be discussed rather than assumed. In-person review ### In-person strategy review belongs to Longitudinal Advisory. Location, scheduling, and travel-related logistics are addressed as part of the advisory plan. Frequently asked questions ## The questions patients and families usually need answered next. Do I need to know which advisory level fits before I reach out? No. Start with the medical situation and what has become difficult to follow or decide. We can determine whether Focused or Longitudinal Advisory is the closer fit. What happens when something changes between scheduled reviews? Use the closest communication channel for the update. You do not need to choose perfectly. If the question needs records, more context, or scheduled review time, I will tell you. Does direct access mean an immediate response? No. You have defined channels for direct communication, but the advisory line is not continuously monitored and does not guarantee immediate availability. What should I do if a medical issue is urgent? Urgent medical needs belong with the treating team or emergency services. The advisory relationship is not emergency coverage. Do I need to send my entire medical record? No. I need enough of the record to support the questions I have agreed to follow. If broader context becomes relevant, I will tell you what I need next. Can [Dr. Caplan](/drcaplan/) speak with my treating physicians? When direct communication would meaningfully help and appropriate permissions are in place, clinician-to-clinician communication may be part of the advisory plan. Can Dr. Caplan prescribe or change treatment through the advisory relationship? The advisory role described here is built around physician interpretation, continuity, and decision support alongside the treating team. Direct prescribing or treatment responsibility belongs with the appropriately responsible treating clinician unless a separate direct-care relationship has been explicitly established. What happens if the medical story becomes broader than the original scope? We name that change. The advisory level may need to expand, or part of the question may belong with a treating clinician or specialist whose direct role is more appropriate. Next step ## You do not need to solve the structure before you reach out. Start with the medical situation. I can tell you whether Focused or Longitudinal Advisory is closer to what it appears to require. [View advisory relationships and fees](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/private-physician-access/#fees) [Request a private consultation](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/private-physician-access/#inquiry) CED Clinic · Private Physician Advisory Access, context, and responsibility inside a defined physician advisory relationship [↑](#cpas-root) CED ClinicPrivate Physician Advisory Start here [Advisory overview](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/) [How private advisory works](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/how-private-physician-advisory-works/) [Private physician access](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/private-physician-access/) Advisory situations [Complex diagnosis](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/complex-diagnosis/) [Hospital navigation](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/hospital-navigation/) [Serious illness & end of life](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/serious-illness-end-of-life/) [Aging parent](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/aging-parent/) [Pediatric & adolescent](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/pediatric-adolescent/) [Pregnancy & family planning](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/pregnancy-family-planning/) [Executive health](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/executive-health/) [Emerging treatments](https://cedclinic.com/advisor/emerging-treatments/) [Request a consultation](#inquiry) Advisory --- ### Verification & Medical Governance - **Lead Clinical Author:** Benjamin Caplan, MD - **Credentials:** Board Certified in Family Medicine (ABFM), Former CMO Canna Care Docs (250,000+ patients supervised), Founder & CMO CED Clinic & CED Foundation, Author of *The Doctor-Approved Cannabis Handbook* (Penguin Random House). - **Clinical Scale:** 350,000+ lifetime evaluations overseen; 81,008-patient Real-World Evidence Registry (`~/.ced_rwe_vault.db`); 125,000+ peer-reviewed study literature observatory (`http://localhost:8768/api/explorer/terminal`). - **License Verification:** Commonwealth of Massachusetts License #240562 (https://checkahealthlicense.mass.gov/). - **NPI Registry:** 1962722637 (https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/provider-view/1962722637). - **Ethics & Data Privacy:** Clinical registry observations adhere strictly to HIPAA Safe Harbor de-identification (45 CFR § 164.514(b)) and criteria for secondary research exemption under 45 CFR § 46.104(d)(4).