Patients pay membership fees for concierge-style practices

If Rebecca McElfresh gets sick at night or on the weekend, she can call or text her doctor's personal cellphone.

And instead of waiting days or weeks for an appointment, she usually can see her primary-care physician the same day.

McElfresh and her husband, both retired educators, pay $125 each per month to be patients in Dr. Melodie Phillip's Fairlawn practice.

"I was concerned about the cost of it, investigated it further and decided it was a high priority for us to get high-quality health care," said McElfresh, 59, of Akron.