James Holton, MD, a primary care physician with three decades in Medford, N.J., has come out of retirement to open a membership-based practice affiliated with MDVIP, targeting patients left without a provider after Optum shuttered his Medford office abruptly in November 2025, The Pine Barrens Tribune reported June 5.
Dr. Holton cited corporate ownership as the reason he originally retired, telling the publication that he “didn’t like the corporate intrusion into my practice.” His new model caps his patient panel at roughly 300 — down from 3,000 in his prior practice — and limits his daily schedule to approximately 8 visits compared to the 25 to 30 he previously saw under a volume-based model.
The annual MDVIP Wellness Program includes two comprehensive visits: a first focused on advanced screenings developed in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic, covering cardiovascular, metabolic, brain and lung health, among other areas, and a second dedicated to reviewing results and building a care plan. Dr. Holton is also a board-certified lipidologist.
The membership fee is compatible with most commercial insurance and Medicare, and is eligible for reimbursement through HSA and FSA accounts.
The practice fills a gap left by Optum’s exit from the Medford market, where Dr. Holton said many former patients remain without a primary care physician. “I want to step in and help those displaced patients in the community,” he said in the report.
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