Top 10 fractional CMO agencies for healthcare practices (2026)
Key takeaways
- The top 10 fractional CMOs for healthcare practices, in order: Fractional CMOZ, Chief Outsiders, Foster Web Marketing, PatientX Agency, WebMarkets Medical, Goldman Marketing Group, Medical Grade Media, NuParadym, Seicho Co and Verena Jensen.
- CMO here means chief marketing officer for dental, med spa, chiropractic, orthodontic, behavioral health and ketamine practices. Not chief medical officers, hospitals, pharma or healthtech.
- Four of the ten publish prices. Among those four, ongoing fractional CMO leadership starts between $1,200 and $5,000 a month.
- Eight of the ten pair the CMO with their own team for execution.
We analyzed who we believe are the top fractional CMOs for healthcare practices: dental offices and DSOs, med spas, chiropractic, orthodontic, behavioral health and ketamine clinics. Below is each firm's focus, what it offers and what it costs, with Fractional CMOZ first.
What we found
- Most specialize. Seven of the other nine work mainly with healthcare practices or one type of practice, such as dental (NuParadym) or medical aesthetics (Goldman Marketing Group). Chief Outsiders and Foster Web Marketing are generalists with a healthcare program.
- Few publish prices. Four of the ten do. Fractional CMO work starts at $1,200 a month (Medical Grade Media) and runs to $25,000 a month for larger scopes (WebMarkets Medical).
- Most do strategy plus execution. Eight of the ten pair the CMO with their own team for ads, SEO, websites or social. Chief Outsiders leads your existing marketing team, and Verena Jensen directs outside specialists.
- Most name a lead. Seven of the ten name the person who leads the work. Chief Outsiders, Foster Web Marketing and NuParadym do not name one on the pages we checked.
- The firms worth hiring run an operating system for your business. A fractional CMO without one is not the right fit.
The top 10 at a glance
| Firm and best for | Model | HQ | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Fractional CMOZ One or many locations | CMO + execution + team | Remote | $5,000/mo |
| 2. Chief Outsiders Midsized and larger groups | CMO runs your team | Houston, TX | Not published |
| 3. Foster Web Marketing Medical practices | CMO tiers + agency | Alexandria, VA | Not published |
| 4. PatientX Agency Clinics and regional hospitals | CMO packages + agency | Sioux Falls, SD | $5,000/mo |
| 5. WebMarkets Medical Multi-specialty practices | CMO + agency | Boise, ID | $3,000/mo |
| 6. Goldman Marketing Group Medical aesthetics | CMO + agency | Carlsbad, CA | Not published |
| 7. Medical Grade Media Med spas on a smaller budget | CMO + optional services | Sarasota, FL | $1,200/mo |
| 8. NuParadym Dental groups and DSOs | CMO + coordinator training | Not listed | Not published |
| 9. Seicho Co Specialty practices | Strategy + execution | Dallas, TX | Not published |
| 10. Verena Jensen Owner-led med spas | Solo CMO + specialists | Palm Beach, FL | Not published |
How we picked: focus on practices, a named lead, proof on the firm's own site, published prices and reporting on booked patients.
The top 10 fractional CMOs for healthcare practices
1. Fractional CMOZ
We install the Marketing Impact OS for healthcare practices: Inspect, Ideate, Implement and Iterate across seven dimensions (strategy, data, funnel friction and CRO, process, people, technology, communication). When a practice needs a fractional marketing team for ads, SEO, CRO, email, design or ops, we build it from a deep network of specialists and lead it. Services scale up or down month to month. We work in four industries only: law firms, home service companies, healthcare practices and DTC brands.
We helped scale a healthcare practice to 16 locations. Founder Zachary Ellison is the #1 lifetime-ranked fractional CMO on Upwork (Expert-Vetted), with 15+ years in marketing and $500M+ in marketing spend managed.
What we offer
- Marketing Impact Academy, to run it yourself: from $1,000 a month.
- Fractional CMO Advisory: $300 an hour or from $2,500 a month.
- Marketing Impact Roadmap: from $10,000, about four weeks.
- Roadmap + Installation: from $35,000, 90 days.
- Fractional CMO Retainer: from $5,000 a month, starting with the Roadmap, with Advisory and Academy included.
- Fractional Marketing Manager: priced on scope.
- Fractional Marketing Team: from $6,500 a month.
Everything ongoing is month to month with no setup fees. Every engagement starts with a 15-minute call or the free assessment.
Model: Fractional CMO, execution and team.
Leader: Zachary Ellison, founder.
HQ: Remote, with clients across the US, Japan and abroad.
Pricing: Retainer from $5,000 a month.
Website: Fractional CMO for healthcare practices
By practice type: dental clinics, med spas, ketamine clinics, psychotherapy clinics, chiropractors and orthodontists.
2. Chief Outsiders
Chief Outsiders is a network of fractional CMOs, 17+ years in business, with 120+ marketing and sales executives listed on its fractional CMO page. Its medical page offers a fractional CMO for medical practices and healthcare businesses who manages your marketing team and implements the plan. It fits midsized and larger groups that already have marketing staff.
What they offer
- A marketing strategy and growth plan built for the practice.
- Leadership of your marketing team: mentoring and process improvement.
- Hands-on management of marketing or sales operations.
- Reviews of medical billing practices.
- Change management.
Model: Fractional CMO who runs your team.
Leader: A CMO from its network. No one is named on the medical page.
HQ: Houston, TX.
Pricing: Pricing not published.
Website: Chief Outsiders medical fractional CMO
3. Foster Web Marketing
Foster Consulting, known as Foster Web Marketing, serves law firms and medical practices from Alexandria, VA. Founder Tom Foster is a former Marine. Its healthcare fractional CMO program comes in three tiers, and its own team handles content, websites, video, SEO and digital ads. Its healthcare page cites over 100 years of combined team experience.
What they offer
- Three tiers, Starter, Professional and Enterprise, each with a monthly strategy session: 30 minutes on Starter, one hour on the other two.
- Marketing and budget audits, patient avatar strategy and intake strategy.
- A monthly performance report and a quarterly competitor analysis.
- A content calendar and email campaigns on Professional and Enterprise, plus a marketing channel audit on Enterprise.
- Execution by the firm: content, website design, video, SEO and digital advertising.
Model: Fractional CMO tiers plus agency services.
Leader: Not named on the healthcare page.
HQ: Alexandria, VA.
Pricing: Pricing not published.
Website: Foster fractional CMO for healthcare practices
4. PatientX Agency
PatientX Agency is a healthcare-only agency in Sioux Falls, SD, led by Michael and Kimberly Winkleman. Its clients include regional hospitals and specialty practices; Dakota Allergy & Asthma credits it with helping the clinic grow from one allergist to four providers over two decades. Michael Winkleman wrote CONNECT: The Patient's Voice.
What they offer
- CMO Strategy Accelerator: a half-day review of your marketing, then an action plan and roadmap.
- CMO Growth Advisor: ongoing guidance that keeps your marketing team focused and accountable.
- CMO Sprint with Marketing Playbook: 90 days as your part-time CMO, building and training your team and writing a custom playbook.
- Agency work: paid search, websites, HIPAA compliance solutions, branding, social media and reputation management.
Model: Fractional CMO packages plus agency services.
Leader: Michael Winkleman and Kimberly Winkleman.
HQ: Sioux Falls, SD.
Pricing: Strategy Accelerator from $5,000 a month. Growth Advisor from $6,000 a month, 6-month minimum. Sprint from $8,000 a month, 3-month commitment.
Website: PatientX fractional CMO
5. WebMarkets Medical
WebMarkets Medical is a healthcare marketing firm in Boise, ID. Its fractional CMO page lists 14 specialties, including behavioral health, dental, oral surgery, orthopedics and plastic surgery, and publishes a price range. Kris Lloyd, one of its two listed fractional CMOs, reports 15+ years in healthcare marketing.
What they offer
- A structured marketing plan and implementation strategy, on a set schedule.
- Budget, campaign and pricing strategy, including advertising contracts.
- Management of marketing staff and the department's structure.
- Execution by the firm: website management, SEO, review generation and social media.
Model: Fractional CMO plus agency services.
Leader: Kris Lloyd and Stephanie Lloyd, both listed as fractional CMOs.
HQ: Boise, ID.
Pricing: $3,000 to $25,000 a month, depending on role and hours. Annual term, with a 90-day pilot to confirm fit.
Website: WebMarkets Medical fractional healthcare CMO
6. Goldman Marketing Group
Goldman Marketing Group in Carlsbad, CA works only in medical aesthetics and lists 15 years in business. Founder and president Risa Goldman Luksa leads a firm that pairs CMO-level strategy with full-service agency execution. It also implements EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) to structure practice operations.
What they offer
- Marketing audits, competitive analysis and launch plans for new procedures and devices.
- Brand positioning and procedure-specific messaging.
- Marketing team structure, hiring and front desk conversion training.
- Referral networks, device and pharma partnerships, and market expansion plans.
- EOS implementation: processes and meeting cadences built to scale the practice.
Model: Fractional CMO plus full-service agency.
Leader: Risa Goldman Luksa, founder and president.
HQ: Carlsbad, CA.
Pricing: Pricing not published. Engagements range from 10 hours a month to 20 hours a week.
Website: Goldman fractional CMO-level support
7. Medical Grade Media
Medical Grade Media is Paige Montgomery's firm in Sarasota, FL, serving med spas, aesthetic clinics and therapy and counseling practices. It has the lowest published fractional CMO price on this list, month to month. Its homepage lists 43+ practices supported.
What they offer
- Fractional CMO: marketing strategy and 90-day plans, agency and vendor management, team coaching and a monthly performance report.
- Branding and creative.
- Social media marketing.
- Websites, media and content.
- Local SEO.
Model: Fractional CMO, with other services priced separately.
Leader: Paige Montgomery, founder.
HQ: Sarasota, FL.
Pricing: Fractional CMO from $1,200 a month, month to month. Launch Partner at $3,500 and Growth Partner at $4,500 a month (website, fractional CMO, social media and local SEO), 6-month minimum.
Website: Medical Grade Media
8. NuParadym
NuParadym, legally DSO Marketing X LLC, works only with dental practices and DSOs. It describes its fractional CMO as an embedded marketing leadership team for strategy, execution and accountability, and it trains treatment coordinators on case acceptance. One success story on its site is titled "50% EBITDA Increase Quarter over Quarter."
What they offer
- Strategic planning and dental brand development.
- Patient acquisition systems, digital, print and email marketing, and media buying.
- Treatment coordinator training: case presentation, financing conversations and the same systems at every location.
- Mentoring and management for groups with in-house marketing staff.
- Budget management, data analytics and performance reporting.
Model: Fractional CMO plus treatment coordinator training.
Leader: Not named on the site.
HQ: Not listed on the site.
Pricing: Pricing not published. It offers a free consultation.
Website: NuParadym marketing services
9. Seicho Co
Seicho Co in Dallas, TX works with specialty healthcare and wellness practices, including ophthalmology, optometry, audiology, dental and med spas. Every engagement starts with a strategy phase it calls the Foundation, and the same team then carries out the plan. Its homepage lists 300+ campaigns and 18+ years of combined experience.
What they offer
- The Foundation: an audit, positioning, core messaging and a map of the patient journey from first search to booked appointment.
- Recurring strategy sessions as the practice grows or opens locations.
- Cleanup and realignment of existing marketing.
- Implementation by the same team, plus management of your current vendors.
Model: Strategy phase first, then strategy plus execution.
Leader: Blessing Taylor-Ryer, Marketing Director.
HQ: Dallas, TX.
Pricing: Pricing not published.
Website: Seicho Co fractional CMO strategy
10. Verena Jensen
Verena Jensen is a solo fractional CMO in Palm Beach, FL for owner-led med spas and aesthetic clinics, mainly in South Florida. She owns the growth strategy and directs specialists who do the execution. She reports an aesthetic clinic that added 27 new bookings in 21 days and cut cost per lead by 34%.
What they offer
- Positioning and pricing for premium treatments.
- The path from first inquiry to confirmed appointment.
- Paid media managed for booked revenue, not leads.
- Review and reputation systems, and visibility in AI assistant recommendations.
- Reporting that ties ad spend to the treatment calendar.
Model: Executive fractional CMO, with specialists for execution.
Leader: Verena Jensen, founder.
HQ: Palm Beach, FL.
Pricing: Pricing not published. Engagements can start with a 30-day sprint.
Website: Verena Jensen fractional CMO for med spas
Shortlists by practice type
The same firms sorted by practice type, plus two dental specialists outside the top 10.
Dental fractional CMO services
Dental offices grow on hygiene recall and treatment acceptance. DSOs also need the same playbook running at every location. Ask any fractional CMO for dental offices for cost per new patient, treatment acceptance and hygiene recall rate from an office like yours.
Fractional CMOZ. New-patient calls, hygiene recall and treatment acceptance in one plan, for single offices and DSOs. See fractional CMO for dental clinics.
NuParadym. Dental and DSO only, with treatment coordinator training.
WebMarkets Medical. Lists dental and oral surgery among its specialties, with a published price range.
ROSSK. Ross Kernez's fractional dental CMO page claims 15+ years in dental marketing. Pricing not published.
Railhead CEO. A Scottsdale firm for small to mid-sized dental practices. Its services page pairs a fractional CMO with a fractional CFO, a clinical director and bookkeeping. Pricing not published.
Med spas and aesthetics
Med spa revenue depends on rebooking and memberships more than first visits. Ask for rebooking rate, active memberships and consult-to-treatment rate from a med spa like yours.
Fractional CMOZ. Memberships, rebooking and consult-to-treatment in one system. See fractional CMO for med spas.
Medical Grade Media. The lowest published fractional CMO price on this list, from $1,200 a month.
Goldman Marketing Group. Medical aesthetics only, with execution in house.
Verena Jensen. A solo senior lead for owner-led med spas, starting with a 30-day sprint.
Seicho Co. Names med spas among the specialty practices it serves.
Chiropractic
Chiropractic revenue depends on care plan completion. A patient who stops after three visits cost the same to acquire as one who finishes.
Fractional CMOZ. New-patient exams, care plan completion and reactivation. See fractional CMO for chiropractors.
None of the other nine names chiropractic on the pages we checked. Multi-specialty firms such as WebMarkets Medical and Foster Web Marketing can still fit; ask each for a chiropractic result.
Orthodontics
Orthodontic practices grow on starts, and many starts come from referring dentists. Track cost per start.
Fractional CMOZ. Consults, starts and referring dentists. See fractional CMO for orthodontists.
None of the other nine names orthodontics on the pages we checked. The dental specialists, NuParadym and WebMarkets Medical, are the closest fit.
Behavioral health and ketamine
People looking for therapy or ketamine treatment often contact several clinics at once. Ask for reply time on new inquiries and the share that reach a first session or first infusion.
Fractional CMOZ. Directory inquiries, fast replies, screening and intake. See ketamine clinics and psychotherapy clinics.
WebMarkets Medical. Lists behavioral health among its specialties.
Medical Grade Media. Serves therapy and counseling practices alongside med spas.
What a fractional CMO does
A healthcare fractional CMO is a part-time chief marketing officer who sets a practice's marketing plan and budget, manages the agency and staff, and answers for new patients who book, show up and come back. An agency is paid to bring in leads. A fractional CMO owns each step after that:
- Search. Your Google Business Profile, a page for each treatment that funds the practice, and ad budget aimed at those treatments first.
- Booking. Calls answered at lunch and after five, online booking with real open times from your practice software, and a new patient form that asks for insurance after the appointment is booked. More on where new patients drop out before booking.
- Show rate. Confirm texts 48 hours and 2 hours out, and a same-day call to every no-show.
- Treatment acceptance. A follow-up date for every plan a patient didn't accept, checked every week.
- Rebooking and lifetime value. Recall, memberships and the next visit booked before the patient leaves.
Track two numbers by channel: cost per booked patient and cost per patient who showed.
Example: $12,000 a month in ads brings 300 calls and forms. Booking 50% with a 70% show rate gives 105 new patients at about $114 each. Booking 60% with an 80% show rate gives 144 at about $83 each, with no added ad spend.
A practice needs a fractional CMO when it spends real money on ads or an agency and nobody can name what a new patient cost.
What a fractional CMO costs
Six of the ten firms don't publish prices. The table shows the four that do, plus the cost of a hire.
| Option | Starting price | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Grade Media Fractional CMO | $1,200/mo | Month to month |
| WebMarkets Medical Fractional CMO | $3,000 to $25,000/mo | Annual, after a 90-day pilot |
| PatientX Agency Strategy Accelerator | $5,000/mo | No minimum listed |
| PatientX Agency Growth Advisor | $6,000/mo | 6-month minimum |
| PatientX Agency Sprint with Playbook | $8,000/mo | 3-month commitment |
| Fractional CMOZ Marketing Impact Roadmap | $10,000 once | About four weeks |
| Fractional CMOZ Fractional CMO Retainer | $5,000/mo | Month to month |
| Fractional CMOZ Fractional Marketing Team | $6,500/mo | Month to month |
| In-house manager Median pay, May 2025 | $13,900/mo | Before benefits and taxes |
The median marketing manager earned $166,790 in May 2025, about $13,900 a month before benefits, payroll taxes and a recruiting fee. A fractional CMO at $5,000 a month costs $60,000 a year, 36% of that salary.
In the example above, a $5,000 retainer that adds 39 new patients a month costs about $128 per added patient.
Price moves with locations, providers, ad spend and whether the firm also does the work. Fractional marketing services for clinics come as leadership only or leadership plus a team, and leadership alone costs less.
Fractional CMO vs agency vs in-house
| Option | Typical cost | Sets strategy | Does the work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fractional CMO | $1,200 to $25,000/mo | Yes, across channels | Leads it, some add a team |
| Marketing agency | Retainer per channel | For its own channels | Yes |
| In-house manager | About $13,900/mo | Rarely | Yes, hands-on |
| Full-time CMO | Executive salary | Yes | Through a team |
An agency runs channels: ads, SEO, social, the website. It reports on its own work, such as clicks, leads and cost per lead.
An in-house marketing manager does the daily work: posts, the review program, vendor follow-up. They rarely set the budget across channels and work best with a senior lead above them.
A fractional CMO for medical practices sets the plan and the budget, manages the agency and the manager, and answers for booked patients. You pay for part of a senior leader's month.
A full-time CMO fits a group big enough to need an executive every day. Most single and small multi-location practices are not there yet.
Compliance a CMO must handle
Check these four areas with any firm you hire. This is a checklist, not legal advice; your healthcare attorney has the final word.
- Keep ad pixels off patient pages. HHS warned in 2022 that tracking tools on pages where patients book, log in or fill out intake forms can send protected health information to ad platforms. A federal court narrowed that guidance in 2024 for public pages about conditions and providers. Booking, intake and portal pages are still the risk. Your CMO should keep Meta and Google pixels off them, report bookings to ad platforms without health details, and sign a business associate agreement if their team can see patient data. See a practice marketing stack that keeps pixels off patient pages.
- Run reviews by the rules. A 2024 FTC rule bans fake reviews, paying for positive ones and hiding negative ones. Google's review policy also bars asking only happy patients. When you reply to a review, never confirm the person is a patient or mention their care, even if they posted first. Ask every patient the same way, at checkout.
- Get written consent for before-and-after photos. A patient photo used in marketing needs the patient's written authorization. Show real, unedited results with the same lighting and angle, and don't present the best case as typical.
- Know your state's advertising rules. State medical and dental boards limit words like "specialist" and "board certified," guarantees of results and some discount offers, and each state draws the lines differently. Google and Meta add their own limits for treatments such as addiction care and prescription drugs. A licensed provider in your practice should approve every claim before it runs.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Who exactly leads my account? A name, their track record and how many hours a month they spend on you.
- Show me a practice like mine. Same type, similar size, with numbers from before and after.
- What did a new patient cost there? Before you started and after. Cost per patient who showed, not cost per lead.
- How will you track booked patients without putting patient data in ad tools? Which pages carry pixels, and what goes back to Google and Meta.
- What happens in the first 90 days? A written plan with an owner and a date on every fix.
- Who does the work? Your team, theirs, or an agency they manage.
- What are the terms? Minimums, notice period, and who owns the ad accounts and the data when you leave.
Red flags
- No named lead. "A team of experts" with no one person accountable for your numbers.
- A guaranteed result before they've seen your data. A promised number of new patients or return on ad spend in the first call.
- Reports on clicks and leads only. Never booked patients, patients seen or accepted treatment.
- A long contract before any plan exists. You should see the plan before you commit to months of work.
- No answer on HIPAA. They can't say where pixels go or what a business associate agreement covers.
More lists: best fractional CMO firms by industry, and the top picks for law firms, home services and DTC brands.
Frequently asked questions.
What is a fractional CMO for healthcare?
A fractional CMO for healthcare is a part-time chief marketing officer who leads a practice's marketing for a monthly fee. They set the plan and the budget, manage agencies and staff, and answer for new patients who book, show up and come back. A fractional chief medical officer is a different role: a physician who advises on clinical work.
How much does a fractional CMO cost for a healthcare practice?
Among the firms on this list that publish prices, fractional CMO work starts at $1,200 a month and runs up to $25,000 a month for larger scopes. Fractional CMOZ starts with the Marketing Impact Roadmap from $10,000, then the Fractional CMO Retainer from $5,000 a month, month to month with no setup fees. Six of the ten firms don't publish prices.
Do dental offices need a fractional CMO?
A dental office needs one when it spends real money on ads or an agency and nobody can say what a new patient cost last month. A fractional CMO ties that spend to booked patients, treatment acceptance and hygiene recall. A single office with steady referrals and little ad spend can wait.
When should a med spa hire a fractional CMO?
Hire one when the med spa pays for ads or an agency and can't say which channel brings clients who rebook or join a membership. A fractional CMO for med spas sets the budget by treatment, fixes consult-to-treatment and builds rebooking into checkout. A new med spa with a full book from referrals can wait.
What is the difference between a fractional CMO and a healthcare marketing agency?
An agency runs channels such as ads, SEO and the website, and reports on its own work. A fractional CMO sits above every vendor, sets the budget across channels and holds each one to cost per patient who showed. Many practices keep their agency and add a fractional CMO to manage it.
Does a fractional CMO need to follow HIPAA?
Yes, if they or their team can see patient data, and the practice should have a business associate agreement with them. A good practice CMO also keeps ad pixels off booking, intake and portal pages and keeps patient details out of Google and Meta. Ask how they track bookings before you sign.
Who is the best fractional CMO for healthcare practices?
On this list, Fractional CMOZ ranks first for practices that want one senior lead, published prices and a team that scales, backed by a practice it helped grow to 16 locations. Chief Outsiders suits larger groups, Medical Grade Media has the lowest published fractional CMO price for med spas, and NuParadym focuses on dental groups and DSOs.