Direct Primary Care
A practice model of general doctors (family practice, internists, pediatricians, and others) who have decided to stop collecting any money from insurance.
Most DPC doctors have small personalized clinics where the doctors makes all the decisions, not administrators, not hospital companies, etc...
Most DPC doctors bill patients directly. Some DPC doctors have made arrangements with small business owners.
DPC doctors usually charge a monthly membership fee. So, once you sign up, you have unlimited access to that doctor and everything in the clinic.
More and more physicians are migrating towards Direct Primary Care because of increasing burnout with insurance paperwork and hospital administrators.
We are not the same as Concierge Doctors.
Usually concierge doctors charge more (about another zero on it).
Sometimes concierge doctors bill both the patient and the insurance.
Concierge doctors usually have a smaller panel of patients (20-200). DPC doctors usually have a larger panel of patients (400-600). But 'employed' doctors have the largest panels of patients (2500-4000).
Most concierge doctors go to their patients homes, work, hotels, travel with them, etc... I prefer that if my patient can walk, that he/she comes into my clinic.
The benefits:
- increased face to face time with your doctor.
- price transparency.
- unlimited visits.
- no long wait times.
- no 'requirements' to be a patient (ie insurance verification).
- the doctor makes all the decisions for your care.
- you can speak, email, text directly with your doctor. You bypass phone menus, secretaries, insurance companies, paper work, etc...
- Most DPC doctors (including myself) have price listings for medications, imaging studies, lab tests, etc... So if I order something, I can tell you approximately how much it costs! Can your insurance doctor do that?
You mean if I have insurance you don't bill them?
That's right. I don't bill insurance.
If you want to use your insurance, please look on their website for their lists of preferred providers. If you have any trouble getting in, know that I am available for cash/debit/credit.
I can give you receipts, copies of physician notes, and attach ICD-10 codes. But I don't want to collect from them at all.
I don't need any verification of insurance. I don't need to verify any immigration status, income level, IRS info, credit scores, etc. I don't need (or want) your social security number.