What is a Direct Primary Care Practice?

Direct Primary Care was first established in 1997. It is a type of healthcare model where the patient pays the doctor directly for their services instead of paying through health insurance companies. Today the movement has expanded to thousands of independent practices in more than half the states in the US. I like calling it a movement because it takes away the power from the insurance companies and gives it back to the patient and their doctor which is the way healthcare should be. So how does this model work? It is a monthly membership fee that includes an extensive menu of primary care services. This model does not rely on the doctor to be reimbursed by insurance which can take months or be denied entirely. For this reason the doctor does not have to see as many patients to keep their doors open. Usually these type of practices are limited to 300-600 patients. This allows the patients to have constant access to the doctor including, same day visits, virtual visits, quick refills, texts, email, phone and of course longer appointment time. Ever hear your doctor warn you that they don't have much time to discuss all your medical concerns so we must focus on what is important to us immediately today? This will not be a problem in a Direct Primary Care office. So this is like Concierge Medicine right? Not exactly concierge medicine is much more costly with membership fees running at 5-10 thousand dollars per year. A concierge office also bills the insurance for some services. Due to the high cost of concierge medicine the doctor is available 24/7. So Direct Primary Care establishes a better work life balance for the doctor and an easier access to healthcare for the patient. It is what you call a win-win. Many physicians who become burned out in a regular corporate organization usually either stop practicing medicine all together or go to a direct or concierge primary care model. Patients who are part of these medical healthcare models usually still have health insurance for labs and tests and emergency care services. Patients can also use their FSA or flexible spending account money for the membership fees of a Direct Primary Care office. Most doctors who love what they do, don't love seeing 21-26 patients a day and treating them like a conveyor belt. Perhaps if enough doctors refuse to work with insurance companies we can make a difference in our patient's health and future and decrease how much power and say the insurance company has in their care. -Elina Levkoff MD