Direct Primary Care

Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a healthcare delivery model in which patients pay a monthly or annual fee directly to their primary care physician, without involving insurance companies or third-party payers. In exchange for this fee, patients receive a comprehensive range of primary care services, including preventive care, chronic disease management, and acute care.

The key features of Direct Primary Care include longer appointment times with the physician, increased access to care through in-person or virtual visits, and enhanced communication with the physician through phone calls, texts, or emails. DPC physicians often have smaller patient panels, which allows them to provide more personalized and focused care to each patient.

One of the benefits of DPC is that it can reduce healthcare costs by eliminating the administrative and billing overhead associated with insurance-based care. This can also lead to lower medication costs, as DPC physicians often negotiate directly with pharmacies to provide medications at a lower cost to patients. Additionally, DPC can improve patient satisfaction by providing more personalized and convenient care.

It's important to note that Direct Primary Care is not a replacement for health insurance. DPC is designed to provide primary care services, and patients may still need health insurance to cover the costs of specialty care, hospitalizations, and other healthcare services.