We Have Choices in Primary Care and they Matter

About 80% of doctors today work under a business and care delivery model called fee-for-service, where every test, exam, procedure, and visit are billed to insurance using a system of codes so complicated that providers employ professional coders to maximize their charges. Those codes and insurance policies like Medicare control doctor-patient facetime, treatment options, and frustrating preapprovals where doctors must justify their care decisions.

Direct Primary Care practices offer their patients faster access, more facetime, and closer relationship with their doctors

The fee-for-service model works for most providers but is frustrating for many primary care doctors who feel micromanaged and prevented from spending enough facetime with their patients. Doctors and researchers cite insurance intrusions into the doctor-patient relationship, along with preapprovals, and uncompensated administrative overheads as contributing to growing physician dissatisfaction and burnout.

Patients also complain about limited facetime with their doctors along with poor availability and accessibility, confusing time-consuming processes, and costs. Patient surveys have long reported patient dissatisfaction with healthcare.

An alternative primary care model that is growing in popularity is Direct Primary Care (DPC). DPC practices are based on memberships that charge a simple monthly fee. In return, patients can benefit from:

• Same-day or next-day appointments

• 30+ minutes of unrushed, face-to-face time with their doctor

• Personalized care that accounts for personal goals, lifestyle, and family demands

• No co-pays, and

• Services like labs and office procedures

DPC doctors benefit from no insurance interference, reduced paperwork, and freedom to run their practices. They also highlight closer collaboration and relationship with their patients as professionally and personally rewarding.

DPC is especially popular among families with young children, adults managing chronic conditions, and people who want better access and deeper relationships with their doctors.

Some members pair DPC with a low-cost catastrophic insurance plan to cover expensive treatments, surgeries, hospitalizations, and specialist services. The savings often cover the cost of their DPC membership.

The key point is that we have choices in the care models we rely on. I wanted to investigate DPC, so I joined a local practice. My DPC doctor took time to ask many questions, listened to my objectives, and helped me recognize what was possible for someone my age, health, and mindset. Our close collaboration materially improved my quality of life. 

In summary: we have care options, and they matter. DPC is one of them.