What is Direct Primary Care?

Direct primary care practitioners provide health care to patients without the the bureaucracy of government or insurance companies. Patients pay their primary care provider directly for care. Direct primary practices can be structured as a membership model, fee for service or a hybrid model. Membership practices charge patients a monthly, quarterly or annual fee which covers office visits, acute care, longer office visits, annual screening exams and increased access to your primary care provider. The direct pay model allows the provider to reduce the cost of providing health care and spend more time with patients. Direct primary care can also be delivered on a fee per visit basis. Patients pay their doctor directly with a per visit fee. The provider reduces overhead by eliminating interaction with third party payers. Fee based patients may file with their insurance company with a superbill from the provider. A hybrid direct primary care practice is a combination of the membership model and fee for service model.

Many patients save money by participating in direct family care. Patient with high deductible health care plans are able to seek affordable, quality primary care with the direct care option. Patients are followed by primary care providers who can handle the majority of health care concerns. Patients enjoy longer more comprehensive visits with their provider allowing the development of individualized care. The direct care models can save patients money with a reduction of unnecessary medications, testing, referrals to specialists, emergency room visits and hospitalizations.

Even patients who do not require frequent medical attention benefit from direct primary care. A direct primary care provider will not only identify and treat disease after the illness starts, but also help prevent disease and concentrate on long term health and wellness. Unlike traditional medicine, this practice has the time to deliver comprehensive and detailed care.