Everyone needs a primary care physician who knows their health history and goals. Joining a direct primary care practice, also known as a DPC, is a great way to have a primary care physician as your healthcare partner.
Immediate first aid can facilitate quick and frequent visits to the doctor. You pay differently for direct primary care than you would in a traditional practice. Direct primary care pricing is simple and straightforward, and you can check with direct primary care practices to see what they charge.
Here’s what you need to know to see if direct primary care is right for your financial and health needs.
What is direct primary care?
In traditional primary care offices, patients typically use insurance to pay for doctor appointments. Doctors in primary care practices are unique because they rarely or never get insurance.
Primary care membership fees often provide patients with longer doctor visits and special services such as same-day appointments and texting.
What can primary care doctors do?
Direct primary care physicians provide first aid, as traditional primary care physicians. They also usually see patients of different ages – they treat babies, children and adults.
All primary care doctors are dedicated to helping you stay as healthy as possible. This means that they try to keep you from getting sick, and they help you figure out what’s wrong and how to get better when you’re sick. Primary care doctors care about both your mental health and your physical health. They prescribe medicine, perform certain tests and perform many medical procedures.
Primary care physicians help patients with many issues, such as:
- Health and lifestyle
- Chronic disease management
- Disease prevention
- Small processes
- Weight management
- Urgent Care
Some of the procedures that primary care physicians perform directly include:
- EKG to check your heart rate
- Sewing to cut
- Biopsy to check for skin problems
Direct costs of primary care
The average cost of direct primary care is $20 to $49 per month for children, $50 to $100 for adults, and $100 or more for a family. Some practices also require a one-time registration fee.
The cost of a Direct Primary Care membership varies, but pricing is simple and you can find the exact amount from the Direct Primary Care practices you are considering.
Your monthly payment covers certain things at your primary care doctor’s office, such as routine care and easy access to a doctor. Other services, such as prescriptions, some lab tests, and some procedures, may have additional costs, but prices at the DPC office are often greatly discounted. Your DPC doctor will know how much everything you need will cost and they can give you prices before your visit.
Ways to help pay for DPC
There are options to pay direct primary care fees without processing them as direct expenses from your bank account.
- Employee Benefits: Many employers have contracts with primary care physicians that cover all or part of your membership.
- Health Savings Account (HSA): You can use your HSA to pay for primary care, up to $150 per month for yourself or up to $300 per month for your family. But you can’t pay for prescriptions you buy from your primary care doctor using a health savings account.
- Low income discount: Some direct primary care practices offer discounted or free care for low-income patients.
Does direct primary care count as insurance?
No, Primary Care Direct membership is not insurance. You must have insurance for services that DPC does not provide, such as emergency room or hospital care.
But remember, having a regular family doctor can help you avoid the ER, the emergency room, and the hospital.
Pros and cons of direct first aid
When you decide whether direct primary care or a traditional doctor’s office is right for your health needs and budget, consider how the benefits and drawbacks of DPC apply to you.
Supporter:
- More time with your doctor at the appointment than you would normally get an office that takes insurance
- Easy to reach your doctor by text, phone or email
- More available which in many cases pay the DPC fee in relation to the co-payments
- Most of your health needs are the things that primary care doctors are trained to deal with
Disadvantages:
- Hospital visits or other specialist care are not covered by direct primary care fees
- Limits on health savings accounts how much can be used to pay DPC
- Health insurance (or health contribution). it is still recommended to cover other medical expenses
Is Direct Primary Care right for me?
Direct First Aid is a good choice if it meets your health and financial needs. Consider DPC if you:
- Want quick access to your family doctor and be comfortable paying monthly fees
- Don’t have insurance, but can pay a monthly fee for regular primary care
- Have health insurance mainly for major emergencies and want to self-pay for regular primary care
- Work for an employer that offers direct primary care benefits at little or no cost
- You should see your primary care doctor often
How can I find a primary care doctor near me?
Many cities large and small have direct first aid practices. You can find one near you DPC Alliance Physician Directory or DPC boundary mapperor just search online.
