FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is "direct primary care" ?
A. You pay the doctor a monthly membership fee for access to the items listed on the DPC membership plan of your choice without any additional charge. No copayments, no coinsurances, no deductibles for care we provide on the DPC membership plans tab. Your health insurance is not billed for these services.
Q. Is this health Insurance or a health insurance plan ?
A. No. Direct primary care is not an insurance company or agent, nor does it offer insurance plans. Direct Primary Care simply offers our patients an affordable membership to primary care at our own facilities.
Q. How does insurance work in all of this ?
A. Your insurance policy specifies your coverage for outside testing, referrals to specialists and hospitalizations you may require. We do recommend that you purchase a separate high deductible health insurance plan (HDHP) for major medical expenses.
Q. How does a health savings account (HSA) work in all of this ?
A. You could arrange a health savings account (HSA) for yourself to pay for more expensive medical services, such as surgeries, specialist care, urgent care, emergency rooms, imaging, hospitalization, and catastrophic care with pre-tax dollars.
However, at this time health savings account (HSA) money cannot be used to pay for direct primary care association (DPCA) membership. Efforts are ongoing to have our government include DPCA membership as a HSA approved medical service.
Q. If I have Medicare, can I join DPC ?
A. Not at this time.
Q. What services are provided ?
A. Please see the separate section, DPC membership plans tab.
Q. May I meet you for a free information session ?
A. Yes. You may call to arrange an appointment to discuss this innovative practice. We look forward to meeting you!
Q. Are my medical records ever shared with insurance carriers or pharmaceutical companies ?
A. Not without you giving permission each time we get a request.
Q. Will I have to pay a fee for my office visits ?
A. No. Your membership covers all of your office visits. There is no copay. The only time you will have to pay a fee is if we provide or order a service not listed in the DPC plan that you chose or not listed on the DPC membership plans tab. Even then we often have already negotiated discounted prices for our DPC members.
Q. Does DPC save patients money?
A. It depends. If you are lucky enough to have a $20 co-pay and are satisfied with your medical visits, then DPC may not be for you.
But consider:
(1) How much is coming out of your paycheck from your employer to give you insurance "coverage"?
(2) How much do you have to pay for each office visit (copay) ?
(3) How much do you end up paying weeks later after insurance pays their portion (co-insurance) ?
DPC is an option that offers quality healthcare at lower costs and 100% upfront pricing.
Q. We pay a lot for health insurance already. How can a DPC actually save me money?
A. Increase your deductible, pay lower premiums, put that savings into a DPC membership, and most people should have money left over.
Q. How do you keep your prices low ?
A. We remove the middle man. 40 cents out of every dollar goes toward the middle man bureaucrat.
However, we recommend that you also have a high-deductible health insurance policy that covers more expensive medical services, such as surgeries, specialist care, urgent care, emergency rooms, imaging, hospitalization, and catastrophic care.
Q. Is there a long term contract?
A. No. There are no long term contracts. Memberships are month to month.
Q. Is my membership to the DPC tax deductible?
A. Unfortunately, no. Your monthly retainer fee is not yet defined as a “medical expense” in most states and is not deductible. The American Academy of Private Physicians, however, is lobbying hard to win rightful deductibility for these expenses. In the meantime, consult with your tax consultant to clarify tax consequences in your particular circumstances.
Q. What are your hours?
A. We are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5 PM.
We are also available 24/7 by email or phone.
Q. I don't have health insurance. Can I still be a member ?
A. Yes. Direct Primary Care does not deny our primary care membership to anyone based on whether or not they have insurance.
Q. I have a pre-existing condition. Can I still become a member ?
A. Yes. Almost everyone is welcome to join. Direct Primary Care does not deny our primary care membership to anyone based on age or pre-existing medical conditions.
Q. Do you perform minor surgical procedures ?
Yes. We perform most skin procedures such as biopsies, excision of moles and other skin lesions, laceration repairs, abscess drainage, ingrown toenail removal and much more.
Please see the separate section, DPC membership plans tab.
Q. Do you perform physical and sports exams ?
Yes. We are happy to offer employer and sports physicals and fill out the appropriate forms as required.
Q. Do you see children ?
A. Yes. We see children of all ages.
Q. Do you provide immunizations ?
A. We believe in immunizations, but at this time, storage and administration is a costly process. The local Health Department has streamlined this process. We encourage patients to visit them for routine vaccines.
Q.Can I still see my gynecologist ?
A. Yes. Some women prefer to see their gynecologist for well-woman care. We are experienced in routine, outpatient gynecological care and it is included in the membership services. We do have women providers for those who feel more comfortable obtaining their gynecology services from a licensed professional female provider.
Of course, we are happy to support your decision to seek care outside of our DPC, but you will be responsible for those charges.
Q. What about the costs of prescription medicines?
A. We choose cost conscious medications that are best for your health. We also offer some medications in our office at our cost. If you take several monthly prescriptions, you may want to consider separate insurance with pharmacy coverage.
Q. How do you handle medication refills ?
A. Refills of medications are handled during normal business hours. Please allow 2-3 business days for these requests to be processed. If you are taking long-term medications for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol or more, an examination may be needed to verify that your medications are working and there are no unusual side effects.
Q. What if I have to see a specialist ? Will my membership cover my specialist as well ?
A. No. Specialist visits are not covered by our membership program.
Q. What if I have to go to the hospital? Will my membership cover emergency room or hospital visits ?
A. No. Your Primary Care membership is not an insurance policy and will not cover emergency room or hospital visits.
We do recommend that our patients have a high deductible health insurance plan that will cover any major medical expenses.
Q. What if I need to be admitted to the hospital ?
A. No. Your Primary Care membership is not an insurance policy and will not cover hospital visits.
Our goal is to keep you out of the hospital.
We do provide hospital care to our patients.
However, you may choose to have the local hospitalist or any other physician provide your inpatient hospital care.
We will be in direct communication with them before, during, and after your hospitalization and will be able to continue your outpatient care upon release.
Q. When can I cancel my membership?
A. You can cancel your membership at any time by filling out a cancellation request form and sending back to our office for processing. Once processed, we will stop the billing process and prorate the monthly fees accordingly to the effective date of cancellation.
Q. Can I renew my membership even after I have cancelled it?
A. Yes. You can renew your membership at any time. Because we have to reprocess you as a new member again, there will be a $100.00 non-refundable re-registration fee to reprocess your application and re-open your account.
Q. Can I keep my personal family physician ?
A. Yes. You can keep your personal family doctor. We will send all office notes and test results to your personal family doctor at no extra cost.
How do I sign up?
There are a number of ways to sign up. You can also ask us any questions about the services or membership packages by using the CONTACT US tab.