DPC in Practice

Imagine the Scenario

Your child gets sent home from school with pinkeye. 

Do you…

C) Text your provider some close up pictures of the eye, and within the hour have a prescription filled, a resting kiddo, some Starbucks, and plenty of time to hop on that conference call.

If you answered C, you already know the benefit of Direct Primary Care. But, if you’ve never had the pleasure of texting your provider and avoiding the waiting room all together… Keep reading!

Healthcare is drastically changing daily.  We recognize that the affordability and access to healthcare is a daily struggle for our community.  Therefore, we are introducing an affordable alternative to access primary care.  Direct Primary Care is a revolutionary model of healthcare that puts the patient first in every way possible.

It advocates a patient-provider relationship that emphasizes communication, and as a result fosters proactive and personalized treatment plans.  Direct primary care focuses on the patient without the limitations or restrictions of insurance companies. Instead of paying co-pays, co-insurance or dealing with deductibles for each visit, you pay a low monthly fee that gives you access to your provider. Included in the plan are up to 12 in office visits per year, phone calls, video calls, texts, emails, and some in office labs and procedures.

So whether you’re trying to lower your cholesterol, lose weight, battling the flu, or dealing with a sick kiddo, through our Direct Primary Care program, we are committed to helping members have convenient access to their provider at an affordable, predictable cost.

Although saving money is a great advantage, that’s not the only one!  DPC has innovated the way in which we care for our patients.  The traditional healthcare model has created an environment where providers have less and less time to spend with patients due to the time spent dealing with paperwork and insurance companies.  On average, a primary care provider spends less than 12 minutes with each patient per visit and most of that time is spent looking at a computer screen.  With DPC patient population is kept low. Ever wonder why you spend so much time in a waiting room or for a simple call back?  A typical primary care provider has a patient panel of 2500+ patients.  This makes it virtually impossible to know the patients.  A DPC provider typically has less than 500 patients.  Imagine yourself in your own home, on a virtual visit with your provider.  That is what DPC is all about.

Direct Primary Care Model is for individuals and families that do not have healthcare coverage or who only have catastrophic healthcare coverage.  It is directly paid by the patient for primary medical care.  Due to regulatory restrictions, the DPC model is not available for patients who are eligible for or enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, or other government health insurance programs.  DPC is not a comprehensive health insurance coverage nor is it a contract of insurance and it only provides services provided at Godley Family Medicine.  Monthly fees cannot be paid using Healthy Savings Account (HSA) dollars.  Please note, however, this issue has been placed before the IRS to change the rules so the DPC can be paid using HSA funds.