DPC as a Viable Business Model for Practicing Primary Care
D
r. Gruender is a board certified Family Medicine physician who owns Liberty Family Medicine, a Direct Primary Care clinic located in Columbia, Missouri. She opened her DPC clinic over 4 years ago and it was the first of its kind in the mid-Missouri area. She truly enjoys offering amazing, relationship-based care while supporting her community in the process.
phone, and videoconferencing visits in addition to providing traditional office visits. Physicians typically carry somewhere between 600 and 800 patients on their panel which is a stark contrast to the traditional model of practicing medicine where physicians have 2,500 to 3,000 patients on their panel; this allows physicians to spend more time with each individual patient when care is needed.
GIVE US A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF DPC FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH IT.
WHAT ABOUT THE SERVICES NOT COVERED IN THE DPC CLINIC?
Bridget NT Gruender, MD, MS
DPC can provide about 90% of the healthcare services most patients need including general DPC, short for direct primary care, is a model primary care, procedures, laboratory services, and of practicing medicine where the patient pays an medications. However, for the larger medical needs affordable membership fee in exchange for primary like hospitalizations, surgeries, specialist visits, and care services. Typically, this is done without insurance imaging, additional coverage can be financially although patients can still have insurance they use helpful. It is recommended that anyone who is a outside of the clinic (and in some DPC clinics, even member of a DPC clinic that does not already have inside the clinic for certain services). Most DPC clinics additional insurance coverage should obtain some offer laboratory services, prescription dispensing form of additional coverage for unforeseeable services, procedures at minimal or no additional cost, and comprehensive primary care including expenses or services that are not provided in the care coordination with specialists or other facilities. clinic. Most clinics will recommend patients consider With their membership, patients do not pay a co-pay catastrophic plans with high deductibles or health for services and have unlimited visits available with sharing plans, which work well with the DPC model their physician; most clinics can provide care through of primary care. multiple forms of telemedicine including text, email, MO-AFP.ORG 23
