As the number of older Americans continues to grow significantly, many are facing problems finding physicians who are trained and experienced in treating the health problems that become more common with age. To make matters worse, the U.S. will face a shortage of between 46,000 - 90,000 physicians by 2025. But, there is a way to win during this inevitable doctor shortage and that is with direct primary care (DPC). With more and more direct primary care practices opening up across the country, you can have easier access to your doctor, longer appointments, same day appointments, and coordination of care when you travel.
What are direct primary care practices?
The defining characteristic of DPC practices is that they offer patients the full range of primary services, which include routine care, regular checkups, preventive care, and care coordination in exchange for a retainer fee that is billed to you on a monthly basis.
What is a retainer fee?
A retainer fee is a recurring charge billed directly to patients to cover the primary care services provided by your concierge physician. The value of the practice retainer fees is based on the primary care services covered under the retainer contract.
What servies are included in the retainer fee?
The services typically offered are: comprehensive physical exams, routine blood work, unlimited visits to the doctors office, same day appointments, phone-in prescription renewals, 24 / 7 access to your concierge physicians cell phone, and coordination of care during travel.
How is DPC different from traditional primary care?
The opportunity to spend more time interacting with patients and providing ongoing follow-up services is the main differentiator between DPC and traditional primary care practices. The regular and recurring revenue generated by the practice retainer fees allows DPC concierge physicians to overcome some of the pressures associated with insurance. Because DPC concierge physicians are no longer generating revenue solely on the basis of how many patients they see per day, many report that they have significantly more time to spend with patients in face-to-face visits. Additionally, DPC concierge physicians provide more convenient services, including 24 / 7 access to their cell phone, longer appointments, same day appointments, and coordination of care during travel.
Don't wait until it's too late to have your own concierge physician as they can only have a limited number of patients. If a DPC concierge physician seems like the right choice for you than schedule a FREE meet and greet with one of our physicians.
