Frequently Asked Questions
Direct Primary Care is a membership-based healthcare model where you pay a flat monthly fee directly to your physician for comprehensive, personalized primary care without insurance billing or third-party interference. It allows for easier access to your doctor, more time with your doctor when needed, transparent pricing, and better continuity of care than traditional insurance-based primary care.
- Clinic visits with no copays
- Direct access to your physician by phone/text/email
- Quicker appointment availability
- Preventive care, chronic condition management, and sick visits
- Basic annual blood work
- Basic office procedures
- Supplement review and recommendations
- Care coordination and referrals to specialists
No, DPC is not health insurance. You are encouraged to maintain a “wrap-around” plan (catastrophic, high-deductible, or health-sharing) to cover hospitalizations, specialist care, imaging, and other high-cost services not included in primary care membership.
If you need specialist care, imaging, hospitalization, or procedures beyond the scope of primary care, your doctor will help coordinate your care. You can use your insurance to handle those costs, or pay out of pocket if that is more cost effective.
However, research has found that patients utilizing direct primary care have a lower need for healthcare services (about 12% less) overall, fewer ED visits (40% less), and fewer inpatient hospitalizations (about 20% less). The ease of access to a DPC physician allows for quicker intervention and a more preventive approach.
Source: https://www.soa.org/globalassets/assets
/files/resources/research-report/2020/direct-primary-care-eval-model.pdf
Yes. For many patients — even those with insurance — a DPC membership can lower overall healthcare costs by eliminating copays, facility fees, surprise charges, and other hidden costs that add up with insurance-based primary care. It will also reduce the amount of urgent care, ED, and specialty visits you will need.
Even healthy individuals benefit from DPC — early preventive care and ongoing relationships with a physician help maintain wellness and catch issues before they become costly crises. You also never know when you might have a medical need. How reassuring it will be to know who will take care of you when you need it most!
No. We do not bill insurance for office visits or primary care services. However, you can still have insurance that covers other medical needs (i.e. surgeries and hospitalizations).
No. Concierge practices usually charge very high fees AND bill insurance on top of those fees. Direct primary care delivers personalized care at reasonable prices.
Yes — one of the strengths of the DPC model is accessibility. You may call, text, or email your physician outside regular hours for urgent questions that cannot wait until the next day.
Your physician can often provide advice by phone or video and help coordinate local care when needed. So, if you’re a Michigan snowbird, you may not need a separate primary care physician when you travel south for the winter!
Yes. Patients with Medicare can join DPC, but you must sign a waiver acknowledging that the practice will not bill Medicare directly. Medicare still covers services outside DPC (e.g., hospital care, imaging).
Absolutely! Children can join as part of a family membership, or if their parent/guardian is a member of the practice.
While we believe each person’s vaccine recommendations need to be considered on an individual basis, we will also require a minimum vaccination status to be a patient in our office. Standard childhood immunizations are essential and we recommend them for all our patients.
Yes — we do require a 3 month minimum commitment to start. Please also know that there is a $150 re-enrollment fee.
Beyond basic annual blood work, labs and imaging are not included in the membership. We will offer discounted cash pricing that can be cheaper than insurance copays — but members can use insurance for those things if they choose.
Great! That’s what we are here for. Non-members can utilize sports medicine consultations for $200 which includes one 30 minute follow up visit. Subsequent follow-up visits for the same issue are $50.
Yes. Member pricing for a PRP injection is $300.
Non-member pricing for a PRP injection is $600 which includes two 15-minute follow up visits. An initial sports medicine consultation visit ($200) is required before a PRP injection can be done. If we proceed with the PRP injection after the consultation, the initial consultation fee will be applied to the injection cost.
- Time & focus: Unrushed appointments
- Accessibility: Direct physician access
- Simplicity: Clear, transparent pricing
- Continuity: A physician who knows you and your history
These qualities make DPC attractive for patients seeking a personalized, proactive healthcare experience.
