Direct Primary Care: The Wellness Physician’s Time for A New Revolution
By its very nature, the practice of DPC is wellness-driven. It has easy affordable physician access, deeply personal doctor/patient relationships, and cost control by its very nature.
Because of the close doctor-patient relationship, screenings do not get any better than what we are able to do. Patients are comfortable talking with us and building long term relationships. We also provide point of care testing, direct connections, and personalized service as well as pharmacy connections that are unbeatable.
Medicine does not get any better than this for both doctors and patients. For many patients and their families, we are the brightest spaces in their lives. When we read about today’s world in the popular media, DPC is the antithesis of what health care in the USA has become.
The reality is, however, that the media refuses to tell our story with rare exceptions. Yes, there are some shifts by and large, but we have a long way to go.
One of the things I admire most about DPC Docs is persistence. Some days are certainly more challenging than others.
Let us never give up spreading the word about what real health is and the tremendous value of having a personal family physician you can count on daily.
It is so important that physicians lead this wellness revolution. We must maintain prominence in the media both on and offline. Too often, health coaches with little to no professional education are more top of mind than a patient’s personal physician, largely because of a distrust in medicine due to prior experiences.
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DPC is in fact the Wellness Revolution America needs. Let us be sure we are living this role for all to see!
And for physicians, having fun doing what you love every single day without third-party eyes on us at every single turn is simply the best. I will continue to share this life-changing mantra with med students and residents, and I know you will too!
The problematic assumptions on DPC are two-fold. One and most important, there is zero quality control over the care given except for the patient’s opinion. We assume good care will be delivered. Having worked in both hospitals and insurers, that is not a good assumption.
The larger societal question is diverting those who can afford it into DPC creates a two tier system of care, which we can discuss endlessly on its merits and drawbacks. I see both, but fear for those who can’t afford it and must stay in insured care.
Thanks for commenting on my post. Respectfully, some of my happiest patients are on disability and pay with a smile. Furthermore, DPC docs render lots of probono care without worriment over “enticement”. With regard to quality of care if you looked at patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes in DPC against corporate models I’d bet DPC outcomes are far superior any day.