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What Is Direct Primary Care?

Zoom Local News > Health > What Is Direct Primary Care?

What Is Direct Primary Care?

How well do you understand the health insurance system? Premiums, deductibles, co-payments, co-insurance – the list of terms alone could make your head spin. Luckily, there is a new healthcare delivery system and a new payment method. It’s called direct primary care and direct care payment.

Never heard of it? That’s okay – keep reading to learn everything you need to know about how direct primary care is revolutionizing the healthcare industry.

What Is Direct Primary Care?

Direct primary care is a model of healthcare focused on the patient and the doctor. Patients pay doctors directly without going through insurance. The quality of care is the same but the payment system is new.

With direct primary care, you and your family get the same access to preventive care, testing, and diagnostics from your primary care doctor. However, instead of waiting to see how much you owe after insurance, you pay the doctor directly.

Direct Primary Care Payment

In a direct primary care payment model, the patient pays the doctor a specific amount of money on a regular basis to cover a set of services. These services typically do not include medical emergencies.

Patients have a few payment options for direct primary care. They may pay monthly, quarterly, or annually for direct primary care services. The amount and the payment plan schedule depends on the doctor.

Benefits of Direct Primary Care

You have a lot of healthcare options, so why choose direct primary care? First, you can establish and build a close relationship with a primary care doctor that knows you and your family. If that sounds appealing, learn more about integrative family medicine here.

Another benefit of direct primary care is transparency. You know exactly how much you owe and when you need to pay it. Doctors that offer direct primary care are often accessible via phone, email, or text message at any time.

Direct primary care doctors are also able and willing to refer you to a specialist if necessary. When you work directly with a doctor you also gain access to their entire network of colleagues.

Other Considerations

With the direct primary care model, you still need health insurance for emergencies or medical needs beyond primary care. Visits covered by your direct primary care payment do not count toward your deductible.

Direct primary care offers increased access to high-quality healthcare services. Payment for direct primary care varies from about $50 up to more than $100 a month.

A New Approach to Health

It’s time for the healthcare industry to change. And direct primary care is a good place to start. With direct primary care, you have a contract with your doctor for unlimited visits for specific, non-emergency services.

If you’re tired of unexpectedly high medical bills from your insurance or long wait times to get an appointment with your doctor, direct primary care might be right for you.

Check out our other content to stay up-to-date on healthcare trends and important local news.

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