Frequently Asked Questions

Direct Primary Care, or DPC, is a model of healthcare delivery that puts patients first by getting rid of the red tape that constrains traditional practices. How? It's simple: we don't accept insurance, and – believe it or not – this actually saves you money in the long run.

You won't have to pay a co-pay for office visits or routine physicals. Also you'll be able to avoid many visits altogether by sending your questions directly to us via email – something you may not get from a traditional practice. We're negotiating amazing deals for prescription medications, blood tests, X-rays, and MRI/CT scans on your behalf.

More importantly, since you are getting all this amazing care from us, you can cut way back on your insurance premiums. Most DPC patients find a higher-deductible, low-premium insurance plan so they're covered in the case of a major health issue. But leave the rest of your healthcare to us.

Definitely! Everyone benefits from a service tailored directly to them. That’s why we offer truly custom healthcare. We’re here for you if you're sick or hurt, but we also help you proactively maintain good overall health. Visits with us will be thorough, relaxed, and as long as you need to address your health concerns. The longer you're our patient, the more we learn about your health and lifestyle, and the better we can help you maintain and improve that health.

The terms are often mistakenly used interchangeably, but they are NOT the same. Both DPC and concierge practices charge a periodic fee, however, under the concierge model, this fee only gets you access; that is, it doesn't actually cover any of your care. Instead a concierge practice still bills insurance for your visits. Under DPC, your visits and other care are included in your fee, plus you're provided with other incredible benefits like affordable pricing for labs and radiology studies, direct digital communication with your doctor and all the rest.

Here’s a few articles that profile the Direct Primary Care approach to medicine:

• FORBES: Direct Primary Care: Restoring The Doctor-Patient Relationship
• TIME Medicine is About to Get Personal
• US News Physicians Abandon Insurance for Blue Collar Model
• AARP The Doctor Will See You But Not Your Insurance
• American Academy of Family Physicians Direct Primary Care
• WRAL Patients Pay Monthly Fee, Not Insurance Co-Pay to See Raleigh Physician

See our prices on our pricing page. We charge a flat monthly fee, and in exchange you get unlimited office visits, video visits, phone and email care and a whole lot more.

The fee covers excellent primary care through office visits with no copay. This includes the following: annual wellness exams, sports physicals, school physicals, chronic care office visits, follow-up visits, treatment of acute illness or minor injuries, all with minimal wait times in the office. The fee also covers direct communications with your doctor: phone, video calls and email.

We treat all kinds of common everyday problems like colds, flu, strep, sinus infections, rashes and injuries. We also treat more complicated long term medical problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, thyroid disorders, joint pain, and mental health to name a few.

For starters, having such unprecedented direct access to your doctor will prevent hospitalizations and specialty referrals in many cases. However when those types of care are required, we will certainly continue to work with your hospitalist during your hospital stay as well as work closely with any specialist. Depending on the level of care and the sorts of expertise required, we may rely on those specialized caregivers to manage your treatment.

Yes. We are happy to accept the children of our enrolled clients. See our pricing page for details.

We maintain high standards of patient privacy. We will never provide your health information to any third party unless you specifically ask that we do so.

Charges will be added and applied to your preferred method of payment at the time of service.

We expect to have an open, honest, respectful relationship with you. If for any reason you decide to cancel a one month's written notice is required per our patient agreement that is signed when joining.

Unfortunately, no. Your retainer is not yet defined as a "medical expense" in most states and as such is not deductible. Please confer with your tax consultant to clarify tax consequences in your particular circumstances.

No, fortunately for both you and us. Perhaps the most critical distinction in our model of care centers on a direct, personal relationship between you and your doctor. That directness carries over to our business model as well. You might use your auto insurance to fix a smashed fender or other major damages. But you'd never use it to get an oil change (or pay for gas!). For some reason, health insurance is currently being used for the equivalent of oil changes for humans - routine physicals, office visits, simple blood tests, and minor procedures. This just doesn't make sense.

We forgo insurance payments in order to save our patients from the arbitrary, intrusive decisions that come with using insurance. Charging a direct monthly fee frees us from the typical contractual agreements that prevent non-DPC physicians from offering wholesale prices on laboratory tests, imaging, and medications.

Yes, we take care of any patient regardless of your insurance situation. Since we work completely outside of the insurance system, none of the billing for care here is eligible for insurance reimbursement. However, we recommend that everyone have insurance coverage, which is still important in the event of a major health issue.

Yes. We recommend our patients continue a major medical plan with a high-deductible and health savings account. If you experience a major health issue, you will still need insurance to help cover it. We’re happy to refer you to insurance representatives who can help customize an insurance plan to your specific needs.

Yes. You need only sign a one-time waiver declaring that neither you nor your doctor will directly bill Medicare for our services. Even though Medicare will not pay us for any services you receive in our practice, your Medicare benefits will otherwise remain unchanged and can continue to be used for all other medical care received outside of our practice. Medicare will still cover any laboratory testing, imaging, medications, or hospitalizations prescribed by our offices.

You may want to check with your human resources department regarding the use of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) as possible payment options for your membership. If you are unable to use these funds to pay for the membership fee directly, there is a good chance that you can still use your HSA/FSA as reimbursement for certain services provided through our office.

Unfortunately, no. Your retainer is not yet defined as a "medical expense" in most states and as such is not deductible. Please confer with your tax consultant to clarify tax consequences in your particular circumstances.