How Direct Primary Care Physicians Help Care for Aging Parents

Taking care of our elderly parents and managing their healthcare as they age is one of the most difficult challenges we will all face in life.  As our parents age, they tend to develop more complicated medical problems that require the attention and involvement of their children and other loved ones to manage. The stress faced by caregivers these days as they try to navigate our broken healthcare system on behalf of their elderly loved ones while raising their own families is unparalleled.

Direct Primary Care (DPC) physicians are solving this problem in a big way. Direct Primary Care is a model of care where patients have a direct relationship with their physician in exchange for a low monthly fee.  With this model, patients receive concierge-type, individualized care that can be tailored to the patient’s specific needs. Direct Primary Care physicians see fewer patients a day and are not incentivized by insurance to keep their schedules fully booked. This allows DPC physicians to always have same-day or next-day scheduling availability for any acute care needs that may arise. Care- coordination is also provided as DPC physicians have the time to directly contact and coordinate care with patient’s specialist physicians relieving caregivers of this burden. In addition, some Direct Primary Care physicians offer home visits for their elderly patients allowing for an added level of convenience. Most importantly, Direct Primary Care physicians provide ease of access and ease of communication with patients and their loved ones. This provides significant relief to caregivers who can relax, knowing that their loved one’s physician can be easily reached with any questions or concerns. All of this helps to significantly reduce stress to caregivers.

 Although Direct Primary Care physicians do not bill Medicare or any insurance for their services, they are able to utilize patients’ Medicare and PPO supplement insurance plans for their labs, imaging, specialist referrals, medications, and any other medical services that the patients need. The only exception is HMO insurance plans which require that ordering or referring physicians are in-network. In addition, since DPC physicians do not bill Medicare or insurance for the services they provide, patients never have any co-pays or coinsurance when they are seen by their direct primary care doctor.

With Direct Primary Care, patients receive timely access to care when and where they need it, the care is personalized, care coordination is provided and loved ones can rest easy, knowing that their mom or dad is being very well cared for by a doctor who knows them well and who can be easily reached with any questions or concerns.

At Katy Premier Primary Care, we specialize in Direct Primary Care for elderly patients. Our physician is a board-certified Internist who specializes in the care of adult patients of all ages. We provide care coordination, home visits and easy, convenient access to care. We do not utilize any non-physician providers at our practice, so all patients are seen by the physician who knows their medical history every time. Seniors can choose from our regular senior citizen membership plan with the option of adding on home visits as needed or our exclusive home visit membership plan. For more information about how Katy Premier Primary Care can help you care for your elderly parents, contact us at (281) 978-2624 or via email at [email protected].