Direct Primary Care is not Concierge care. Concierge care practices target patients who do not mind spending a lot of money on their healthcare. Concierge practices charge expensive membership fees and also bill insurance. This means that members of concierge practices still have to pay their insurance co-pays and co-insurance in addition to paying their membership fees.Unlike Concierge care, the goal of Direct Primary Care is to provide high quality primary care while helping our members save money on their health care expenses. Direct Primary Care practices do not bill insurance for physician services so our members never pay a co-pay or co-insurance when they come to see us.
Direct Primary Care practices work to find patients the least expensive options for their care. However, members who have PPO insurance or traditional medicare can still use their insurance for labs, imaging and specialist referrals if they choose to.
Unlike Concierge care practices which require long term contracts, most direct primary care practices do not require any long-term commitments.
In addition, since direct primary care practices accept only a limited number of patients and do not deal with insurance red tape, we are better able to focus only on taking care of patients. This is a good thing!
With Concierge care, you pay a lot more money, you have to sign a long- term contract and your doctors still have to deal with insurance red tape which will affect their ability to focus on you.