Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a more cost effective alternative to conventional (insurance) fee-for-service third-party-payer billing and effectively allows providers to spend more time with patients and keep costs transparent.
Table Health DPC patients/members pay their physician/practice directly with a monthly fee. This fee includes most primary care services from your annual exam to stitching up your child’s finger, and everything in between.
Just as you pay a monthly fee to watch your favorite shows on Hulu or Netflix, you can pay a subscription service to your doctor to cover primary care services such as clinical or lab services, consultative services, care coordination, and comprehensive care management.
This approach to healthcare has seen rapid growth across the U.S. in the past few years here are some of the key reasons why:
True Relationship-Based Care
The patient-provider relationship is foundational to the DPC. From the moment you walk in the door to the moment you leave, all or most of your interactions will be with the provider, and appointment times are generally longer. DPC providers have fewer patients in their practices, often 500 compared with 3000, and thus have more time to spend with each patient. At Table Health every member/patient receives an initial visit to establish a relationship with a primary care provider and create a health plan together. From there, the approach looks like what you might typically expect from a primary care doctor, but with some important differences. Generally, there is more direct access to the doctor, less waiting for an appointment, and interactions may take place virtually or via patient portal or text. Direct Primary Care is more personalized, streamlined, and convenient. This increased access to the actual provider (not a nurse triage service or unknown on-call doctor) builds trust and prevents costly urgent care and ER visits.
Cost Transparency and Ease of Financial Transactions
DPC practices provide ongoing care in unlimited amounts for a very reasonable monthly fee, usually $30-80 per adult or child. That’s it. No wondering about what is or is not covered, no wondering if you’re going to get a bill a few months later, no wondering how much services and tests cost. We also include common labs and medications in the monthly fee. When you need something that is not included, we have negotiated discounts on labs and medications on your behalf, so the cost to you is much less than in the conventional system, sometimes 5-10 times less.
More Flexibility and Availability
In a smaller medical practice with fewer patients, where the financial transactions are not affected by the third-party payer fee-for-service model (insurance), there is more flexibility with patient-provider interactions. Our providers listen to the health values of their patients and suggest treatment plans that are in line with those values. Convenience and customer service matter, and providers and patients are freer to pursue a very personalized experience.
Improved Health
Many of us are guilty of putting off making an appointment or ignoring our pain because we couldn’t afford the expense. Or as we hear often, your nagging symptoms become your “new normal”. Since you pay every month, (or quarter, or annually depending on your plan) there’s never an excuse to not get care when you need it. We are also available through online communication patient portals, which means you can contact your doctor directly regarding a medical issue you’re having and get a course of treatment quickly. Your doctor can also advise if you need to come in for an appointment or not, or even go see a specialist. Personal health and wellbeing can improve through improved access to your DPC physician.