Frequently Asked Questions

Direct Primary Care, or DPC, is a model of healthcare 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 and text – something you won't get from a traditional practice. More importantly, since you are getting all this amazing care from us, most DPC patients consider finding a high-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.

Of course. 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. Every visit 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 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 direct digital communication with your doctor.

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 and a direct way to contact your doctor, 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, chronic care office visits, follow-up visits, basic office procedures and 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, text, tele health.

We treat all kinds of common everyday problems like colds, flu, strep, rashes and injuries. We also treat more complicated long term medical problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and thyroid disorder.

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.

Of course! Physician access is one of the greatest benefits of the direct primary care model. Because illness and injury do not respect regular office hours, you may call or text your physician whenever you need.

Of course – this sort of care is "baked in" to the DPC model. Because you'll have your doctor's phone number, you can reach out to us whenever you need, wherever you are. We’ll also locate the nearest pharmacy and order the medications most appropriate for your circumstances.

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.

We expect to have an open, honest, respectful relationship with you. If you have voiced a complaint that we cannot satisfy together, we will gladly allow you to terminate your membership.

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 with insurance companies.

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. If you experience a major health issue, you will still need insurance to help cover it.

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.