Why Direct Primary Care? What's Different, Why It Works, and Why I Chose It
People often ask me why I built my own clinic as a direct primary care practice. Here's what direct primary care actually is, why it works for both patients and doctors, and why I chose it.
What Is Direct Primary Care?
Direct primary care—or DPC—is a practice model built around just two parties: the patient and the doctor.
The patient pays a flat monthly fee directly to the practice. That fee covers most of your primary care—office visits, sick visits, virtual visits, and ongoing care. There's no insurance billing, no copays for included visits, and no middlemen between you and your doctor.
That structural simplicity makes it possible to give care in a way the patient deserves. Without the constraints of insurance coding, prior authorizations, and the volume demands that come with billing per visit, the doctor has time to actually be a doctor.
DPC is not a replacement for insurance, and it isn't a way to practice medicine with unnecessary tests or treatments. It's primary care with enough time, personalized plans of care, and most importantly, a doctor who listens, works with you, and is available when you need care.
How It Works in Practice
In a DPC practice:
Appointments are longer and unhurried. A real conversation, not a fifteen-minute visit.
Same- or next-day visits are often available when you're sick or something comes up.
You communicate directly with your physician—by phone, text, or chat—not through layers of staff.
Follow-up questions are welcomed, not rushed or pushed to "another appointment."
Care is focused on prevention, lifestyle, and long-term health.
Labs and imaging are often available at transparent cash prices that are typically lower than what you'd pay through traditional insurance-based care.
Who Is DPC For?
If you have ever been frustrated with the system, felt dismissed, value your time, or are ready to invest in your health—DPC is for you. It's a good fit for patients who:
Want a real partnership with their physician
Are interested in preventive care and long-term wellness
Have struggled with the access, communication, and rushed visits of traditional practices
Are managing chronic conditions that need ongoing attention
Want their doctor to actually know them
It's especially meaningful for busy women and families, particularly in midlife—patients juggling demanding careers, parenting, aging parents, and their own changing health, all at once.
Who DPC Isn't For
DPC is not for everyone.
If you don't mind seeing a different clinician each visit, or you see medicine as primarily transactional—as-needed rather than an ongoing relationship—DPC probably isn't for you. If you have not faced the realities and frustrations of long waits and poor access, DPC may not be for you at this time.
DPC Doesn't Replace Insurance
Direct primary care is not insurance, and it isn't meant to replace it. We recommend that patients keep insurance for hospitalizations, specialist care, imaging, and emergencies. Many DPC patients pair their membership with a lower-premium, higher-deductible insurance plan and find the combination often costs less overall than traditional insurance-based care.
Paying for insurance does not guarantee you the care you want or deserve. Insurance pays for the cost of care. DPC gives you the time, access, and relationship that insurance can't.
Why I Chose This Model
For most of my career, I worked inside the traditional system and watched the same patterns repeat. Patients couldn't get an appointment when they needed one. They couldn't reach me with a simple question without going through layer after layer. And when I did take the time they actually needed, I paid for it on the other end—charting late into the evening, trading time with my own family to make up for the time I'd spent with theirs.
I kept trying to find a middle ground between the care my patients deserved and a system that wasn't built to allow it. Eventually I realized that middle ground didn't exist—not inside traditional practice.
Direct primary care checked all the boxes. It is primary care the way it should be.
If you're curious about whether direct primary care might be the right fit for you or your family, I'd be glad to talk. Schedule a Meet & Greet to learn more about Anchor Primary Care.
