1. The Doctor-Patient relationship is central to acute diagnosis and good long term care.
  2. We will continue to take the time needed to help you with your medical problems.  I will continue to oversee and coordinate your care with specialists.
  3. We will have control over our scheduling.  This means less waiting for you.
  4. We can interact in much more flexible ways beyond clinic, when free of Medicare/Insurance restrictions.  These can include the use of patient portal, email/photos, and phone/home visits for members.
  5. The patient is the payer.  I am responsible only to you.  I will not accept or file any insurance.  
  6. There will be two ways to join my clinic: an annual membership fee or fee-for-service.  The average national rates in 2014 were ~$50-$70/month (for 12 month commitment that includes annual physical, priority scheduling, no charge for phone or email consultations, discounts on procedure costs, and follow up visits for the year for $20/visit), versus estimated $100-$140/30 minutes with pay-as-you-go.  Our updated fee schedule for 2018 will be less than $60/month, to keep it as affordable as possible.
  7. I will still be able to refer you for diagnostic testing and to specialists, who will accept insurance as usual.  Choosing DPC does not mean giving up insurance for the expensive care (hospital, specialists, ER, surgical procedures, etc).
  8. Structuring your insurance or Medicare supplement with Direct Primary Care can dramatically decrease your costs compared to conventional care.  Patients who pay premiums (Medigap or private insurance) are already paying hidden costs every month, often hundreds of dollars a year, or more.   Selecting plans that have less expensive premiums with higher deductibles may save you money in the long run (see comments under the tab for "How to Make DPC Work For You" on this website).  Patients with access to Health Savings Accounts or employer Flex plans can save even more money using these funds to cover the Direct Primary Care fees.
  9. I’ve designed the practice to minimize my costs which should help decrease your costs. 
  10. For patients with private insurance, I will be able to provide the information necessary to file your own insurance claims and get reimbursed.
  11. I love my Medicare patients, but Medicare doesn’t love you or me.  None of my fees can be charged to Medicare nor will Medicare reimburse you.  However, my charges may qualify toward your deductible and total out-of-pocket expenses.  There is no way to make my services completely free, but there are many MediGap supplement options, and I am exploring how Medicare patients can save costs in a Direct Primary Care system.
  12. Third Party Payers (insurance; Medicare/Medicaid) will have no right to any of your private/ personal data or results, except as you choose to release it or as required by law.