A young female doctor consults with a patient
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Waiting for more than a few weeks to meet with a primary care physician only feels rushed once it happens and is a common experience in the US healthcare system.
You don’t have to do that. And for patients who directly participate in primary care practices, that is usually not the case.
Healthcare providers working under the service fee refund model are paid for the services they provide. This provides a financial incentive to provide more services and pack more patients into an already busy schedule.
In contrast, direct primary care (DPC) uses a membership model in which the patient pays a monthly fee in exchange for unlimited access to the primary care physician. DPC patients usually spend less time waiting for appointments or access to a doctor by text or mobile phone between visits. Doctors and patients can spend more time together. In the world of service charges, the average is 18 minutes, compared to 45-60 minutes. Also, because DPC treatment is usually outside the scope of health insurance, patients pay for themselves, so they know exactly how much it will cost to see a doctor. Membership fees cover visits and prices for additional services are usually posted.
Despite these benefits and significant growth in recent years, DPC has not yet become mainstream. According to the Direct Primary Care Coalition, a group focused on supporting DPC and promoting DPC compliance, an estimated 300,000 patients are currently enrolled in one of the 1,600 DPC practices in 48 states. .. This is less than 1% of the US population and primary care providers in the United States.
One company, Hint Health, is working to increase DPC adoption by providing management and billing software to help physicians initiate membership-based independent direct care practices.
Today, Hint announced that it has raised $ 45 million in Series B funding, led by Banneker Partners and Frist Cressey Ventures. The new investment will bring the company’s total funding to $ 60 million. According to the statement, the company will use the funds to support operating system growth, expand its domestic DPC network and increase its services.
“The US healthcare system is collapsing, which is disrupting our economy,” said Hint CEO Zack Holdsworth. “Historically, most of the innovations that are happening in healthcare are built on this ancient service pricing infrastructure and cannot solve the root cause of the problem. Solving the problem and the economy. To recover, we had to circumvent the existing infrastructure and build our own. “
Holdsworth and his team said they are aware of the potential impact of DPC on medical accessibility, patient-physician relationships, and patient health outcomes. But they haven’t seen an existing operating system that supports the growth of DPC. Tips set out to build one.
Dr. Rob Lamberts, founder of Welcome Health, moved to DPC in 2013. He has been practicing for 18 years and says he will gradually burn out with the traditional service fee practice model “hamster wheel”.
“The constant pressure to submit data (for a fee) and the growing sense of alienation from patient care have been constant frustration,” Lambert said. “I remember imagining a’line of endless need’going out of my office over the horizon, and I take care of everyone they need. I was disappointed that I couldn’t do it. ”
For Lambert, DPC quickly makes sense. It overloaded his schedule and removed the pressure of having to perform full control in order to file and manage insurance claims. Also, unlike concierge medicine, which focuses on high-end luxury services, DPCs are usually offered at a more affordable price of $ 50 to $ 150 per month, so you can see low-income and elderly patients. I was able to do it.
“Direct health care is better than paid health care, it’s just good,” Lambert said. “We have more time for people, the care we provide is less constrained, and we can focus on communication rather than compliance.”
Critics argue that DPC and concierge care exacerbate the expected shortage of primary care physicians due to the small total number of patients doctors see in these clinical models.
However, given the many burned-out medical professionals who have completely quit clinical practice, DPCs may offer viable alternatives to retain more doctors in certain practices. ..
Some of the things doctors appreciate about practicing in the direct care model are also good for the patient.
A study by the Pioneer Institute summarizes benefits for physicians and patients, including cost savings for services such as lab testing and imaging. In another study, virtually all (97%) of DPC patients reported that the practice of DPC facilitated their care.
“When people go into direct care practices, they are rarely happy to return to the world of service fees,” Lambert said. “Why you leave better and easier care (it’s only about $ 50-70 a month) and go back to the frustrating non-care offered by” regular “medicines just because you’re insured. Is it? ”
In fact, according to Lambert, many DPC patients have health insurance, but feel that they have more access to doctors to meet their monthly membership fees.
Holdsworth admits that DPCs are still in their infancy, but hopes that as more physicians adopt this model, DPCs will become more widely available.
“with time, [DPC] It could be the foundation of tomorrow’s healthcare system. ” “As the industry grows and DPCs become more widely available in places like the medical desert where access to care really needs to be expanded, both consumers and employers continue to enjoy the benefits. , Recruitment will recover rapidly. “
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