INDUSTRY INSIGHT
HEALTH CARE
SPONSORED CONTENT
The ABCs of DPC
This back-to-school season , take time to learn about primary care options for you and your family .
By Rebecca Byard , MD
In 2021 , I left urgent care to return to primary care , but I chose to do so via this non-traditional business model called Direct Primary Care ( DPC ).
DPC is a newer concept in Pittsburgh ’ s South Hills and provides benefits for patients and physicians alike . The DPC model includes a membership payment from patient to physician each month in order to have more timely , comprehensive and preventive care . That means insurance companies are left out of the picture .
If you ’ re looking for a doctor-patient relationship that ’ s more personalized , then read on to learn about the ABCs of DPC .
A IS FOR ACCESS . DPC patients typically have access to their physician most hours of the day via phone calls , text messages , emails and / or in-person or online appointments . That means patients can go right to the source with their medical questions instead of playing phone tag with an office worker or having to work their way through a phone tree or answering machines to reach their doctor . Appointments are typically available within 24 to 48 hours — and sometimes the same day for urgent concerns . Additionally , appointments last anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes , depending on the patient ’ s need .
DPC doctors typically carry a patient panel of 300 to 500 people , compared to traditional primary care doctors who often maintain a patient panel of 1,000 to 2,000 people . This makes DPC a good fit for not only people with chronic diseases that have frequent flare-ups who want a doctor to be a partner in their health , but also those who want ongoing support with focusing on preventive care .
A IS ALSO FOR AFFORDABILITY . The current price at my practice is $ 99 / month , which includes as many appointments and touch points with the doctor as the patient needs , and there are never any copays . For most people , that cost is less than a cell phone bill .
B IS FOR BETTER OUTCOMES . Data shows that patients who belong to a DPC practice have fewer urgent care and emergency room visits and spend less time hospitalized . This is attributed to the close rapport between doctor and patient and the focus on preventive care .
C IS FOR COMPREHENSIVE CARE . Since appointments in the DPC world are typically longer than the 15-minute average of regular primary care doctors , DPC doctors have more time to get to know patients . For those with multiple health concerns , they can all be addressed in the same appointment . That is hard to do in the traditional model where doctors are limited in how much time they can spend with each patient .
It pays to educate yourself about your health care options . If you know anyone who would benefit from this type of practice , send them my way for a lesson , I mean , appointment . ( All patients will get an “ A ” for putting in the effort to take charge of their health !)
This Industry Insight was written by Dr . Rebecca L . Byard .
Dr . Byard was born and raised in Pittsburgh , she has a B . S . in Biochemistry from Chatham University , M . D . from MUSOM and completed family medicine residency at the Washington Hospital . She now has her own practice in Mt . Lebanon and lives with her family in Peters Township .
MT . LEBANON ❘ FALL 2024 21