Being the Doctor You Always Wanted to Be

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Direct Primary Care keeps getting more and more press. And Free Press. Actually, that’s the platform where Charlotte Grinberg, MD, wrote a fantastic article called I’m Finally Practicing Medicine the Way It Should Be Done. Unfortunately, it is behind a paywall but I did find it somewhere, so here is the PDF:

The-Free-Press-Im-Finally-Practicing-Medicine-the-Way-It-Should-Be-DoneDownload

Some quick highlights that I love:

DPC is keeping doctors in the field who may otherwise have considered leaving medicine altogether. I can now listen, focus on prevention, and follow up properly. For the first time in my entire medical career, I feel present for each patient. When illness shows up—as it always does— patients get to spend the time they need with their doctor without being rushed, to ask questions without feeling like a burden, and to be seen again quickly.

Just this week, the daughter of a patient wrote to me, “My mom feels heard and understood for the first time in a very long time.” She had been referred to multiple specialists by an overwhelmed primary care provider who brusquely told her that her medical issues must stem from her depression. Encounters like that used to be possible only when I quietly defied the time constraints of traditional practice and kept everyone else waiting. Now I don’t have to worry about that trade-off.

I’m finally getting to be the kind of doctor I’ve always wanted to be.

Great job, Dr. Grinberg!!

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About Douglas Farrago, MD

Dr. Farrago is a retired family physician based in Forest, Virginia. Since 2021, he has run DPCnews.com, a leading resource for the Direct Primary Care (DPC) movement. He is the author of three best-selling books on Direct Primary Care: The Official Guide to Starting Your Own Direct Primary Care Practice The Direct Primary Care Doctor’s Daily Motivational Journal Slowing the Churn in Direct Primary Care (While Also Keeping Your Sanity) In 2016, Dr. Farrago conceived the idea for the Direct Primary Care Alliance and co-founded the organization alongside other pioneering DPC physicians. He is widely recognized as a leading expert in the DPC model and frequently lectures to medical students, residents, and practicing physicians on how to successfully start and run their own DPC practices.Dr. Farrago sold his Direct Primary Care practice in October 2020 but continues to receive care there as a patient.