DPC Opinion Piece in Newsweek

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Congrats to Dr. Matthew Hitchcock for his piece It’s Time To Fix America’s Two-Tiered Health Care Reimbursement System in Newsweek. Please give it a read and share it as well. To be fair, the article was about transparency billing and the corporate practice of medicine (CPOM) but he was still able to throw in some pearls about DPC:

Outpatient hospital centers charge an average of 60 percent more than private practices for identical care because of the two-tiered approach to payments. I have witnessed the profound impact of these disparities first hand. In my direct primary care practice in Chattanooga, Tennessee, I offer minor surgical procedures in my office—a cost-effective and convenient alternative for my patients. Yet these same procedures, when performed in a hospital setting, come with inflated costs that burden both the patient and the health care system.

and

Direct primary care was designed to answer the crisis of discontent. Patients in our practices pay a fixed monthly fee to access general care without having to wait weeks for an appointment. They can contact their physician directly for advice over the phone or text message without having to go through robotic menu prompts or faraway call centers. They have access to a doctor who knows the names of their family members and the unique health situations and needs of each one.

Great job, Dr. Hitchcock!

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.