Some DPC News in DPC News
The stories keep coming out about Direct Primary Care. We are always surveilling the media and wanted to share some recent DPC-centric stories with you with AI summaries:
Kelsey Smith, MD, president of the DPCA, testifies about the benefits of DPC
Dr. Smith reflects positively on stepping outside her comfort zone to testify before the Texas Senate Health & Human Services Committee in Austin on healthcare affordability and the Direct Primary Care (DPC) model. She highlights how DPC restores doctor-patient relationships, improves access, reduces costs, and simplifies care by cutting out insurance middlemen. Her recommendations are to protect DPC laws, improve price transparency, support HSAs, scrutinize pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and allow physician dispensing. The post emphasizes gratitude for the opportunity, her patients, and how saying “yes” to challenges can lead to meaningful progress in fixing healthcare.
Comprehensive Report on the Direct Primary Care Market: Opportunities and Challenges
A new comprehensive report from The Business Research Company highlights the rapid growth of the global Direct Primary Care (DPC) market, which is projected to rise from $70.17 billion in 2025 to $75.11 billion in 2026 (CAGR of 7.0%), and further expand to $95.43 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 6.2%. DPC is a patient-centered model where individuals pay providers directly via fixed monthly/annual fees, bypassing traditional insurance billing to reduce administrative costs, enhance access, improve doctor-patient relationships, and deliver transparent, affordable care. Key growth drivers include high insurance-related overhead, physician burnout, patient dissatisfaction with conventional systems, primary care shortages, the shift toward value-based care, employer-sponsored DPC plans, digital tools, telehealth integration, and regulatory support. North America currently dominates the market, while Asia-Pacific is expected to grow fastest. The report also notes emerging trends like subscription-based models, greater pricing transparency, and personalized care, positioning DPC as a promising solution to broader healthcare challenges despite ongoing opportunities and hurdles.
In a May 28, 2026 Medical Economics interview, Atlas MD co-founder Josh Umbehr, M.D. — who launched his Direct Primary Care (DPC) practice in Wichita right after residency in 2010 — explains the practical economics of the model using the mantra “a shoestring and a stethoscope.” He describes a straightforward financial picture: roughly 600 patients at $50/month generates $360,000 in annual revenue with only 20–25% overhead (one staff member, minimal space, no billing department, no MACRA/MIPS), allowing physicians to retain most of it as income while maintaining small panels and far more time with patients. Umbehr emphasizes rapid ramp-up potential (200–300 patients from an existing panel in 6–8 months, or full profitability in ~12 months for new starts with aggressive marketing), dramatically lower administrative burden, cheaper labs/meds/specialist e-consults, and fewer overall referrals thanks to longer visits and tools like AI. He addresses misconceptions that DPC is just high-end concierge care or requires business genius, notes that cash-paying patients often navigate the broader system more efficiently when needed, and predicts insurance-free primary care becoming mainstream within 3–5 years as traditional models continue to strain under complexity and cost. The article portrays DPC as an accessible, sustainable path for burned-out physicians seeking better work-life balance and genuine patient relationships.
Pondering direct primary care? 10 potential benefits and drawbacks
An American Medical Association article (June 2, 2026) by Georgia Garvey encourages residents and fellows transitioning to practice to consider Direct Primary Care (DPC) as a model that limits heavy insurer involvement. In DPC, patients typically pay a modest monthly membership fee ($50–$100 for adults, $20–$50 for children) for unlimited primary care access, often including basic labs or imaging, without billing traditional insurance. The piece distinguishes DPC from concierge medicine and notes that while exact numbers are hard to track, DPC Frontier estimates over 3,000 U.S. practices in 2026, falling into pure (no insurance), hybrid, or on-site employer models. Potential benefits for physicians include fewer time restrictions with patients, greater professional satisfaction, reduced insurer interactions, better work-life balance, and smaller patient panels. Drawbacks may involve initially lower income, the need to recruit and build a patient base, fewer total patients, risk of isolation, and operational challenges outside traditional payment systems. The article also highlights recent IRS guidance allowing HSA funds for DPC fees (up to $150/month individual or $300/family) and references AMA ethical guidance on transparent retainer agreements, emphasizing that while DPC appeals to some, it is not for everyone and does not eliminate all practice burdens.
DPC continues to roll on, and we’ll keep sharing this information with you.
